Margaret Fitzherbert
Margaret Fitzherbert is an Australian politician. She was a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council, representing Southern Metropolitan Region from 2014 to 2018. Before entering parliament she held various positions in business and was most recently director of the Royal Women's Hospital and chair of the board.
In February 2015, Fitzherbert was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Women's Health, and Rural and Regional Health.
Fitzherbert completed a BA at Monash University. Later she attained a Grad Dip in Labour Relations Law from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Arts from RMIT University, where she won the Fairfax Business Media Prize.
Fitzherbert has worked as an industrial advocate, representing employers, and was a ministerial adviser to Judi Moylan as Minister for Women, and David Kemp as Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs. She also worked in senior communications roles for various employers, including ANZ and the National Australia Bank
Fitzherbert has written extensively on women and politics. Her first book, Liberal Women, was shortlisted for a NSW Premier's History Award in 2004, and was followed by So Many Firsts in 2009. She has been a member of the Victorian working party for the Australian Dictionary of Biography since 2008.
Fitzherbert was one of the first to speak out publicly about the practice of Liberal preselectors asking women about their childcare arrangements.
