Federal election, May 21 2022
Our endorsed candidates will be listed in order of their state and electorate as soon as they are announced.
To help these women get elected, click on the name to select a candidate and use the link to donate to their campaign and to volunteer .
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Northern Territory
Queensland
Tasmania
South Australia
Victoria
Western Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Endorsed candidates will be listed as soon as they are announced.
New South Wales
Catherine Renshaw for North Sydney
Kristy McBain for Eden-Monaro
Kristy McBain proudly grew up on the NSW Far South Coast, and she is the first woman to represent Eden-Monaro.
Since being elected in 2020, Kristy has built a formidable reputation as a plain spoken, hard-working local member who advocates with all levels of Government and all sides of politics to get results for her constituents.
Eden-Monaro is on Ngambri, Ngunnawal, Wiradyuri, Ngarigo and Yuin Country. It is a vast and beautiful region stretching from the Sapphire Coast and Bega Valley in the south, to the fast-growing Queanbeyan and Yass regions in the North, and taking in the Snowy Mountains, Snowy Valleys and Monaro plains. Recent years have seen many of these communities battle devastating bushfires, floods and drought. Local tourism and businesses have also been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As Mayor of the Bega Shire Council, Kristy advocated day and night for people through the darkest days of the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20. Kristy brings that same courage and determination to the recovery of those regions, and to the building of job opportunities, education and thriving communities across her electorate.
Kristy’s family moved to the Bega Valley in the 90s and ran a small sporting store in Merimbula for over a decade. Kristy met her husband Brad at Eden Marine High School and they have three young kids. Brad and Kristy built up a successful local plumbing business so Kristy knows the pressure small businesses are under, and how important they are as local employers.
Kristy studied law at the University of Canberra and as the first person in her family to go to university, Kristy is passionate that all kids get the chance to go to university or TAFE and have the opportunity to build their careers and lives in the regions as she has done.
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Fiona Phillips for Gilmore
Fiona Phillips, Labor’s Member for Gilmore, is a mum of four, a former TAFE teacher and has been married to her husband, a small business owner, for 21 years.
Born at Nowra and raised on a dairy farm at Terara & Worrigee, Fiona has lived on the NSW South Coast for over 40 years. She has family dairy farming origins in the Gilmore electorate dating back to 1856 at Broughton Vale and also Jaspers Brush near Berry.
Fiona has a Bachelor in Economics and a Master’s in Business, and has over 20 years employment experience in a range of areas including retail, defence & TAFE teaching.
Fiona first got involved in politics in 2009, by leading the successful six-year community campaign to save Nowra's community pool. In October 2015, the new Nowra Aquatic Park was opened for the first time – rebuilt as part of a revitalised riverfront for the community.
Fiona was elected to the House of Representatives in May 2019.
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Susan Templeman for Macquarie
Susan Templeman is dedicated to fighting for the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains. First elected as the Member for Macquarie at the 2016 election, Susan had previously contested the 2010 and 2013 Federal elections.
Susan has lived and worked in the Blue Mountains for more than 30 years, and has long been active in the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains communities.
She is passionate about the electorate's natural environment and the effect over development and climate change has on the Macquarie region. She is determined to protect the World Heritage National Park that surrounds this unique area.
The Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20 and the devastating floods in the Hawkesbury in 2021 saw Susan on the ground every day with her community; in fire headquarters for morning updates seven days a week, delivering food to firefighters, and organising helicopters loaded with groceries for delivery to communities surrounded by floodwater and desperate for supplies. She has raised alarms about the fragility of the mobile phone network and NBN in the face of these disasters.
Following the 2010 election, Susan worked on behalf of the community to secure major infrastructure upgrades, including the Springwood Hub and Community Theatre and the Windsor Wolves Grandstand, as well as $20 million funding for the North Richmond Bridge approaches.
Both before and since becoming a Member of Parliament, Susan has spoken out on issues such as school, TAFE and university funding, support for local businesses and for fairness, and equality and opportunity for the many, not the few.
Originally a political reporter and foreign correspondent for commercial radio, Susan set up her own small business in the early 1990s.
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Catherine Renshaw for North Sydney
Catherine Renshaw is a Professor in the Law School at Western Sydney University, where she teaches and researches human rights. For about a decade, before entering academia, she practiced as a lawyer with large commercial law firms and for the Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales.
Catherine is married to John, and they have three children. Catherine went to High School at Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College in the heart of North Sydney. One of her first part-time jobs, while she was at University, was waitressing at the Black Stump Restaurant on Miller St in North Sydney. Catherine met John, whose father was former Labor premier Jack Renshaw, during her final year at University.
Through her role at Western Sydney University, Catherine has seen first-hand how young people have responded to the failures of the Morrison government – with despair and disillusionment. She believes that young people deserve a future that is secure and prosperous, where the needs of the most vulnerable are not forgotten and where the difficult questions of our age – on climate change and aged care, for example – are not endlessly deferred because they are just too hard. Like many Australians, she is disheartened at the lack of trust in government and loss of faith in our most important democratic institutions.
Catherine believes that North Sydney has been taken for granted for too long by a complacent government. She understands that people in North Sydney care about prosperity and progress. She will work to convince her local community that Labor’s plan will deliver this, and that the time has come for a historic change in North Sydney.
Catherine is being mentored by Rebecca Huntley, former ELA National Committee member
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Sharon Claydon for Newcastle
Sharon Claydon is the Federal Member for Newcastle elected in September 2013, becoming just the sixth member for Newcastle since Federation in 1901.
Sharon is Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives Social Policy and Legal Affairs Standing Committee, a member of the House of Representatives Indigenous Affairs Standing Committee; and a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. She is also a Member of the Speaker’s Panel, deputising for the Speaker in the House of Representatives.
As a member of the Federal Labor Caucus, Sharon is Chair of the Status of Women Committee and Labor’s Medicare Taskforce, while also serving on the International and Legal Affairs, Social Policy and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Caucus Committees.
