Maggie Hickey

Who is Maggie Hickey?

Margaret Anne "Maggie" Hickey is a former Australian politician. She represented the electoral division of Barkly for the Australian Labor Party in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1990 to 2001. In April 1996, she became leader of the ALP in the Northern Territory, and Leader of the Opposition.

Hickey stood as an independent in the 1987 election, and was narrowly defeated by Ian Tuxworth, a former CLP Chief Minister who had left the party and formed the Northern Territory Nationals. The result in Barkly was annulled, and Hickey stood for Labor in the ensuing by-election, but was again defeated by Tuxworth. A redistribution favourable to Labor and Tuxworth's attempt to win the seat of Goyder saw Hickey elected as MLA for Barkly in the 1990 election. On 16 April 1996, Opposition Leader Brian Ede resigned as leader of the Labor Party in the Northern Territory, and Hickey was elected the new leader.

On 2 February 1999, Hickey announced that she was resigning as Labor leader and Opposition Leader in order to spend more time with her husband who had been diagnosed with a brain tumour. She stated that she would remain as the member for Barkly in the Assembly, and Clare Martin was elected as party leader the next day.