Tanya Plibersek
Encyclopedia
Tanya Joan Plibersek, MP (born 2 December 1969), is an Australian politician with the Australian Labor Party
, and Federal Minister for Social Inclusion
and Minister for Human Services
. She has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives
since October 1998, representing the seat of Sydney
, New South Wales. Plibersek is the first Slovene Australian
to reach the position of a minister in the Australian government.
, and was dux of Jannali Girls High School. She was educated at the University of Technology, Sydney
and Macquarie University
, where she gained a master's degree in politics and public policy. Before entering Parliament, she was Women's Officer at the University of Technology, Sydney
and worked for the Domestic Violence Unit at the NSW Government's Office for the Status and Advancement of Women as well as the office of Senator Bruce Childs
. She lives in Sydney with her husband Michael Coutts-Trotter
, the director-general of the NSW Education Department, and children Anna, Joseph and Louis.
after the 2004 election. She was Shadow Minister for Work, Family and Community, Shadow Minister for Youth and Early Childhood Education and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on the Status of Women since October 2004. This portfolio was retitled Shadow Minister for Child Care, Youth and Women in June 2005. Following the Shadow Ministerial reshuffle in December 2006 (when Kevin Rudd
assumed the leadership of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party) Plibersek was promoted to be Shadow Minister for Human Services, Housing, Youth and Women.
Plibersek writes a fortnightly column for The Sydney Morning Herald
and has appeared regularly as a commentator on ABC talk show Q&A
since 2008.
In the 2007 Federal election, Plibersek was re-elected to the seat of Sydney with a 2.12% swing toward the Labor Party. On 3 December 2007, Plibersek was appointed Minister for Housing
and Minister for the Status of Women
.
In the 2010 Federal election, Plibersek was re-elected to the seat of Sydney with a 2.25% swing against the Labor Party. On 11 September 2010, Plibersek was appointed Minister for Human Services
and Minister for Social Inclusion
when she returns from maternity leave.
groups over the party's bipartisan
policy against the legalisation
of same-sex marriage. Plibersek's own views aside, in 2007 she told The Sydney Morning Herald
On 25 July 2004, Plibersek was loudly heckled at an anti-homophobia
rally due to the issue.
. It was reported that when US President, George W. Bush
, visited the Australian Parliament in 2003, ‘Sydney Labor MP Tanya Plibersek walked around the chamber as President Bush shook hands with MPs to give Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice a book of speeches by Labor MPs opposing Australia invading Iraq without UN approval.’ She also stated in Parliament that ‘I do not support an attack on Iraq. I particularly do not support a pre-emptive first strike. Nor do I support any action that is initiated by the US alone rather than being sanctioned by the United Nations.’
by commenting that "I can think of a rogue state which consistently ignores UN resolutions whose ruler is a war criminal – it is called Israel and the war criminal is Ariel Sharon." She later apologised for the remark.
and independents
, parliamentary numbers were finely balanced. Plibersek was granted a 'pair' by the Coalition so that her absence from the House of Representatives while on maternity leave did not affect the result of votes. She gave birth to a son on 1 October 2010.
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, and Federal Minister for Social Inclusion
Minister for Social Inclusion (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Social Inclusion is the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP. The portfolio is part of the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio.-List of Social Inclusion Ministers:...
and Minister for Human Services
Minister for Human Services (Australia)
The position of Minister for Human Services within Australian politics is currently held by the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP. The Minister is responsible for a number of welfare agencies and administers her portfolio through the Department of Human Services and its component bodies:* Child Support...
. She has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
since October 1998, representing the seat of Sydney
Division of Sydney
The Division of Sydney is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located around the central city area of Sydney, and includes many inner suburbs such as Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Ultimo, Redfern, Camperdown, Glebe, Annandale, Balmain, Potts Point and the Sydney...
, New South Wales. Plibersek is the first Slovene Australian
Slovene Australian
Slovene Australians or Slovenian Australians are Australians of Slovene origin.- History :Slovenes began migrating to Australia in the mid-nineteenth century . Until the 1900s there was a small number of Slovene immigrants to Australia. The largest numbers of Slovenes immigrated to Australia...
to reach the position of a minister in the Australian government.
