At WISENET's Annual General Meeting on 4 July 1995, Dr Margaret Hartley was nominated by Diana Temple and Sarah Miller for honorary life membership of the organisation.
Dr Hartley joined WISENET in December 1986 and has been actively involved in the ACT link team being editor of WISENET Journal for two years (1990, 1991); convener of the membership committee from 1989 to 1991; convener of the WISENET ESD working party in 1992 and currently a member of the steering committee for the pilot project on Women in Science: Teaching Resources. She has represented WISENET at Round Table Meetings, the government consultations with non-government organisation (NGO) women's groups.
Dr Hartley has a broad based biological background, having graduated in applied biology with a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology. This background is complemented by a diverse work experience including some 11 years in medical research and teaching at an academic level, as a regulatory toxicologist within the federal government and, more recently, as a policy and program manager in the area of environmental health and safety and public health policy.
Margaret has worked for the Commonwealth Department of Human Services & Health in the field of public and environmental health, holding positions as senior toxicologist with the Environmental Health Branch (1986-88), principal toxicologist with the Drug Evaluation Branch of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (1988-92) and has been the director (chief toxicologist) of the Chemicals Policy and Review Section of the Environmental Health & Safety Unit since its formation in April 1992. In her current position she is responsible for the development and implementation of public health policy and the management of a number of chemical safety programs. She also co-ordinates the Department's international activities associated with public health policy aspects of chemicals regulation.
She currently holds a joint appointment as a Visiting Fellow with the ANU where she is an adviser to the Centre on Environmental Toxicology. She is the author of numerous publications and has presented papers to national and international audiences. She has taken an active long term interest in science in general and science communication in particular and has lectured at all levels on science, regulation, risk assessment and public health policy. In addition, she is a visiting lecturer in toxicology to Monash University's Department of Pharmacology.
Dr Hartley holds a number of positions on scientific societies and organisations including membership since 1994 of the Australian Academy of Sciences' National Committee for Pharmacology. She is secretary of the Australasian Society of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacologists (ASCEPT) and newsletter editor for the Australian & New Zealand Environmental Mutagens Society (ANZEMS).