Patricia Draper (born 2 April 1959) is a former

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

politician. She held the seat of Makin seat from 1996 to 2007.

Early life

Draper was born in

Woodville, South Australia Woodville is a suburb of Adelaide, situated about northwest of Adelaide city centre. It lies within the City of Charles Sturt. The postcode of Woodville is 5011. Woodville is bound by Cheltenham Parade to the west, Torrens Road to the north, P ...

, the daughter of German migrants who travelled to Australia after WWII. During her early teens she was a member of the Girl Guides and the RSPCA. Her early ambition was to become a High School Teacher, to teach Economics and History. However, influenced by her mother's chosen career of Nursing, at the age of 19, Trish became a nurse. She joined the Navy and completed her training as a Medic specialising in Surgical and Theatre Nursing. After leaving the Navy, she moved into the area of Aged Care Nursing, while completing her Bachelor of Arts Degree at the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Austral ...

. In 1993 and 1994 Trish was elected as a Student Representative for the Salisbury Campus and Coordinator of the Save Salisbury Campus Campaign.

Parliamentary career

Draper joined the Liberal Party in 1992 and subsequently stood for pre-selection for the Makin in November 1994. Draper went on to win the seat of Makin at the 1996 Federal Election. Draper went on to win the former

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seat of Makin in the next three elections (

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

). In 1998 she held her seat despite holding a 1% margin before the election. In 2000, Draper campaigned against continuing high petrol prices, calling on the Federal Government to freeze the proposed GST component of petrol excise indexation. The Prime Minister and Cabinet subsequently changed the policy to permanently abolish the GST component of petrol excise indexation. In 2003, together with her colleague the Member for Canning Don Randall MP, Trish Draper introduced a Private Members Bill, Protection of Australian Flags (Desecration of the Flag) Bill 2003 A Bill for an Act to amend the Flags Act 1953. However the bill lapsed, and did not become law. Draper was involved in a travel controversy when she took her boyfriend away with her to a taxpayer-funded study tour to England, Ireland, France and the Netherlands in 2004. She was forced to pay back nearly $10,000 of his expenses. Whilst Draper maintained she had done nothing wrong, the ensuing controversy lead to a review of MP travel entitlements. In September 2007, Draper was awarded the

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually bec ...

Parliamentary Award.

Committee Service

House of Representatives Standing Committees

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs 8.12.98 to 31.8.04. Family and Community Services 20.3.02 to 31.8.04. Library 20.3.02 to 31.8.04. Privileges 1.12.04 to 07. Procedures 1.12.04 to 07. Chairman of Publications 1.12.04 to 07.

Joint Standing Committee

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade 1.12.04 to 07.

Coalition Policy Committees

Education, Science and Training 1996 to 2007. Health and Ageing 1996 to 2007. Small Business and Tourism 1998 to 2007. Secretary Health and Ageing 1998 to 2001. Chairman Health and Ageing 2001 to 2004.

Retirement from Federal Parliament

In June 2006, after the death of a long serving staff member, and the sudden illness of her husband, Draper decided to retire from Federal politics. Although Prime Minister John Howard encouraged her to stay,Trish Draper wins Newland pre-selection nod
/ref> Draper announced her intention to retire at the 2007 election. The seat fell to Labor then-record

two-party A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refer ...

vote of 57.7 percent from a then-record two-party

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

of 8.6 percent. The seat became the safest of the 23 Labor won from the coalition at the election.Elections: Australian Electoral Commission
/ref> In the lead up to

2010 South Australian state election The 2010 South Australian state election elected members to the 52nd Parliament of South Australia on 20 March 2010. All seats in the House of Assembly or lower house, whose current members were elected at the 2006 election, and half the seats ...

, Draper stood for pre-selection for the state seat of Newland. She failed to win the seat at the subsequent election. Currently, Draper continues to be a member of the Liberal Party, supporting the volunteers in the Newland and Makin branches, and working and mentoring in the community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Trish 1959 births Living people Politicians from Adelaide Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Makin University of South Australia alumni Women members of the Australian House of Representatives 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian women politicians