Judy Maddigan

Judy was elected to the position of Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees in 1999, the first woman to be elected to this position in the history of the Victorian Parliament. Judy Maddigan is a Librarian by profession and was elected to the Parliamentary seat of Essendon in 1996 representing the Australian Labor Party. She holds a Masters Degree in Library and Information Sciences.

She was strongly involved with the 'Defend Public Libraries' campaign during the 1990s which was organised to protect public libraries form the effects of compulsory competitive tendering and amalgamations.

Judy was a Councillor from 1985-91 with the City of Essendon and during this time received the State 'Clean Air Award' by leading the campaign to ban incinerators in the City. Essendon was the first local government area to ban incinerators in Victoria.

Judy has a long history of involvement in local community groups including women's organisations, the Essendon Historical Society and the Friends of Essendon Library.

Judy is a member of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee of the Parliament and is currently chairing the Women's Advertising Project which is looking at the portrayal of women in outdoor advertising. She is also Interim Chair of Women Inmates Speaking Aloud, which is a self help group currently being set up to assist women prisoners when they are released from prison.