Margaret Quirk was elected to the WA Parliament in 2001, first as the Member for Girrawheen and from 2017 the Member for Landsdale.  She has served as the Government Whip as well as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Justice.

Margaret was elected to State Cabinet in 2005 and, in addition to being the Minister for Corrective Services and Minister for Small Business, also served in a range of other portfolios.

Between 2008-2017 in Opposition Margaret served on the Community Development and Justice Standing committee which undertook a range of issues including the policy implications of ageing, performance indicators for police custody and post-traumatic stress in first responders.

During that period she also held a range of shadow portfolios including that of police, multicultural interests, emergency services and seniors.

Margaret attended school in Perth before completing a Bachelor of Law with Honours at the University of Adelaide and, more recently, a Master of Arts in the Public Policy at Murdoch University.  She was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 1981.

Margaret’s legal work included positions with the Department for Immigration, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and a major law firm in Perth.

She has also served as a ministerial advisor on energy and environmental issues and, for almost 10 years before entering Parliament, as Regional Counsel for the National Crime Authority in WA.

Margaret is the Australian Chair of Global Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC).

In her spare time Margaret enjoys her multicultural electorate and participating in a range of social justice and party organisations as well as reading, theatre, art, swimming and watching football (Dockers).