Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the House of Representatives for Corangamite, Victoria, 2013. Re-elected 2016. Defeated at general elections, 2019. Chosen by the Parliament of Victoria 11.9.2019 under section 15 of the Constitution to represent that state in the Senate, vice the Hon. M Fifield (resigned). Elected to the Senate for Victoria, 2022.

Parliamentary positions

• Member of the Speaker's Panel from 12.2.2015 to 9.5.2016.

Ministerial appointments

• Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services from 28.8.2018 to 29.5.2019.

Committee service

• House of Representatives Select: Address in Reply served from 12.11.2013 to 13.11.2013
• House of Representatives Standing: Publications served from 4.12.2013 to 9.5.2016; Health served from 4.12.2013 to 9.9.2015; Communications and the Arts served from 14.9.2016 to 11.4.2019; Social Policy and Legal Affairs served as Chair from 20.9.2016 to 7.2.2018; Economics served as Chair from 6.2.2018 to 28.8.2018; Social Policy and Legal Affairs served from 7.2.2018 to 7.2.2018; Economics served from 29.8.2018 to 11.4.2019
• Joint Select: Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples served from 11.2.2015 to 25.6.2015; Implementation of the National Redress Scheme served from 13.11.2019 to 11.4.2022; Social Media and Australian Society served from 16.5.2024 to 18.11.2024
• Joint Standing: National Disability Insurance Scheme served from 14.9.2016 to 9.11.2016; Migration served from 14.10.2019 to 11.4.2022
• Joint Statutory: Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings served from 4.12.2013 to 9.5.2016; Human Rights served from 15.10.2019 to 16.10.2019; Human Rights served as Chair from 16.10.2019 to 17.2.2021; Human Rights served from 18.2.2021 to 13.5.2021
• Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing: Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Legislation served from 14.10.2019 to 3.2.2021; Legal and Constitutional Affairs: References served from 3.2.2021 to 3.2.2021; Legal and Constitutional Affairs: References served as Deputy Chair from 4.2.2021 to 25.7.2022; Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Legislation served as Chair from 4.2.2021 to 25.7.2022
• Senate Select: Tobacco Harm Reduction served from 7.10.2020 to 18.12.2020; COVID-19 served as Substitute member from 2.2.2021 to 2.2.2021
• Senate Standing: Publications served from 14.10.2019 to 25.7.2022

Parliamentary party positions

• Liberal Party of Australia. Served: 07.09.2013 to 18.05.2019, 11.09.2019 to present
• Shadow Minister for Communications from 5.6.2022 to 12.2.2023.
• Shadow Cabinet Minister from 5.6.2022 to 28.5.2025.
• Shadow Minister for Education from 12.2.2023 to 28.5.2025.
• Chair of the Coalition Backbench Policy Committee on Industrial Relations, Legal and Home Affairs.
• Member of the Coalition Backbench Committee on Treasury, Finance and Public Administration.
• Member of the Coalition Backbench Policy Committee on Agriculture, Water Resources, Drought and Environment.

Party positions

• Campaign volunteer for the Liberal Party from 1982.
• Member of the Liberal Party from 2007.
• Member of the Corangamite Federal Electorate Conference (Vic.) from 2009.
• Member of the Liberal Party Women's Council from 2009.
• Member of the Liberal Party Barwon Region Branch (Vic.) from 2012.

Other positions

• Member of the Commonwealth of Australia branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
• Member of the Australia-UK Parliamentary Friendship Group.
• Member of the Australia-UAE Parliamentary Friendship Group.
• Member of the Australia-Lebanon Parliamentary Friendship Group.
• Member of the Surf Life Saving Parliamentary Friendship Group.
• Delegate of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for the 46th Parliament from 9.12.2019.

Personal

• Gender: Female

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• LLB(Hons) (Monash University).
• Reporter for 7 News, Melbourne (Vic.) from 1982 to 1985.
• Reporter and presenter for 9 News, Brisbane (Qld) from 1985 to 1986.
• Reporter and presenter for 10 News, Melbourne (Vic.) from 1987 to 1988.
• Reporter and presenter for ABC-TV from 1989 to 1997.
• Articled clerk and solicitor at Allens Arthur Robinson (formerly Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks) from 1998 to 1999.
• Attorney at News Corporation, New York (US) from 1999 to 2000.
• Admitted to the Supreme Court as solicitor and barrister (Vic.), 1999.
• Articled clerk and solicitor at Allens Arthur Robinson (formerly Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks) from 2001 to 2002.
• Principal at Kudos Management from 2002 to 2004.
• Network Business Manager (Programming) at Network Ten from 2004 to 2006.
• Head of Business Affairs at National Indigenous Television from 2008 to 2009.
• Senior Consultant at Clifton Group, 2011.

Honours

• Received the Walkley Award for Best Coverage of a Current Story, 1996.
• Received the Golden Quill Award, 1996.