Jane Aagaard Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Jane Aagaard
Birth Name:Jane Lesley Aagaard
Order:8th
Office:Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Term Start:29 June 2005
Term End:23 October 2012
Predecessor:Loraine Braham
Successor:Kezia Purick
Constituency Am2:Nightcliff
Assembly2:Northern Territory Legislative
Term Start2:18 August 2001
Term End2:6 August 2012
Predecessor2:Stephen Hatton
Successor2:Natasha Fyles
Birth Place:Melbourne, Victoria
Nationality:Australian
Party:Labor Party
Alma Mater:QUT
Occupation:Public relations officer

Jane Lesley Aagaard (born 1956) is a former Australian politician. She was a Labor Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2012, representing the Darwin-based electorate of Nightcliff. She was the Speaker of the Assembly from June 2005 until October 2012—the first Labor member ever to hold the post. Prior to holding the speakership, she had served as Health Minister from 2001 to 2003.[1]

Early life

|}Jane Aagaard was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1956, to John Stuart McIntosh and Jean Brown. She moved to Brisbane, Queensland at the age of seven, where she was educated at Somerville House, a school for girls in South Brisbane.[2]

In 1986, she accepted a position with the Northern Territory Department of Mines and Energy, and settled with her husband in Darwin.

Aagaard also became heavily involved in many aspects of the Darwin community. She helped found the Brolga Awards and Northern Territory Sports Awards, and continued organising both presentations for several years. Not long before entering parliament, she had also organised the city's commemoration of its bombing by Japanese forces during World War II.[3]

When former Chief Minister Stephen Hatton, the longtime CLP member for Nightcliff, retired at the 2001 election, Aagaard ran as the Labor candidate against Hatton's son, Jason. In a shock result, Aagaard won the seat on an unexpectedly large swing of 11.7 percent that saw the previously marginal Nightcliff technically become a safe Labor seat. Aagaard's victory was part of a six-seat swing to Labor that saw the party win government for the first time ever, mainly on the strength of a strong performance in the Darwin area. She was reelected in 2005, picking up a healthy swing of 8.5 percent.

In March 2012, Aagaard announced that she would not contest the next election due to "ongoing medical issues that would require treatment and surgery".[4] In November 2012, Aagaard was granted the title The Honourable for life.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hon. Jane Lesley AAGAARD MLA. 30 September 2006 . Australian Government. 2009-09-22.
  2. Encyclopedia: Suzannah Pearce. Who's Who in Business Live!. AAGAARD Jane Lesley, Hon. . 2006-11-17. Crown Content Pty Ltd. North Melbourne, Vic.
  3. Smith, Camden. "Aagaard to stand for Nightcliff seat". Northern Territory News, 7 March 2001.
  4. Web site: Speaker Aagaard to retire from politics . NT News . 25 March 2012 . 16 April 2012.
  5. http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2012G00283 Ms Jane Lesley Aagaard granted the title "Honourable" for life