Lara Giddings

Larissa Tahireh "Lara" Giddings (14 November 1972 —) is a former Australian Labor politician. She was Premier of Tasmania from 2011-2014, the first woman to hold the position.

Born in Goroka, Papua New Guinea, Giddings attended Methodist Ladies' College in Melbourne as a boarder (Denholm, 2012). She gained a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania.

After joining the Labor Party at 18, Giddings was elected Member for Lyons in 1996 but was defeated in 1998. Four years later she was elected as a Member for Franklin, a position she held until her retirement from politics in 2018 (Parliament of Tasmania, 2020).  

Giddings held the ministerial portfolio for Health and Human Services from 2006. On 26 May 2008, she was elected to Deputy Leader under David Bartlett (and so Deputy Premier of Tasmania); following Bartlett's resignation on 23 January 2011 ("Tasmanian Premier to resign", 2011), Giddings was unanimously voted party leader, also making her the first female Premier of Tasmania.  

Giddings has said that she is a passionate advocate for voluntary assisted dying, and it is a key reason she entered politics (Abey & Smith, 2013). On September 26, 2013, Giddings tabled a private member's bill along with Greens member Nick McKim (whose initial Dying with Dignity bill had been defeated in 2009). The Voluntary Assisted Dying bill was debated and defeated 13-11 in 2013 ("Euthanasia bill back on the table", 2015). Giddings partnered with Greens leader Cassy O'Connor for the third attempt to have legislation passed in 2017, but despite polls showing 80-85% of the public supported the bill, it was voted down a third time ("Tasmania votes down voluntary euthanasia bill", 2017).

Giddings retired from politics in 2018. In 2019, she took up a role as Chief Executive of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association. 

Abey, D. & Smith, M. (2013, September 26). Giddings plea on mercy death law. The Advertiser. https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/giddings-plea-on-mercy-death-law/news-story/be90ad3671b6770b175dc8ffadc47760

Denholm, M. (2012, January 21). Lara Giddings and the choice that may lead to her downfall as Tasmanian Premier. The Australian. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/lara-giddings-and-the-choice-that-may-lead-to-her-downfall-as-tasmanian-premier/news-story/20deaf8d293a7e96283c707ab8240db2

Euthanasia bill back on the table. (2015, March 15). The Advocate. https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/2945375/euthanasia-bill-back-on-the-table/

Parliament of Tasmania. (2020). Larissa Tahireh (Lara) Giddings. https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/history/members/giddings703.html

Tasmania votes down voluntary euthanasia bill for third time in 10 years. (2017, May 25). ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-24/tasmania-votes-down-euthanasia-bill/8555882

Tasmanian Premier to resign. (2011, 23 January). The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/tasmanian-premier-resigns-20110123-1a0yg.html