Dawn Lawrie

Dawn Lawrie AM
1976 portrait of Lawrie from Library & Archives NT
Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Nightcliff
In office 19 October 1974 – 2 December 1983
Preceded by	Division created
Succeeded by	Stephen Hatton
Administrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
In office 8 November 1988 – 27 November 1990
Preceded by	Carolyn Stuart
Succeeded by	Barry T. Cunningham
Personal details
Born	(1938-11-03) 3 November 1938 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Independent
Children	Delia Lawrie
Occupation	Politician

Alline Dawn Lawrie AM (born 3 November 1938) is an Australian former politician. She was the independent member for Nightcliff in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 1983; in the First Assembly, she and fellow independent Ron Withnall were the sole non-Country Liberal Party members.

Early life

Lawrie was born in Melbourne in 1938. She moved to Alice Springs in the 1950s. She then settled in Darwin in 1960, where she worked as a public servant.

Career

Northern Territory Legislative Assembly

Years	Term	Electoral division	Party
1974–1977	1st	Nightcliff		Independent
1977–1980	2nd	Nightcliff		Independent
1980–1983	3rd	Nightcliff		Independent

Lawrie joined the Northern Territory Parliament in 1971, firstly as an independent member of the Legislative Council (1971–74) then as the independent member for Nightcliff (1974–1983).

After politics, Lawrie and her husband established a community newspaper, the Palmerston & Northern Suburbs, which was published from 1983 to 1985. Lawrie was appointed as the first Regional Director for the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 1986. She served as the Administrator of the Cocos Keeling Islands from 1988 to 1990 and was the first NT Anti-Discrimination Commissioner. She is also a justice of the peace and a registered civil marriage celebrant.

She is the mother of Delia Lawrie, former leader of the Labor Party and the opposition in the Northern Territory.