Born 16.11.28 at Minlaton, SA.
Parliamentary Service
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Elected to the Senate for Western Australia 1980 (term began 1.7.81), 1983, 1984 and 1987 (term expired 30.6.93).
Committee Service
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Senate Standing: Regulations and Ordinances from 11.9.85 (Chairman from 18.10.90) to 20.8.92; Library from 24.2.88 to 30.6.93; Privileges from 24.2.88 (Chairman from 18.3.88) to 30.6.93.
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Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing: Social Welfare from 25.8.81 to 5.6.87; Education and the Arts from 27.8.81 to 4.2.83; Legal and Constitutional Affairs from 24.9.87 to 30.6.93.
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Senate Select: Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes from 27.10.81 to 4.2.83 and from 11.5.83 (Chairman from 11.5.83) to 5.6.87; Television Equalisation from 5.12.86 to 23.3.87.
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Senate Estimates: G from 26.8.81 to 4.2.83; B from 4.5.83 (Chairman from 5.5.83) to 24.3.87; F from 24.3.87 to 5.6.87 and from 29.9.88 to 8.5.90; D from 24.9.87 to 29.9.88; E from 9.5.90 to 11.5.90 and from 11.4.91 to 17.9.92; C from 11.5.90 to 20.9.90 and from 6.5.93 to 30.6.93.
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Joint Statutory: Public Accounts from 24.2.87 to 30.6.93.
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Joint Standing: Australian Capital Territory from 11.5.83 to 5.6.87.
Conferences, Delegations and Visits
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Member, Australian Government Delegation to Tribune, Mexico, International Women's Year 1975.
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Leader, Australian Government Delegation to World Conference for the End of the Decade for Women, Nairobi, July 1985.
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Leader, Australian Delegation to Meeting of Commonwealth Ministers for Women's Affairs, Nairobi, 1985; Harare, Zimbabwe, 1987; Ottawa, Canada, 1990.
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Parliamentary Adviser, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), New York, September-December 1992.
Party Positions
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Delegate, ALP State Executive (WA) from 1973.
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Member, ALP Administrative Committee (WA) 1976-81.
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President, Curtin Electorate Council 1978-79.
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Vice-President, ALP (WA) 1981.
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Delegate, ALP National Status of Women Committee 1981, and convenor 1983 and 1985.
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Delegate, ALP National Conference 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1988.
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WA Delegate to ALP National Executive 1981-89.
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Junior Vice-President, ALP National Executive 1983-85.
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Convenor, ALP National Platform Committee on Social Security and Community Services 1987.
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Delegate, ALP National Policy Committee on Government Administration 1990.
Other Positions
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Inaugural Member, World Women Parliamentarians for Peace from 1985; President 1988-90.
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Member, Women for a Meaningful Summit from 1986.
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Special Parliamentary Adviser to Minister Assisting Prime Minister on Violence Against Women 1990.
Qualifications and Occupation before entering Federal Parliament
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BA (WAust).
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Trained nurse: General, midwifery and infant welfare.
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Organiser, Hospital Employees Union.
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Member, Health Education Council of WA 1971-81.
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Inaugural Convenor, Women's Electoral Lobby, Perth 1973.
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Chair, WA Committee on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation 1974-76.
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Member, WA Committee, Advisory Committee on Homeless Persons 1975-81.
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Member, Women's Employment Committee of National Consultative Council 1978-81.
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Member, Review Committee, Legal Aid Commission of WA 1978-81.
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Chair, ACTU Women's Committee 1978-81.
View the full record at
Australian Parliamentary Library
Pat Giles commenced her working life as a nurse. After completing a Bachelor of Arts as a mature age student, she was an Organiser with the Hospital Employees Union of Western Australia from 1974 until 1981. In that year Giles was elected as an Australian Labor Party (ALP) Senator for Western Australia, and held the position for twelve years. During this time she was directly involved in the United Nations Decade for Women meetings, leading the government delegation to Nairobi in 1985.
Giles was a founding member and inaugural convenor of the Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL) WA in 1973 and was the first woman on the executive of the West Australian Trades and Labour Council. She was a member, later Chairperson, of the first Australian Council of Trade Unions Women's Committee. In 2004 Giles, who has continued to be a strong activist for women both within Australia and internationally, will complete her third and final term as President of the International Alliance of Women.
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1950
Obtained Certificate in General Nursing
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1951
Obtained Certificate in Midwifery
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1952
Obtained Certificate in Infant Welfare
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1953
Married Keith Giles (FFARCS, FFAARCS) (diss. 1976), they had four daughters
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1971 - 1974
Vice-president of the WA Council of State School Organizations
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1971 - 1981
Executive member of the Health Education Council of WA
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1973 -
Inaugural convenor and member of WEL Perth
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1974
Graduated with a BA from the University of Western Australia
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1974
First woman to chair a committee on Discrimination in Employment & Occupation
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1974 - 1981
Organiser of the Hospital Employees' Union WA
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1975
First woman elected to the executive of the WA Trades & Labour Council
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1975 - 1980
Service industries representative on the WA Trades & Labour Council
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1975 - 1981
Member of the Homeless Persons Advisory Committee in WA
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1976 - 1979
Member of the Administrative Committee for the ALP (WA)
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1978
Member of the first ACTU Women's Committee
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1978 - 1981
Member of the Review Committee for the WA Legal Aid Commission
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1979
First woman to argue an important general issue before the WA State Industrial Commission (Maternity Leave which was granted to women in private employment, January 1980)
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1979 - 1981
Member of the Community Advisory Committee in Industrial Relations for the University of WA
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1979 - 1981
ACTU representative member of the first tripartite committee on women's employment in Australia (sub-committee of the National Labour Consultative Committee on Women's Employment)
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1981
Western Australian delegate to the ALP National Conference
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1981 - 1993
Sentator (ALP) for Western Australia
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1983 - 1985
Junior Vice-President of the ALP
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1986
Temporary Chairman of Committees
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1995 - 1996
Chaired the World Health Organisations's Global Commission on Women's Helath
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7 May 2004
Speaker at the 19th Mary Owen Dinner
View the full record at
Australian Women's Register