The Australian Women's Register

Summary

The Northern Territory gained their first female representative in Federal Parliament in 1998 when Patricia Crossin was chosen to replace the Hon. R. L. Collins, following his resignation from the Senate. She was re-elected in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010 but was replaced by Nova Peris as the preselected Labor candidate for the 2013 election. Prior to entering Parliament Crossin worked as Branch Secretary for the National Tertiary Education Union (NT Branch) from 1996 to 1998 after spending six years as the Union’s Industrial Officer. Between 1978 and 1989 she worked as a primary school teacher. After leaving Parliament she was a Director of the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and continued her involvement in the TAFE sector as a board member, and Chair from September 2024, of the Gordon Institute in Geelong, Victoria.

A complete record of her parliamentary career can be found in the Parliamentary Handbook (see link below).

She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2023 for significant service to the Parliament of Australia, and to the community of the Northern Territory.