Ainsley Gotto

Ainsley Gotto (born 1946) is an Australian entrepreneur.

In 1968 she was a subject of controversy when Prime Minister John Gorton appointed her Private Secretary. On 13 February 1969 Gorton appointed Dudley Erwin Minister for Air, in the reshuffle following Paul Hasluck's appointment as Governor-General. Gorton subsequently appointed Gotto as Principal Private Secretary and came to rely on her for political advice. On 11 November 1969, Erwin was left out of Gorton's second ministry. On 13 November, Erwin's explanation for his dismissal was: It wiggles, it's shapely and its name is Ainsley Gotto.

Gotto has worked in a variety of business ventures, and has served as the National President of the Australian chapter of Women Chiefs of Enterprises International, a non-profit organisation for women entrepreneurs. In early 2008 she returned to Parliament House as chief of staff to then shadow finance minister Senator Helen Coonan.

Gotto married lawyer Nick Carson in 1993 and lives in Sydney.

Further reading

• Papers and biography at the National Library of Australia
• Ian Hancock, John Gorton: He Did It His Way, Hodder, 2002