The Podcast Station

Life can be a funny thing; sometimes, circumstances lead you on a completely different journey than you expected.

That was certainly the case for Karlene Maywald before she won the seat of Chaffey in the 1997 election.

During her tenure, Karlene navigated the complexities of water management during one of the worst droughts in recorded history, playing a pivotal role in the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

She was also a trailblazer for women in politics, being the first woman to hold the seat of Chaffey and the first member of the State Government to have a baby while in office.

"It was a very steep learning curve as a new parliamentarian, balancing the power and having my first child. So I had three fronts on which I was doing all these firsts. But I was also the first woman elected to the seat of Chaffey. I was also the first woman to be the head of the parliamentary party in the National Party right across Australia. I'm also now just recently the first woman to be appointed as the chair of the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust. So there's still some firsts that are happening in my life as we speak."

Join us in this episode where we hear about Karlene's contributions to politics, water management, and her role as a pioneering woman in parliament.

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