Sharon is also the inaugural Co-Convener of Parliamentary Friends of Carers.
Sharon is a fifth generation Novocastrian with strong connections to her local community. She is an Honours graduate in Anthropology and, before entering Parliament, worked in remote Aboriginal communities and the community-based disability services sector. Sharon also served in local government as a Newcastle City Councillor.
Sharon lives in Newcastle, enjoys live music and follows the Newcastle Knights.
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Meryl Swanson for Paterson
Meryl Swanson is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence
Meryl understands her community and knows what is needed to make Paterson a great place to live, work, raise a family and run a business.
Born in Kurri Kurri Hospital and raised in a hard-working Heddon Greta family, Meryl went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts/Communications at the University of Newcastle.
Before entering politics, Meryl was a radio announcer, but has a career history that includes business manager for Hunter Region Organisation of Councils, executive director of Hunter Tourism and small business owner.
Meryl was elected to the House of Representatives as the first female Member for Paterson in 2016 and re-elected in 2019. Meryl is the Chair of Labor’s Regional Jobs Taskforce, that is investigating unemployment in regional areas. Meryl has been a member of several parliamentary committees including the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and Deputy Chair of the Select Committee on Regional Australia.
She is also the member of numerous Labor Caucus committees and parliamentary friendship groups and played an active role in several parliamentary inquiries about investing in our regions, agriculture and PFAS contamination.
Meryl now lives on 50 acres in Buchanan with her husband, teenage daughter and their animals.
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Sally Sitou for Reid
Sally is the daughter of hardworking Chinese parents who fled Laos after the Vietnam war, and she believes passionately in the freedom and opportunities that allowed her family to prosper in Australia.
With her husband Rui, she lives in Homebush, where they are raising their young son, Max.
As doctoral researcher at the University of Sydney Business School focusing on the finance industry, Sally knows that with hard work and a good education, everyone can build the future they want for their family.
Before commencing her PhD, Sally worked for over a decade in the international education and international development sectors.
Her most recent post was as communications adviser at the University of Sydney, where she promoted its teaching, research and students around the world. She has served on the Steering Committee of the Chinese Australian Forum since 2019.
The inner-Sydney electorate of Reid is one of the most diverse in the country, a busy, high-achieving community that boasts many young families and small businesses, and includes Australians with Chinese, Indian, Korean, Sri Lankan, Italian, Greek and Middle Eastern heritage and many faith communities.
Sally is standing for Reid because she wants to invest in schools and education, back in small businesses, improve healthcare and local infrastructure, and because she wants the next generation to benefit from the well-paid high-skill jobs that will come from building a clean energy future.
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Justine Elliot for Richmond
Justine Elliot is the Federal Labor Member for Richmond on the NSW North Coast. She lives locally near Tweed Heads with her husband Craig and family – including their beautiful dog Teddy! Justine is passionate about the North Coast and is always fighting for a better deal for the people of regional and rural Australia.
As the Federal Labor MP, Justine is proud to have delivered more than $2 billion for local roads, schools, health and community resources. Justine supports a Gasfield-free North Coast and she continues the fight against the Nationals’ pro-CSG policies.
Justine is currently the Chair of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party’s Country Caucus Committee, and Chair of the Protecting Pensioners Taskforce. Justine was previously the Minister for Ageing (2007-2010) and Parliamentary Secretary for Trade (2010-2013).
Justine graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts in English and History, and also holds a Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations from Griffith University.
Before becoming a Federal MP, Justine was a frontline police officer, and she also worked as a Youth Justice Convenor with the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice.
Justine is always available to assist with any concerns locals may have, and holds regular mobile offices across the electorate. Her Facebook page is a go-to source of information for locals in these uncertain times.
“As your local MP, I’m always fighting for you on the issues that matter to us. Let’s keep working together to make our area an even better place to live.”
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Northern Territory
Marion Scrymgour for Lingiari
Marion has worked in the Territory's healthcare system and is long-time community advocate. She has lived and worked across the Territory all her life.
With cultural links to the Tiwi Islands and Central Australia, Marion was raised in Darwin with her 11 siblings and extended family. She was Member of the NT Legislative Assembly for 11 years, the first Indigenous woman in Parliament, the first Minister and the first Indigenous leader of any Government in Australia when she served as Acting Chief Minister.
For much of her life, Marion has worked to improve the health and economic opportunities of Territorians. In recognition of her tireless work, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Health Sciences from the University of Sydney in 2013. She knows first-hand how critical health services are across the Territory and that protecting Medicare is an issue that affects all Territorians.
Marion knows what life is like for Territorians living in the Top End, the Centre and bush communities. She loves the Northern Territory and all it has to offer, from the most ancient cultures to the newest Australians that have chosen to call the Territory home.
Like her own parents, Marion has been a community champion for education. She is committed to developing local economies so that children who invest time in their education no longer have to leave their community or town for work.
Marion wants all people living in Lingiari to have access to a strong health care system, a quality education, and secure jobs.
She believes in reducing the use of fossil fuels and investing in renewables, particularly in remote areas.
Queensland
Tabatha Young for Bonner
Tabatha Young is a fierce advocate for equal opportunity and equal access to essential services in the Bonner community.
Tabatha and her daughter have resided in the Wynnum/Manly area for over 20 years. As an Aboriginal woman, Tabatha has spent her full career ensuring a level playing field for all in the justice system and that community understand their rights, particularly for community women and families who are facing Domestic Violence and the Child Protection System.
Tabatha has worked 18 years in different roles within the justice system, with her current role as the Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Family Legal Service Southern Queensland and as the Deputy Chair of the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Forum. Tabatha has also been appointed to the National Women’s Safety Alliance (Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Working Group).
Tabatha made the decision to run as she feels it is time for change in our community. Tabatha sees families are being left behind by Scott Morrison and his government with growing gap payments and waiting lists for health services. Not to mention inaction around critical sectors such as Aged Care that are crying out for reform after the Royal Commission into Aging.
