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Jenny Gardiner

The Honourable
Jenny Gardiner
Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales
In office
25 May 1991 – 6 March 2015
Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Legislative Council
Assumed office
31 March 2003
Personal details
Born Jennifer Ann Gardiner
(1950-10-06) 6 October 1950 (age 66)
Penola, South Australia
Nationality Australian
Political party The Nationals
Website jennygardiner.com

Jennifer (Jenny) Ann Gardiner (born 6 October 1950) is an Australian politician and former The Nationals member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1991 to 2015.

Gardiner was born in Penola, South Australia. She attended primary school in Victoria. Her secondary education was undertaken in Victoria and then in New South Wales.

After leaving school, she obtained a Bachelor of Business through the Mitchell College of Advanced Education in Bathurst, New South Wales, now part of Charles Sturt University.

Gardiner commenced her working life as a junior clerk working in a legal office in Tamworth where she played an active role in the Young Australian Country Party – NSW (YACP – NSW) – the NSW youth branch of the Party now known as the Young Nationals. Gardiner worked her way up to become State Secretary of the YACP – NSW and was elected as a delegate to the Central Council of the Australian Country Party – NSW in the mid-1970s. Gardiner moved to Sydney and began work at the New South Wales headquarters of the then Australian Country Party as a research officer working under the leadership of Colonel Bill Ford OBE, general secretary and then as Executive Officer to Charles Blunt, general secretary. She was eventually to become the General Secretary of the NSW Branch of the National Party of Australia between 1984 and 1991 and the first woman to hold that position.

During her term as General Secretary of the NSW National Party, at the request of the National Party Federal Leader, Doug Anthony, Gardiner undertook an analysis of the implications of a Hawke Labor Government proposal in 1984 to increase the number of Members in the Australian House of Representatives. The Opposition Coalition was formally opposed to the proposal. Gardnier's analysis indicated that the National Party could benefit from an expanded House and National Party Senators crossed the floor to vote with Labor in support of the motion. Gardiner was also influential in persuading the Liberal Party to avoid three-cornered contests in country NSW seats.


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