Jacqueline Fletcher was born in London in 1949 to Charles Fletcher, a waterside worker, and his wife Lillian. She left school early to do secretarial work before emigrating to Australia with husband Ross Watkins. They arrived in February 1971, and would eventually have four children. Jacqueline Watkins joined the Labor Party in 1975, holding various posts at the Wanneroo branch, as well as being involved in numerous eduactional and community groups. Watkins entered Parliament in 1983 as the member for Joondalup, which she held until 1989, after which she was member for Wanneroo until 1993, when the Labor Government was defeated. In 1984 Watkins married again, to Senator Jim McKiernan.

Sources used to compile this entry: Black, David and Bolton, Geoffrey (eds), Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia, Vol. 2, 1930-1990, Western Australian Parliamentary History Project, Perth, Western Australia, 1990; Black, David and Phillips, Harry, 'Making a Difference: Women in the West Australian Parliament 1921-1999', Parliament of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, 2000; Watson, Judyth [ed.], We Hold Up Half the Sky: The Voices of Western Australian ALP Women in Parliament, Australian Labour Party, Perth, Western Australia, 1994.