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Katy GallagherKaty Gallagher (born March 17, 1970) is an Australian politician. She has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 2001, representing the electorate of Molonglo. She is the current ACT Minister for Education, Youth and Family Support, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Women. Gallagher was born and raised in the Weston Creek district of Canberra, and studied political science and sociology at the Australian National University. She was initially employed as a social worker, assisting with a community life skills project and working with children with disabilities. From 1994 to 1997, she worked as an advocate for People First ACT, a support and advocacy organisation for the intellectually disabled. Around this time, Gallagher became involved in the labour movement. She became active in the Labor Party and took on a position with the Community and Public Sector Union, first working as a case manger and then a national organiser. In 2001, Gallagher won pre-selection as one of the Labor candidates for the electorate of Molonglo at the election that year. Labor already had two incumbents from Molonglo, but the party increased its vote, and Gallagher was able to take a third seat that had been vacated by retiring long-serving independent Michael Moore. The election saw a Labor government come to power at the hands of new Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, and Stanhope immediately appointed Gallagher as one of his three ministers. As an MLA, Gallagher chaired the Select Committee into the Status of Women in the ACT, which produced a lengthy report responding to a variety of issues. In 2002, she was instrumental in campaigning for the passage of laws which successfully decriminalised abortion in the ACT. She improved her vote at the 2004 election, coming in second overall in her electorate behind Labor Treasurer Ted Quinlan. Gallagher is a member of the party's Socialist Left faction. External link Gallagher, Katy Gallagher, Katy
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