[3] In 2004 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia "for service to the community through raising awareness of and stimulating debate about issues affecting women in regional, rural and remote areas.

McGowan has a master's degree in Applied Science in Agricultural and Rural Development from the University of Western Sydney.

[6] McGowan also worked as a regional councillor for the Victorian Farmers' Federation and is a former President of Australian Women in Agriculture.

[7][8] McGowan ran as an independent for the Division of Indi at the 2013 Australian federal election, against the Liberal incumbent Sophie Mirabella.

The ABC's Barrie Cassidy described McGowan's candidacy as "a warning to the occupants of safe seats everywhere on both sides of politics.

It was subsequently reported on 20 April 2016 by journalist Libby Price in the Benalla Ensign that Mirabella had pushed McGowan at this meeting.

[26][27] In December 2018, she proposed a statutory code of conduct for federal politicians and the creation of an Independent Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.