Since May 2022, Gallagher has been the Minister for Women. She is also the Finance Minister and Minister for the Public Service. 

Upon entering politics in 2001, she was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly, serving there for 13 years before becoming the ACT’s Chief Minister. In 2014, she made the switch to federal politics, becoming a federal Senator for the ACT.

In her first speech in federal parliament, Gallagher spoke about the need for women to be better represented in Australian politics.

“I cannot really pinpoint the exact reason why I chose politics in 2000, although the lack of women members in the assembly ranked highly,” she said in 2015.

“It is disappointing to me that in 2015 women remain so under-represented across Australian parliaments. We must re-commit across party lines to encourage more women into political organisations, to support them when they are there and mentor them into roles and positions within parties and across parliaments.”

In 2022, former prime minister Julia Gillard endorsed Gallagher as a candidate for an ACT Senate seat, calling her a “strong, experienced” politician, a “good friend” and “strong advocate for the values that matter to Canberrans”.

“As a voter living in the ACT, you have the opportunity to make sure we keep one of our best, brightest and strongest women in the Senate,” Gillard said.

Recently, she responded to the Four Corners report on the Opus Dei-linked schools’ harmful misinformation in place of sex education, telling ABC radio: “Students need to be provided with accurate information, evidence-based information when they are attending school, particularly as it relates to their health but not only their health, in all areas of learning.”

“You know, some of the stories around the students’ experiences that I’ve been reading over the weekend are really distressing. And so, I think it’s very good that there is a review underway by the New South Wales Government and the regulator. We would welcome that. But certainly, you know, the stories about inaccurate information and the impact that has on students is very distressing.”

What are her top priorities?
Gallagher is a champion of women’s rights and frequently speaks out against the marginalisation of women in politics.

Recently, with the announcement that workers will have access to 10 days of paid Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) Leave, Gallagher celebrated on social media, writing on Instagram: 

“You shouldn’t have to choose between your safety and your pay. From tomorrow, no Australian will have to.”

“Today I got the chance to say thank you to all the women on the frontline who have fought for many years to make 10 days’ paid domestic violence leave a reality. From little things, big things grow…”

In January: she made a point about the lack of women in the Australia Day Honours list, posting on her social media platforms: 

“This year’s Australia Day Honours list has the highest number of women in the award’s history, but there’s still a lot more work needed so that we see a diverse honours list.”

“In 2023 48 per cent of the awards in the General Division were for women, but the % of women awarded in the two highest categories (Officer of the Order & Companion of the Order) have actually declined.” 

“And in the majority of categories, men continue to outnumber women. The biggest barrier to outstanding women being recognised. Not being nominated. Men submit more nominations & statistically, men are more likely to nominate men. Male-dominated industries also produce more nominations. So how do we fix it? Nominate more women.”

She is also passionate about climate change, telling an ANU publication last year, “we have to tackle how we manage climate change and how we mitigate risk and how we ensure that there’s a planet for people to live on.”

“That’s critical in the next three years, which is a massive motivation to get this mob out, because they’re absolutely not going to do that. The world will move on, and we’ll get left behind.”

She is big on improving women’s economic quality, saying last year at Labor's first budget, “Women are not an add-on in this budget. They are not a group of people that are nice to consider or include in the budget as a political fix like they have been under the former government.”

“Labor’s first Budget delivers on our election commitment to elevate the position of women in Australia through responsible and targeted investments, because we know that policies that are good for women are good for the economy.”

The Budget promised several women-focused benefits, including delivering cheaper childcare, a boost to paid parental leave, $1.7 billion to improve women’s safety initiatives and $26.2 million to fund 12 new perinatal mental health centres across Australia.