Tabatha is a strong advocate for community and her focus on the community of Bonner deserve a strong representation who will listen to them. It’s time for a new face for Bonner.
Tabatha is being mentored by Sheena Watt, MLC Victoria
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Donisha Duff for Bowman
“I am the first in my family to achieve many milestones. While my parents and grandparents have been historically denied many rights and opportunities, as a First Nations person and a woman, I am fighting for equity. It is an enormous privilege to be a candidate for Federal parliament. We need to see and hear from women in positions of leadership and government. We need to see more diversity. Only then will we see real change.”
Donisha is a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman, who has been a Bowman local for over 30 years. She is a respected community leader, serving as a board member of the Metro South Hospital & Health Service and holds an Adjunct Associate Professorship at Edith Cowan University. Donna possesses a BA (Hons), MBA and was a Churchill Fellow (2015). She has over 20 years of experience in health policy, planning and management. Donisha is currently the Chief Operations Officer at the Institute of Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) in Brisbane.
In addition to these roles, she volunteers as Chair of Stars Foundation Ltd, a not-for-profit national organisation delivering school-based engagement programs for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls.
Donisha is running to give the people of Bowman the right representation they deserve – a female one!
Donisha is being mentored by Claire Moore, Former Senator
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Madonna Jarrett is Labor’s candidate for Brisbane. She was born and raised in Paddington and is a local and working mum. She grew up in a small workers cottage with 7 siblings, and started her career working in hospitals. She moved into the public sector to support the Goss Labor Government and is now a business professional with decades of private sector experience.
She knows that policy choices impact people’s livelihoods. Her family relied on award wages and penalty rates to get food on the table; Medicare for the stitches and plaster casts; and a pension so her grandparents could live in dignity into old age. In the workplace she has advocated for inclusion especially for women and youth, including being a mentor as well as lending her voice to policy forums; all in an effort to build a better future.
Like many of us, Madonna sees a better future which is why she will stand-up for secure jobs with a focus on sustainable industries, affordable education and a well-funded services that protect our most vulnerable in hospitals, aged care and the NDIS systems.
After working overseas, Madonna and her husband John returned home to spend more time with their elderly parents. She knows the importance of protecting the dignity of our senior citizens which is why she will fight to fix our broken aged-care system and for secure superannuation.
Madonna knows we need a change in culture in Canberra - not just more of the same from the Morrison LNP government. She wants more leaders in Canberra who care about women; who are prepared to put women at the centre of decision making and move them to the front of the room. She will be a strong voice for change in Canberra.
"Under the cover of the Victorian COVID-19 outbreak, Scott Morrison and the LNP have snuck out almost 1,000 changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule. These changes will radically increase the cost of hundreds of orthopaedic, cardiac and general surgery items. You will be paying more - if you can afford it - to fix your arthritic hip or to be able to breathe more easily."
Madonna is being mentored by Janice Munt, Former Victorian MLA
Ali is passionate about her local community, local businesses and ensuring that the people of Dickson emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic in a better place.
Ali has lived on the Northside for thirteen years and is a mum of two teenage boys. She understands the financial pressures of raising a family and that is why she has continuously campaigned for policies that support good secure jobs and cheaper childcare for all families.
Ali is an amputee and disability advocate, and will continue to fight against the Morrison government’s proposed changes to the NDIS and push loudly for the rights of disabled people.
Ali has worked in the private, public and charity sectors as a journalist and communications manager. She knows the struggle of trying to get back to work following an injury and illness. Ali spent many years in and out of hospital after a traumatic accident in 2011 and will always stand up for our public hospital system and our front line workers.
Ali understands many of the issues impacting her community because she has lived them and is on the ground talking and listening to locals at every opportunity
Ali is being mentored by Lisa Chesters, Federal Member for Bendigo
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Letitia Del Fabbro for Faddon
Letitia has the experience and passion to be a strong local voice for the residents of Fadden.
Living locally in Fadden with her partner and young family, Letitia has been a nurse educator at Griffith University since 2008. She completed a Bachelor of Nursing in South Australia, undertaking her final placement at the Gold Coast Hospital in 1994, and went on to devote her professional life to improving the lives of others, mainly in the fields of health and education.
Letitia understands the importance of strong public policy in healthcare. Having witnessed the support services like young care and disability care provided her brother during his life, Letitia knows firsthand that robust Medicare system is what we need to support Gold Coast families.
Letitia’s father was the first in his family to attend university, benefitting from the tertiary education policies of the Whitlam government. Letitia understands how important a good education is, and the opportunities it can provide.
Letitia will ensure that the residents of Fadden can work secure local jobs, rely on their health and hospital systems, and build lives for themselves and their families on the northern Gold Coast.
Prosperity for the residents of Fadden will hinge on secure local jobs, cheaper child care, and a strong health and Medicare system – Letitia will fight to deliver for her local community.
Letitia is being mentored by Leonie Short, Former Federal MP
| Support Letitia's Campaign |
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From a young age, Sue was surrounded by family who instilled in her the values of hard work and care for others, her mother a nurse and her father a mechanical engineer and small business owner. Sue’s large extended family were country people, and immigrants looking for a better life for their families. Sue’s family were her role models, teaching her the significance of contributing to the community and serving to help others.
Sue followed in her mothers footsteps, a career in nursing, both as a registered nurse and midwife, working in the public health system for a number of years. Sue's passion to work in the area of health promotion saw her working in community health and in schools with at risk adolescents. With a wealth of experience, Sue is now working once again in the community with our most vulnerable people and supporting those front line workers to ensure they are safe and supported.
A member of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union, Sue believes in the support unions bring to their members, ensuring workers' livelihoods and working conditions are protected and progressive.
Sue’s passion in the area of illness and injury prevention originates from her experiences as a nurse. She believes health is a priority for all ages and a robust system is required to ensure everyone in the community has access to the highest quality care, ranging from newborns to the elderly.
