Joan Kirner - Infinite Women

Born: 20 June 1938, Australia
Died: 1 June 2015
Country most active: Australia
Also known as: Joan Hood

This biography is republished from The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia. Written by Heather O’Connor, Independent Scholar. See below for full attribution.

Joan Kirner was born on the 20th June, 1938, the only child of John Keith Hood, a fitter and turner, whose commitment to social justice Joan credits with shaping her political values. Her mother, Beryl Edith Cole, was a music teacher, whose belief that girls could do anything holds equal importance in explaining her daughter’s life-long commitment to improving the status of girls and women (ABC 1 TV, Talking Heads).

Joan graduated from Melbourne University in 1958, after which she taught at the Ballarat Girls’ Technical College. Like all women at the time, her marriage to her husband, Ron in 1960 meant that she was precluded from permanency in the service, an injustice which fueled much of her activism as an education lobbyist and later, as Minister for Education. The birth of three children, and the shift to suburban Croydon, marked the beginning of Joan’s career as a community activist, strongly supported by Ron and local women who have remained life-long friends.

Joan Kirner’s career in politics has two distinctive phases: twelve years in the Victorian Parliament (1982-1994), the remaining decades in community politics. The latter began when she was elected President of the Victorian Federation of State Schools’ Parents Clubs, (1971-1977), selected by Gough Whitlam to be the parent representative on the Australian Schools Commission, (1973-1978), and elected President of the Australian Council of State School Organisations (1975-1978).

In the Victorian parliament, Joan held the positions of Minister for Conservation, 1985, Minister for Education, 1988, Deputy Premier, 1989, and Victoria’s first woman Premier, 1990 to 1992. She retired from parliament in May, 1994. In the years since her retirement Joan has maintained her community activism as Victorian Communities Ambassador, and her commitment to supporting women into parliament, most notably through Emily’s List which she co-founded in 1996.

Joan’s feminist values of inclusion, recognizing individual talents, encouraging women’s participation in every aspect of public life and decision-making, have informed her leadership. Promoting Landcare when she was Minister for Conservation, Joan worked closely with Heather Mitchell, President of the Victorian Farmer’s Federation, and with key women in local land management programs. She believes that change only comes about when politicians take the community with them, and where power is shared between women working towards the same goals (The Women’s Power Handbook.) ‘If you want to change the world for yourself and your own kids, you’ve got to change it for and with other people, particularly, women’ (The Wisdom Interviews).

Joan relied heavily on friendships with women, most notably fellow Ministers, Caroline Hogg and Kay Setches, long-time friend and ALP Secretary, Jenny Beacham, and her Ministerial staff. ‘No woman in politics can survive and be successful without a network of women…I would not have survived two years as Premier of Victoria without the support of women colleagues and women friends’ (‘To do something good’). The importance of maintaining friendships and networks between women, linking those with access to power with women in the community, informed how Joan operated as Minister, Premier and community politician (The Women’s Power Handbook).

The following is republished with permission from the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

In 1990, Joan Kirner became the first female Victorian Premier.

Joan Kirner was born on 20 June 1938 in Essendon, Victoria. She went to Aberfeldie Primary School, Penleigh Presbyterian Grammar School and University High School. Following this she went to the University of Melbourne on a studentship and graduated with a BA, Dip. Ed. Joan married, had three children and became active in Croydon North Primary School Mothers’ Club from 1965-75.

Joan became involved in the development of the Victorian Federation of State School Parents Clubs and the Australian Council of State School Organisations. She became President of the former from 1973-78. She was involved in numerous committees related to education during the 1970s. In 1982, she entered state politics as Labor MLC for Melbourne West, continuing her efforts to shape education policies. Joan was a strong supporter of State education and also believed in the value of parent participation in education.

In 1986, along with Heather Mitchell, Joan Kirner initiated Landcare, a community-based movement working to care for the land. At the time, Joan was Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands while Heather Mitchell was President of the Victorian Farmers’ Federation. Together they created a network of groups from different walks of life which could work together to achieve land restoration, with departmental assistance. It proved to be a very practicable grass roots movement and, by 1990, 70 Landcare groups had formed. It then spread to other states whereupon a National Landcare Program was developed. This was assisted by a historic partnership between the National Farmers’ Federation and the Australian Conservation Foundation. Bob Hawke declared the 1990s the ‘Decade of Landcare’.

By early 2000 there were over 4000 Landcare groups in Australia. Some groups consist of neighbouring farmers working together to solve common problems, while other more complex projects work to tackle problems at the catchment or regional level. Conceived by two women, Landcare has created numerous opportunities for women’s participation. The Landcare model has been adopted in New Zealand, and is being introduced in the United States, Iceland, Canada and parts of Asia.

Joan moved to the Lower House in 1988 as the Member for Williamstown and the following year became the deputy leader of the ALP. Following John Cain’s resignation in 1990, Joan became Premier but lost office in the 1992 elections. Carmen Lawrence had become Premier of Western Australia in the same year. Joan was the first woman Premier of Victoria and the second in Australia. In 1993, she resigned as leader of the Labor Party and was elected president of the Victorian branch of the ALP. In 1994, she resigned from her seat in parliament.

Joan continued to be active in community affairs, particularly in organisations related to women and educational issues. She was co-convenor of EMILY’s List, a political, personal and funding network to elect more women into parliament. She also was Chair of the Centenary of Federation’s ‘Women Shaping the Nation’ Steering Committee.

Work cited
Heather O’Connor, ‘Kirner, Joan Elizabeth’, in The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia, Australian Women’s Archives Project, 2014, https://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/biogs/WLE0237b.htm, accessed 16 January 2022.