Margaret Rowe

{{Short description|Australian politician (1949–2022)}}

{{For|the British historian|Margaret Joyce Rowe}}

{{Use Australian English|date=March 2016}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Margaret Rowe

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| office = Member of the Legislative Council
of Western Australia

| constituency = Agricultural Region

| term_start = 22 May 2005

| term_end = 22 June 2007

| alongside = Chance, Criddle, Donaldson, Fels

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1949|4|11}}

| birth_place = Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2022|3|21|1949|4|11}}

| death_place =

| party = Liberal

| alma_mater =

| religion =

}}

Margaret-Anne Bernadette Rowe (née Trahair; 11 April 1949 – 21 March 2022) was an Australian politician and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Australia 1955 and represented her country at Miss Universe 1955. She was Liberal member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 2005 to 2007, representing Agricultural Region.

Rowe was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, to Margaret Mary (née Brock) and Archibald Richard Trahair. After previously working in various administrative positions, she served on the Greenough Shire Council in 1994 and from 1997 to 2004. She also worked as a research officer for two Liberal members of the Legislative Assembly – Kevin Minson (from 1996 to 2001) and Jamie Edwards (from 2001 to 2005).{{cite web |title=Margaret Anne Bernadette Rowe |url=http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/library/MPHistoricalData.nsf/MemberNames/Rowe,%20Margaret%20Anne%20Bernadette?OpenDocument |website=Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia |access-date=9 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815233736/http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/library/MPHistoricalData.nsf/MemberNames/Rowe,%20Margaret%20Anne%20Bernadette?OpenDocument |archive-date=15 August 2016}} Rowe first ran for parliament herself at the 2001 state election, occupying the fifth position on the Liberal Party's ticket in Agricultural Region. At the 2005 election, she was elevated to third on the ticket, and was elected. However, Rowe's time in parliament was short-lived, as she resigned due to ill health in June 2007.{{cite web |url=http://parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/Memblist.nsf/WAllMembersFlat/Rowe,+Margaret+Anne+Bernadette?opendocument |title=Hon. Margaret Anne Bernadette Rowe MLC |access-date=9 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413034629/http://parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/Memblist.nsf/WAllMembersFlat/Rowe,+Margaret+Anne+Bernadette?opendocument |archive-date=13 April 2016}}

She had earlier missed six sitting days without explanation, for which she was found in contempt of parliament and had to apologise.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-06-26/liberal-mp-rowe-quits/81086 "Liberal MP Rowe quits"], ABC News, 26 June 2007. One of Rowe's children, Brad Rowe, was a professional Australian rules footballer.{{cite book | author = Black, David and Phillips, Harry | year = 2012 | title = Making a Difference: Women in the Western Australian Parliament 1921–2012 | location = Parliament House, Perth, Western Australia: Parliament of Western Australia |url=http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/library/MPHistoricalData.nsf/32e457f9ba7d7c5148257b5500242416/8c083997815d9c81482577e50028a7a7/$FILE/Chapter%2062.%20Margaret%20Rowe%20Making%20a%20Difference.pdf |pages=442–446}}