As a parent of five children, Sue understands the challenges women face in their lives to juggle a career and raise a family. With the ever increasing cost of living and demands on families, Sue believes in creating supportive communities where everyone has the opportunity to be valued, respected and given the best opportunities to succeed.
Sue is dedicated to represent the people of Fairfax, to be the voice of our regional area, to ensure we receive a fair share of the prosperity we create and to have equal access to the same standard of education, health care and community services as our fellow Australians. Sue is dedicated to protecting our beautiful environment so it can be shared and treasured by generations to come.
Sue will fight for labor values, fairness, equality and social justice and commits herself to the needs of the people of Fairfax through the Federal Parliament.
Sue is being mentored by Anne Kennedy, National Committee Member & QELAG Co-Convenor
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Judene Andrews for Fisher
Judene brings a wealth of real-life experience. She grew up in a working-class family - her dad was a motor mechanic and her mum worked in a factory. She, herself, joined the workforce at 15, supporting people with disabilities in accessing affordable transport.
Judene has worked in the community sector for over 25 years and has first-hand experience of advocating for disadvantaged and vulnerable people, giving her a strong sense of social justice.
Judene is passionate about the environmental, gained from her experience as the sustainability manager for the largest health and community service provider in Queensland. She understands the impact climate change has on the health of our people and planet.
Living on the Sunshine Coast Judene is well aware of the worsening effects of climate change, and the consequences a decade of policy failure by the LNP government has had. The Sunshine Coast community wants action on climate change and a serious plan to make it happen. Queensland can be a world leader in renewable energy, and we owe it to our future generations to act now.
Judene is fighting to ensure the people of Fisher have a decent representative in Canberra who is ready to take responsibility for the decisions that impact our community. It’s time for a change in Fisher so we can change the Government.
Judene is being mentored by Cathy O’Toole, Former Federal Member for Herbert
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Gen Allpass is a genuine member of the Groom community. She went to school, and works in Groom. Her children were born, raised and go to school Groom and her extended family live locally. Gen is truly invested in the area.
She has a proven record of hard work and advocacy across the region. Gen is a passionate local women’s advocate and the founder of an award winning volunteer based not for profit organisation. In 2018, Gen won the Social Justice Award for her work, standing up for at risk, marginalised members of our community.
Gen is particularly passionate about better and more affordable public housing, secure employment with a decent and livable wage as well as bringing back local manufacturing opportunities.
Gen is looking forward to representing Groom with honesty, integrity and accountability.
Gen is being mentored by Liz Pommer, former Queensland candidate
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Terri is the Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water and has been the Member for Griffith since 2014.
Terri stood for parliament to fight for secure jobs, universal healthcare, quality education for all, dignity in retirement, and climate action. Before standing for parliament, Terri had long called for the election of more women.
She is proud of her parliamentary record which has included fighting the Liberal-Nationals’ proposed GP Tax, pension cuts, and uni fee increases. She was one of Labor’s leading voices for marriage equality.
Most of all, Terri loves having the privilege of representing the people of Griffith, which spans South Bank, the Gabba, Kangaroo Point, urban villages like West End and Bulimba, and friendly & liveable inner suburbs.
Terri has lived in Brisbane for more than twenty years. She and her husband Troy are raising their two kids in the inner south-eastern suburbs, with her daughter starting high school and her son still at primary school.
Terri was born and raised in Cairns, and is a proud graduate of Cairns State High. Growing up, her dad Larry was a shiftworker, before joining the family business that her mum, Alison, had founded. More recently, Terri’s parents have worked as a teachers’ aide and a hospital wardie.
Terri holds tertiary qualifications in journalism, law and economics.
Before becoming an MP, she was a partner at Maurice Blackburn, a national law firm. She established and led the firm’s Queensland employment & industrial law team, and was one of the firm’s first two female partners in that state.
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Elida Faith for Leichhardt
Having been a Centrelink worker for 12 years and a single mother, Elida Faith knows locals are struggling. She understands, it's a struggle they shouldn't be facing. She believes this LNP Government have had 8 years, and in the case of the current LNP Federal Member for Leichhardt 25 years, to help the Leichhardt community.
People are still facing sky-high insurance costs, a housing crisis and an economy leaving hard working Australians behind. While the LNP might try and blame the pandemic for these struggles the fact is these struggles aren't new and have been making life hard for Far North Queenslanders much longer than the pandemic!
As a Cairns local of 21 years and a passionate union organiser of our dedicated Centrelink, Border force and other Federal employees Elida knows what her community needs and deserves from the Federal Government. The people of Far North Queensland need affordable housing, reasonably priced childcare, and secure jobs.
Importantly the people of Far North Queensland, and of Leichhardt need someone with the energy and ability to deliver for their community.
Elida is being mentored by Lesley Clark, former QLD MLA
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Edwina Andrew for the Senate
Edwina Andrew is long-term resident of regional Queensland, having lived here for over 40 years. From remote Western towns, to regional hubs such as Townsville and Rockhampton, Edwina is a regional Queenslander who works and raised her family here.
As a frontline worker in social services, working in child protection and supporting children with disabilities, Edwina understands the importance of funding support for vulnerable people living in the regions.
After eight long years of a Morrison LNP Government our aged-care sector is in crisis. Edwina like many Queenslanders has cared for her elderly parents and has seen first-hand how cuts and a lack of resources in aged-care impacts families. Edwina will fight for the funding and resources needed so elderly Queenslanders live with the dignity they so rightfully deserve.
Having lived in social housing, Edwina understands the importance of having a place to call home. Edwina and Anthony Albanese’s plan to build 20,000 more social houses across Australia, including in regional Queensland will support families facing housing stress.
Edwina will be a strong voice for regional Queensland as part of Labor’s Queensland Senate team.
Edwina is being mentored by Jan McLucas, Former Senator
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South Australia
Louise Miller-Frost for Boothby
Louise Miller-Frost for Boothby
Louise Miller-Frost is passionate about equity and fairness. Throughout her working life, she's worked to make a positive difference in my community.
