Jeannette McHugh

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Jeannette McHugh

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Jeannette McHugh 2014 (cropped).jpg

| caption = McHugh in 2014

|office = Minister for Consumer Affairs

|primeminister = Paul Keating

|term_start = 27 May 1992

|term_end = 11 March 1996

|predecessor = Michael Tate

|successor = Geoff Prosser

| constituency_MP2 = Grayndler

| parliament2 = Australian

| predecessor2 = Leo McLeay

| successor2 = Anthony Albanese

| term_start2 = 13 March 1993

| term_end2 = 29 January 1996

| constituency_MP3 = Phillip

| parliament3 = Australian

| predecessor3 = Jack Birney

| successor3 = Seat abolished

| term_start3 = 5 March 1983

| term_end3 = 13 March 1993

| birthname = Jeannette Goffet

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1934|12|18}}

| birth_place = Kandos, New South Wales, Australia

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Australian

| spouse = {{marriage|Michael McHugh|21 July 1960}}

| party = Australian Labor Party

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater = University of Sydney

| occupation = Teacher}}

Jeannette McHugh ({{nee|Goffet}}; born 18 December 1934) is an Australian former politician who was the first woman from New South Wales elected to federal parliament. She served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 1996, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and was Minister for Consumer Affairs in the Keating government from 1992 to 1996. She was a schoolteacher and political activist prior to entering parliament.

Early life and education

Born in Kandos, New South Wales, McHugh was educated at the University of Sydney, where she resided at the Women's College.Ian Glachan: [http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LA19970506040 Women's College Amendment Bill] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125452/http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LA19970506040 |date=29 September 2007 }}, Legislative Assembly Hansard, Parliament of New South Wales, 6 May 1997.

Career

=Early career=

She worked as a languages teacher and on social justice issues for many years through her involvement in housing, environment, anti-nuclear, peace and women's organisations before gaining ALP pre-selection for the Division of Phillip, a seat she won at the 1983 Australian federal election, making her the first woman from New South Wales to sit in the federal parliament.

=Parliamentary career=

She was made Minister for Consumer Affairs in 1992, making her the first female federal minister from New South Wales. When the Division of Phillip was abolished after an electoral redistribution, it was arranged for McHugh to move to the Division of Grayndler, as she was entitled to a seat as a minister. The sitting member Leo McLeay agreed to move to the new neighbouring electorate of Watson.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2004/guide/gray.htm |work=2004 Federal Election |title=Grayndler Electorate Profile |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|year=2004}}

McHugh announced her retirement from parliament, to be effective at the time of the 1996 Australian federal election, at which the ALP lost government. Anthony Albanese won pre-selection for Grayndler, and retained the seat for Labor at the election. McHugh was a member of Labor's Left faction.{{Cite web |title=Jeannette McHugh |url=https://www.evatt.org.au/jeanette-mchugh |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Evatt Foundation |language=en}}

=Post-parliamentary career=

McHugh is Chair of the Jessie Street Trust, and was Secretary of the Evatt Foundation until November 2006.[http://evatt.labor.net.au/about_who/mchugh.html Jeannette McHugh: Member of the Executive Committee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050622221425/http://evatt.labor.net.au/about_who/mchugh.html |date=22 June 2005 }}, Evatt Foundation.

Personal life

Jeannette McHugh is married to former High Court of Australia justice Michael McHugh.Michael Pelly: [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-higher-justice/2005/10/28/1130400366753.html A higher justice], The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 October 2005.

Her parents were Charles Richard "Charlie" Goffet (1909–91), who taught French at Newcastle Boys High School from 1942 to 1978, and Neta Jean Goffet (née Walsh) (1909–83)[https://nbhsoba.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Charlie-Goffet-Obituary-1.pdf "Newcastle's idiosyncratic educator"], Newcastle Herald, 11. November 1991. Retrieved 12 March 2025.Charles Goffet, [https://nbhsoba.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Charlie-Goffet-Speech-At-Inaugural-OBA-Dinner-1987.pdf Speech At Inaugural Dinner Of The Newcastle Boys' High School Old Boys' Association - Aug 1987], nbhsoba.net. Retrieved 12 March 2025.[https://www.myheritage.com/names/charles_goffet Charles Goffet], myheritage.com. Retrieved 8 January 2021.{{cite web |title=CHARLES GOFFET MISCELLANEA |url=https://www.nbhsoba.net/NBHS%20CHARLIE%20MISCELLANEA.html |publisher=Newcastle Boys' High School Old Boys' Association |accessdate=5 June 2020}}{{Citation| author1=N.S.W. Teachers' Federation.| author2=New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation.| title=Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation.| date=9 December 1991| section=v.| issn=0013-1156| issue=Vol. 72 No. 20 (9 Dec 1991)| location=Sydney| publisher=The Federation| url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-726684262| id=nla.obj-726684262| access-date=5 June 2020| via=Trove|page=22}} Her younger sister is former Labor and Independent local councillor and Mayor of Warringah, Julie Sutton.{{cite news |last1=Loane |first1=Sally |title=She ain't Labor, she's my sister |agency=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=23 April 1992 |page=1}}