Child, Joan (1921-2013), an Australian Labor Party politician, became the first woman speaker of the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament in 1986.
Joan Olle was born on Aug. 3, 1921, in Melbourne. She and her husband, Hal Child, had five sons. After her husband died in 1963, Child worked as a house cleaner and in factories to make ends meet. During this time, she became involved in the Labor Party. In 1974, Child won the seat of Henty in Victoria, and became the first woman representing the Australian Labor Party to be elected to the House of Representatives. She became deputy speaker of the House of Representatives in 1984, and was speaker of the House from 1986 to 1989. Child died on Feb. 23, 2013.