She was most recently the CEO of St Vinnies, have been the Chair of Unitingcare Wesley Bowden, CEO of Catherine House, and Co-Chair of the Adelaide Zero Project to end homelessness and Co-Chair of Anti-Poverty Week.
Louise has worked in health and in local government – providing support for older Australians and people with disability, economic development for local businesses, and facilities that build community: libraries, community centres, sporting clubs and open spaces.
She's the beneficiary of what Labor governments do. Her grandparents benefited from public education and health care.
"It changed their lives, and has meant my parents and I have been able to get ahead."
The people of Boothby have done the right thing through COVID.
They deserve a government that will keep them safe, that builds back better to deliver good secure jobs, and that ensures businesses continue to thrive.
They deserve a government that protects the environment they value, and takes action on climate change to Australia a world leader in the low-carbon economy to power Australian manufacturing and other industries.
Louise is running for Boothby because she has the values and experience to advocate for our community and ensure we have a government that helps everyone get ahead.
Louise is being mentored by Michelle O’Byrne, Tasmanian MP
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Marisa Bell stepped up to be the Labor Candidate for Mayo because as a healthcare worker she felt she has duty and responsibility to do so.
Marisa wants to help restore hope in a community that is in despair about their health system, their mental health and wellbeing, the economy, the environment. A community in despair about the future of their children’s job and education opportunities. A community in in fear of what the next fire season will bring.
She wants to use her knowledge, experience in health and education, experience in representation, advocacy to help make a difference in addressing the needs of community. To help improve health outcomes, to ensure fairness and equal access to health and education.
Marisa want to be part of a team that truly cares about their community and what matters to them. A team that will listen and genuinely consult.
"As a health professional I truly understand what it means to be responsible and accountable for those in my direct and indirect care. I want to be a part of a team that have a track record on working with all members of our community, welfare groups, all businesses, farmers and all employer and employee stake holders."
Marisa is running for Mayo because she wants to help restore funding to a health system in crisis, a struggling education system, restore funding to the ABC and uphold the values of justice fairness and democracy.
Marisa is being mentored by Emily Hamilton, West Australian MP
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Tasmania
Kate is a mum of two young children and a small business owner. Her concerns about rising inequality and the issues affecting ordinary families have motivated her to stand as a candidate for the Senate.
As a mum, Kate is concerned about what the future holds and how Australia will cope with big challenges like the current pandemic and climate change. She understands first-hand what it is like for families struggling with high childcare costs, and saving to buy a home. She is passionate about ensuring all kids have access to a great education and that older Australians get the care they need and the dignity they deserve.
Kate is currently studying a Masters in Politics and Policy, which has reaffirmed her belief that Australia needs to do more to promote equality and end discrimination. As one of the richest countries in the world, we can and should provide opportunities for everyone and support those who are struggling to get ahead.
Like any small business owner, Kate is accustomed to facing challenges, solving problems, and being held to account. With a background as a creative professional, Kate hopes to bring a fresh approach to the challenges of governing, and she is excited to have the opportunity to be a voice for ordinary Tasmanians in the Senate.
Kate lives on Hobart's Eastern Shore with her husband Paul, their two children Louis and Hannah, and their vicious kitten Skittles.
Victoria
Jannette Langley for Gippsland
Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah for Higgins
Megan Bridger-Darling for the Senate
Mary Doyle for Aston
Mary Doyle is a proud unionist and mother of son Clancy, daughter Lily and guardian of much loved great-niece Jamilah.
She is the youngest of a working class family of nine and grew up in Echuca. The house Mary grew up in was a housing commission home. At age 17, she moved to the eastern suburbs of Melbourne to be closer to three of her older sisters, and has remained there ever since.
During her first year in Melbourne, Mary worked as a cleaner, checkout operator, sandwich hand and payroll officer before eventually going to Box Hill TAFE to study Performing Arts. She then worked as a telephone operator at the TAB call centre in Box Hill where she became an active ASU member.
Mary is a breast cancer survivor. At just 25, Mary found a lump in her right breast and was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 1995. In the 26 years since, with a scare here and there, she's been so fortunate to have not had a recurrence. Mary is a community ambassador for the Mother’s Day Classic fun run and walk, which raises funds for breast cancer research, attends every year with her kids.
Mary is passionate about strengthening our industrial laws in defence of attacks from the Liberals, a great education for all (not just the privileged few) and improving Medicare, not tearing it down. Over the years she has participated in various union campaigns such as ‘Your Rights at Work’, ‘We Are Union’, ‘Build a Better Future’, the Marriage Equality campaign and ‘Change the Rules’. She has enjoyed having conversations with locals about the things that matter to them.
Mary will fight for fairness, equity and compassion within society. She strongly believes in standing up for those who need help, and making sure every single person in our community has equality of opportunity when it comes to health, education and work. Read more about Mary's Plans
Mary is being mentored by Katie Hall, Victorian MP
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Lisa Chesters for Bendigo
Lisa Chesters has been the Federal Member for Bendigo since September 2013. She is the first woman to be elected as the Federal Member for Bendigo, an electorate that has existed since Federation.
Lisa loves Central Victoria and is dedicated to making sure local residents have the best opportunities. She strives to ensure Central Victoria is a healthy community with a strong education sector, secure jobs people can count on, thriving local businesses and a strong, connected community.
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Politics from the University of Queensland. After completing her degree at the University of Queensland, Lisa moved to Central Victoria to take up a role as a union representative at United Voice. Lisa is passionate about workers’ rights.
Lisa has also been particularly vocal in the community and in Parliament on Labor issues including education reform, health, community equality and inclusion. The Labor value of a ‘fair go for all’ guides her in her role as an MP.
Proud mum to Daisy and Charlie, Lisa is often spotted locally in her signature red jacket sipping on a double espresso. When time allows, Lisa enjoys spending time in her garden, reading, going out for brunch, and walking with her children and dog Flash.
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Carina Garland for Chisholm
Carina has the experience, passion and intellect to give the residents of Chisholm the strong local voice they deserve.
