Gail Gago

Who is Gail Gago?

Gail Elizabeth Gago is an Australian politician, and an Australian Labor Party member of the South Australian Legislative Council since being elected in 2002. She is Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling.

After the resignation from Cabinet of Bernard Finnigan, Gago became acting Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council. She was also the only Minister in the Upper House.

On 17 May 2011, the Labor Caucus elected Gago the state's first woman leader of the Legislative Council.

Gago was born in Mooroopna, Victoria, and completed her secondary education at Shepparton High School. After high school, Gago studied at Phillip Institute of Technology and the Austin Hospital where she graduated as a registered nurse, later completing a Bachelor of Science at Monash University, majoring in psychology.

In 1987, Gago and her husband Peter moved to South Australia, where she worked as a nurse at Salisbury Private Hospital for two years. In 1988 Gago started working with the Australian Nursing Federation for 12 years, first as an organiser, later becoming assistant secretary and branch secretary.