In 1969, Elsie Kay Hallahan joined the
Western Australian Police, before moving into social work in 1981. Her social work career included working in the
Western Australian Alcohol and Drug Authority. At the
1983 Western Australian state election, Hallahan won one of the
South-East Metropolitan Province seats in the
Western Australian Legislative Council. Following the
1986 state election, she became a minister in the
Burke Ministry, with the portfolios of Community Services, the Family, Youth, the Aged and Women's Interests, and served in similar roles in the
Dowding Ministry. At the
1989 state election, with the transition of the Legislative Council to a proportional system of election, she transferred to the
East Metropolitan Region. With
Carmen Lawrence's rise to premier in February 1990, a significant reshuffle saw Hallahan become
Minister for Planning,
Lands,
Heritage and the Arts in Western Australia. She also became
Minister for Education on 5 February 1991. At the
1993 state election, Hallahan moved to the
Western Australian Legislative Assembly, where she successfully contested the seat of
Armadale, replacing
Bob Pearce whose career had effectively been ended by the
WA Inc Royal Commission. She served as Deputy Opposition Leader from February 1993 until October 1994. She retired from parliament at the
1996 state election, being succeeded by
Alannah MacTiernan (who had also succeeded her in the East Metropolitan seat in the Council in 1993). In 2002, Hallahan was made an
Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "service to the community, particularly as an advocate for the needs of children, women and the elderly, in matters of social justice, and to the Parliament of Western Australia." She also became chairperson of
Save the Children Australia. At the
2004 federal election, following the death of one preselected candidate and the resignation of her replacement, Hallahan nominated to run for Liberal-held
Division of Canning, which included Armadale, but was defeated. Alannah MacTiernan also stood for the
Australian Labor Party in Canning at the
2010 federal election, but was also unsuccessful. MacTiernan eventually joined the Federal Parliament, when she won the seat of
Perth at the
2013 federal election. ==References==