Carina is a local who loves her community. She grew up in the multicultural south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne where she still lives, her father a doctor and her mother originally a nurse.
With Italian heritage, Carina understands the opportunity Australia has offered migrants who want to build secure lives for themselves and their families.
Carina understands the transformative power of Labor governments. Under the Whitlam Government, her grandfather trained as a teacher at Burwood Teachers College before going on to become a senior teacher at Emmaus College. This laid a path for future generations to pursue the lives they chose.
Carina was educated at Monash University, graduated with an Honours degree in English Literature before winning a scholarship to undertake a PhD at the University of Sydney, where she worked as an academic.
Carina has dedicated her professional life advocating to make the working lives of Victorians better, safer, and more secure. She has seen first-hand the impact that flat wages and insecure work has on families as well as on the local economy and has led the fight to secure better jobs for our community.
Carina wants to see a stronger, fairer future where there are secure jobs you can raise families on, more affordable childcare, protecting Medicare and keeping our healthcare system strong, and more investment in renewables.
Carina is being mentored by Sharon Claydon, MP for Newcastle, and EMILY's List National Co-convenor
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Ged Kearney for Cooper
Ged Kearney is the Federal Member for Cooper and the Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing.
Ged has served in the parliament since March 2018, when she was elected in a by-election. She is the first woman to hold the seat.
Ged started her working life as a nurse and rose to become Federal Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation. From 2010, Ged served as the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) – the peak body of Australia’s union movement – where she fought for better conditions for Australian workers.
Ged’s working life – from nurse to President of the ACTU to parliamentarian – has been about fighting for the rights of others.
She is a strong voice for social justice, workers’ rights and universal healthcare inside Labor and the Parliament. Ged is a passionate advocate for the environment, leading the push for Labor to declare a climate emergency. Throughout her career, Ged has supported a humane response to refugees, including the crucial medevac legislation.
Ged was born and raised in Melbourne and lived in Cooper for over 25 years. Ged has four children, two stepdaughters and two much loved grandchildren.
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Libby Coker for Corangamite
As a Surf Coast resident for thirty years, a former teacher and shire councillor, Libby Coker had already given a lot of her life to community service before becoming an MP in our national parliament.
This experience, along with supporting her two daughters through their infant and school years, has shaped the priorities and values Libby holds dear.
Libby believes she has a responsibility to work hard to maintain a high quality primary, secondary and university education sector, to provide a safety net of health and other services for all Australians, and to prepare our economy for the transition to sustainability.
Libby is particularly interested in capturing jobs in her own region resulting from a net zero emissions economy. Significantly, Libby wants women to share in these new job opportunities, with secure work, not the typical casualised, low-paid work that many women have had to put up with in the past.
Libby also wants to see better planning around our cities and townships to ensure the environment is protected and safe, livable communities are created.
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Peta Murphy for Dunkley
Peta Murphy is the first woman to represent Dunkley, a seat named after a pioneering women who achieved equal pay for women in the 1902 Public Service Act - Louisa Dunkley.
Peta is proudly a public school graduate from the country. Her love affair with Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula dates back to the turn of the century, when she was introduced to the region by her husband, Rod Glover, a Baxter boy through and through.
Following a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2011, Peta and Rod made the decision to move to Dunkley permanently – a decision they describe as the best one they ever made. They are proud Frankston residents.
Prior to entering Parliament, Peta’s career was defined by a commitment to social justice and strong communities. In the decade and a half she worked in the Victorian justice system, Peta volunteered at her local Community Legal Centre, was a solicitor advocate, a Senior Public Defender at Victoria Legal Aid, a Barrister and a Team Leader at the Victorian Law Reform Commission.
Peta has seen the corrosive effect that intergenerational disadvantage can have on people, families and communities and the way the operation of the legal system can cause further distress and damage to people when they're at their lowest.
She understands that we need services—legal, social, health, employment and education—that work together to tackle disadvantage. It's that task that motivated her to move from the law into politics.
Peta also put her legal qualifications and personal experience of the health system to good use, serving as a Director on the Board of Peninsula Health.
After running as the Labor candidate for Dunkley in the 2016 election, and motivated by witnessing the damage that cuts to public services and a lack of job opportunities cause individuals and communities, Peta took the position of Chief of Staff to The Hon Brendan O’Connor, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations in 2017.
Peta was elected as the member for Dunkley at the 2019 election.
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Surbhi Snowball for Flinders
Surbhi joined the Labor Party after Morrison brought a lump of coal into chambers and said, ‘don’t be afraid” and that it was the future. Surbhi decided that very day that the future needed to look very different and she would do something about it.
Surbhi grew up in Mauritius, India and Zimbabwe, coming to Australia at 20, to study and graduated in Banking and Finance. She has worked in banks, on farms, and has run her own small business. After moving to the Peninsula 5 years ago with her husband and two children, Surbhi created an environmentally friendly home, got involved in the local community, working and volunteering for local organisations, while raising her youngest.
Her community connections give her a good understanding of the issues facing the electorate of Flinders. Issues like housing where she sees friends being unable to afford to rent or buy in this area, and young people she talks to who cannot see that they will be able to buy a home during their lifetime.
Surbhi wants to do more for the planet, and our children. Surbhi wants to see her children able to access the training and education that allows them to follow their passions. She is standing because she wants representation that reflects the community.
Surbhi is being mentored by Sonja Terpstra, Victorian MP
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Jannette Langley for Gippsland
A genuine local, Jannette is a passionate, community-minded candidate who will bring new ears and a new voice to represent working families in Gippsland.
Jannette is a proud parent to two, and a doting nanny to three. Throughout her life she’s been an active committee member, mental health advocate, local football coach, proud CPSU member and senior delegate, and has worked in various roles in the public sector.
Jannette was inspired towards progressive politics through her time working at Centrelink, where she experienced the differences between a Labor government and a Coalition government first-hand. She understands that Australians deserve to be supported in their most vulnerable moments, and knows that only a Labor Government can be trusted to deliver a social security system that is strong, fair, and adequate.
Gippsland’s communities are evolving, and Jannette recognises that the region needs a representative that can be active, authentic, and will work to build a strong future for the region. Under the Nationals, Gippsland continues to miss out on vital investment opportunities and has fallen behind as access to important local services decline and standards continue to fall.
Jannette is committed to being a representative who is genuinely on the side of Gippslanders, and will fight for better healthcare, better services, and a better future for Gippsland.
Jannette is being mentored by Liz Kelly
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Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah for Higgins
From humble beginnings, Michelle’s parents migrated to Australia in search of a better life for their children. Michelle understands the powerful role that education and hard work can play in changing lives.Her parents bent the arc of their lives through education. And it was through her own drive and work ethic that Michelle is now one of Australia’s leading experts in infectious diseases.
At a major Melbourne Hospital, Michelle leads a team of frontline healthcare professionals. As COVID-19 struck, they faced unprecedented challenges and risks. With nurses and doctors terrified by the tragic scenes of COVID-19 in hospitals overseas, Michelle co-founded Health Care Workers Australia. Together with hundreds of frontline healthcare professionals, Michelle led the fight to better our pandemic response.
Michelle believes that now is the time for science, not spin. For unity, not division.
With our country facing unprecedented social, economic and environmental challenges, and this pandemic exposing the Morrison Government’s ineptitude, Michelle has decided to do something about it.
As your Labor Member for Higgins, Michelle will put thoughtful leadership, and scientific expertise back at the centre of government.
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Nadia David for Indi
Nadia is a criminologist, Australian Stock Horse breeder and owns the local bookshop with her husband, Charles. She was born and raised in Tasmania and moved to Beechworth in 2016 after a career in the New South Wales Police Force and the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department.
A qualified solicitor, and now undertaking a PhD at Monash University, Nadia currently teaches Criminal Justice Studies at RMIT University while she and Charles manage their horse stud and bookshop together. Their two children, eleven-year-old Ben and eight-year-old Elena, lend a hand after school to help things run smoothly.
Nadia is a passionate unionist and is currently the Vice President of the RMIT Branch of the National Tertiary Education Union. She is also one of the Co-Convenors of EMILY's List in Victoria and has a long history of voluntary service on boards of governance in the local community.
Nadia and Charles are also involved in regrarian and sustainable agriculture and run their 38 hectare property using a variety of environmentally sensitive approaches. They recently began offering workshops on managing equine properties more sustainably and are having great success regenerating their property from its previous life as an overgrazed goat farm.
A life-long equestrian, Nadia rides competitively in a range of disciplines, and loves getting out into the equestrian community with her horses. She recently started campdrafting and competing in working equitation and is loving the challenge of learning new disciplines.
Nadia and Charles' son, Ben, has Down syndrome and is on the Autism Spectrum and accordingly Nadia has a strong interest in the NDIS and disability policy more broadly. A keen environmentalist, she wants more action on climate change and some frank discussions about the need to incorporate environmental policy into agricultural policy. Both she and Charles are involved in Farmers for Climate Action and Landcare.
Nadia is being mentored by Lisa Darmanin, Former National Committee Member and ASU Vic/Tas Branch Secretary
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Naomi Oakley for Menzies
Naomi Oakley is the Federal Candidate for Menzies, proudly carrying the banner for her local community in the 2022 Federal Election.
Naomi is a strong voice for workers and small business owners in her local activism and campaign for Parliament. She is a community and safety-minded entrepreneur, involved in multiple initiatives in her local patch, including the Black Saturday Rock Concert and Sporting Event, Cystic Fibrosis Benefit Concert, and through volunteering at her children's football, netball, and basketball clubs, and School Council.
If elected to Parliament, Naomi hopes to highlight the discrimination women face in the workforce, fight for a First Nations voice to Parliament, and level the playing field in the economy. Naomi comes from a diverse and multicultural family and is passionate about eliminating bigotry and hatred in modern day Australia.
Before running for Menzies, Naomi proudly served as a member of Victoria Police for over ten years and operated her own security business which provided safety solutions and support to functions and domestic violence victims, and was an essential worker at a vaccination clinic.
Naomi has spent her life in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and lives with her three children, Edana, Kara, and Sterling.
Naomi is being mentored by Mary Delahunty, National Committee Members, councillor and former Mayor of the City of Glen Eira
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Jessica O’Donnell, Labor’s candidate for the seat of Monash, is a proud Gippslander who enjoys being part of her community.
A former local government Councillor, Jessica now runs her own consulting firm, which focuses on local jobs and sustainable development.
Community volunteerism is a strong driver behind Jessica’s passion for the region and her unwavering local advocacy. This has seen her elected to the Shire of Baw Baw in 2016, putting her hand up as the Labor candidate for the seat of Monash in 2019 and in various local community groups across Monash.
Jessica would be honoured with the opportunity to be the next MP for Monash and would consider it a privilege to represent them on the issues that are important to the community; health, education and local jobs.
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Megan is a feminist, unionist, Labor member, community activist, and the former Deputy Mayor of Maribyrnong. She speaks 3 different football codes, lives in regional Victoria and want to be a Senator.
Her parents served in the Australian Air Force and worked hard to ensure that Megan understood the vital role that service has in our society. That when there is a job to be done, you pick up the hose. That when you have passion, you put the hard work and effort in and run with in. And that when you go to McDonalds, you don’t get banned for life.
Young women, working parents, people with energy and ideas about the future need to have their voices in our parliament and Megan want to make sure they are heard. Megan wants our parliament to reflect the community that she live in.
Megan wants to be your Senator.
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Casey has lived her whole life in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, 38 years. She has completed both a Bachelor of Business (Management) and a Bachelor of Health Science (Public Health) at University. Casey was previously a long-term operational volunteer with Ambulance Victoria.
In the 2010 Australia Day Honours, Casey was awarded an Ambulance Service Medal (ASM). In 2012, she was awarded an Emergency Services Foundation (ESF) Scholarship and travelled throughout the United States and Canada studying recruiting, retaining and leading volunteers. Casey is a former Hume Young Citizen of the Year and a Youth Parliament Participant. Casey is a member of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and has volunteered for the Good Friday Appeal, Starlight Foundation and Sids and Kids Victoria.
In 2012 Casey was elected to Hume City Council and served as its Deputy Mayor, she served as Mayor for 2013/2014 and is the Youngest Mayor ever elected in Hume. Casey served as the Chair of the Salvation Army 3064 Advisory Board for two years and remains a member. She is a Board Member of the Victorian SES and is also a Trustee Director for Vision Super. Casey is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustee (GAIST). On in International Women’s Day 2019 she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women. In June 2019, Casey was awarded a Garry Weaven Emerging Leadership Scholarship and studied leadership investment at Harvard University.
In the 2021 Queens Birthday Honours, Casey was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for volunteer services to the community. Casey is married to Daniel, a career fire-fighter with Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), they have two daughters, Charlotte, and Chloe
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Western Australia
Amanda has been a leader in the community sector for more than two decades, most recently as CEO of Uniting WA, and prior to that as State Director of Mission Australia for WA. Amanda is a founding member of the End Homelessness Alliance, and has sat on a number of Boards including Community Employers WA, SECCA, and WACOSS.
She holds a Master of Business Leadership from Curtin University and a Bachelor of Social Sciences from Edith Cowan University.
Growing up in the outer suburbs of Perth, Amanda understands the challenges and opportunities that come with a fast growing region.
As a single mother, Amanda has balanced work and parenthood like so many Western Australians.
Amanda is standing for Canning because she knows that only an Albanese Labor Government will stand up for WA.
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Tania Lawrence and her husband live locally in Mundaring so she understands the challenges facing our fast-growing region: the need for better roads, access to quality healthcare and protecting the pristine hills environment from the ever increasing risk of a drying climate.
She has held senior positions in both the private sector and government, and now has her own small business (a distillery!). This experience in policy setting, governance and regulation, international business development and negotiation will make her an ideal representative in Parliament.
Tania is particularly passionate about creating opportunities for local jobs growth and balancing this with protecting our environment and community.
Tania is being mentored by Hannah Beazley, WA MLA for Victoria Park
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Since being elected to Council in 2003, Tracey has been a local champion for almost 20 years. She sits on a number of school boards and is patron and committee member of dozens of community organisations.
Tracey is a strong advocate for Western Australia as President of the Western Australian Local Government Association and Vice President of the Australian Local Government Association.In the mid-1980's, Tracey emigrated to Australia with her husband David, who passed away in 1995 after a long battle with cancer. Their son Lee was only four years old.
Tracey remarried and had a second son, Matthew with her husband Pete.
In 2008, Tracey was diagnosed with breast cancer.It was the Wanneroo community who got her through these challenging times, and that support has driven her to give back.
Tracey has a proven track record of delivering for the City of Wanneroo, and has worked side by side with Premier Mark McGowan to deliver key infrastructure projects for Perth’s northern suburbs. In 2020, Tracey was appointed by the State Government to the State Recovery Advisory Group to drive the economic recovery from COVID-19.
Voters in Pearce have not forgotten that Scott Morrison and Christian Porter attacked Mark McGowan and sided with Clive Palmer to open our borders at the height of the pandemic.
Tracey will be a part of an Albanese Labor Government that will work with Mark McGowan - not against him - to stand up for WA.
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Zaneta Mascarenhas was born in Kalgoorlie and grew up in Kambalda - a nickel mining town where her dad was a fitter and mum the kindy cleaner.
Her first job, was on the checkout at Woolies. When Zaneta's supervisor bullied her to tears in front of customers, she saw what it meant to be part of a union. The union stepped in to help, they listened and made her supervisor apologise.
Zaneta moved to Perth to study science and engineering at Curtin University, later serving as Curtin Student Guild President and NUS West President, leading the fight to stop the Liberals destroying student unions and putting up uni fees.
In her 15 year career as an engineer, she has worked in dozens of sites across regional WA and Victoria, often as one of a handful of women in predominantly male worksites.
For the last 10 years Zaneta has used her skills to help mining companies develop policies and practices to address climate change. As an engineer and a scientist, she understands that leadership in the area of climate change policy is urgently needed. Only Labor can deliver that policy, along with a process based on fairness and equity to enable industries and workers to make a just transition to a low carbon economy.
For the last 8 years, Zaneta and her husband have lived in East Victoria Park, where they are raising two children, Lincoln and Felicity.
Zaneta is on your side, fighting passionately for families like yours in Swan. If elected she will work tirelessly with you for a strong and fair society
Zaneta is being mentored by Senator Louise Pratt
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Fatima Payman is an Australian Muslim with cultural roots from Afghanistan. The eldest daughter of four children, raised in the Northern suburbs of Perth, with a keen enthusiasm for life and the opportunities that present themselves along this journey.
She is a Political Organiser at United Workers Union and the current ;President of WA Young Labor.
Fatima has served as the Secretary of the Racial and Ethnic Equality Branch for the last 3 years. She is also on the WA Police Muslim Community Advisory Board, the Mirrabooka Police District Youth Advisory Group and member of the Developing Community Leaders Initiative. She is passionate about breaking down barriers and stigma
to give women a platform to voice their opinions and have an active say in matters important to them.
Previously Fatima worked as the Electorate Officer of Hon. Pierre Yang MLC and the Leadership Program Coordinator at Edmund Rice Centre WA. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology and Sociology, a Graduate Diploma in Pharmaceutical Sciences and will further her studies in Master of Public Policy.
Fatima's life motto:
"To live life with no regrets and make choices that enable growth and personal development, in order to better serve my family, my community and our Australian society as a whole."
Fatima is being mentored by former WA MLA, Janine Freeman
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