Early years and personal background
Plibersek was born in Sydney, the daughter of migrants from SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, and was dux of Jannali Girls High School. She was educated at the University of Technology, Sydney
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. UTS is notable for its central location as the only university with its main campuses within the Sydney CBD...
and Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
, where she gained a master's degree in politics and public policy. Before entering Parliament, she was Women's Officer at the University of Technology, Sydney
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. UTS is notable for its central location as the only university with its main campuses within the Sydney CBD...
and worked for the Domestic Violence Unit at the NSW Government's Office for the Status and Advancement of Women as well as the office of Senator Bruce Childs
Bruce Childs
Bruce Kenneth Childs is a former Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he was a tradesman in photo engraving and a secretary of the Printers' Union before becoming Assistant General Secretary of the New South Wales Labor Party 1971-1980. In 1980, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor...
. She lives in Sydney with her husband Michael Coutts-Trotter
Michael Coutts-Trotter
Michael Coutts-Trotter, an Australian public servant, is the Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Finance and Services.-Biography:...
, the director-general of the NSW Education Department, and children Anna, Joseph and Louis.
Political career
Plibersek was elected to the House of Representatives for Sydney in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007. She was elected to the Shadow MinistryShadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
after the 2004 election. She was Shadow Minister for Work, Family and Community, Shadow Minister for Youth and Early Childhood Education and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on the Status of Women since October 2004. This portfolio was retitled Shadow Minister for Child Care, Youth and Women in June 2005. Following the Shadow Ministerial reshuffle in December 2006 (when Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
assumed the leadership of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party) Plibersek was promoted to be Shadow Minister for Human Services, Housing, Youth and Women.
Plibersek writes a fortnightly column for The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
and has appeared regularly as a commentator on ABC talk show Q&A
Q&A
-General:* Q&A is a media relations technique whereby public relations professionals attempt to anticipate journalists' questions on a particular issue and provide answers in order to prepare their spokespeople for press conferences and interviews...
since 2008.
In the 2007 Federal election, Plibersek was re-elected to the seat of Sydney with a 2.12% swing toward the Labor Party. On 3 December 2007, Plibersek was appointed Minister for Housing
Minister for Housing (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness is Mark Arbib, who was appointed on 14 September 2010, following the Labor Party's win at the 2010 election...
and Minister for the Status of Women
Minister for the Status of Women (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Status of Women is Kate Ellis, who was appointed on 14 September 2010. The ministry is administered through the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs....
.
In the 2010 Federal election, Plibersek was re-elected to the seat of Sydney with a 2.25% swing against the Labor Party. On 11 September 2010, Plibersek was appointed Minister for Human Services
Minister for Human Services (Australia)
The position of Minister for Human Services within Australian politics is currently held by the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP. The Minister is responsible for a number of welfare agencies and administers her portfolio through the Department of Human Services and its component bodies:* Child Support...
and Minister for Social Inclusion
Minister for Social Inclusion (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Social Inclusion is the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP. The portfolio is part of the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio.-List of Social Inclusion Ministers:...
when she returns from maternity leave.
Housing
As Minister for Housing, Plibersek launched the Social Housing Initiative, which provided for the construction of more than 19,300 new public housing units, with approximately 70,000 units receiving repairs and maintenance. In December 2008, along with Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister at that time, Plibersek released the Government’s White Paper on Homelessness, The Road Home, which has a goal of halving homelessness by 2020.Women
As Minister for the Status of Women in the Rudd Labor Government, Plibersek initiated policies such as convening the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children in May 2008, and releasing the National Council’s Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children in March 2009. Plibersek also addressed the 2009 United Nations International Women’s Day event, attended by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and announced Australia’s formal accession to the United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Plibersek said that acceding to the Optional Protocol "will send a strong message that Australia is serious about promoting gender equality and that we are prepared to be judged by international human rights standards."Same-sex discrimination
Plibersek campaigned strongly for the removal of discrimination against same sex de facto couples in Federal legislation, raising the issue formally in Parliament on multiple occasions (including 1999, 2006, and 2008) over her parliamentary career. In her regular paid advertisement in the South Sydney Herald, in 2010 Pliberek wrote that 'The passing of these reforms to federal legislation was one of the proudest moments of my time in the Australian Parliament' and has marched in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in 2008. The Labor Party was criticised by some LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
groups over the party's bipartisan
Bipartisanship
Bipartisanship is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system such as the United States, in which opposing political parties find common ground through compromise. The adjective bipartisan can refer to any bill, act, resolution, or other political act in which both of the...
policy against the legalisation
Legalization
Legalization is the process of removing a legal prohibition against something which is currently not legal.Legalization is a process often applied to what are regarded, by those working towards legalization, as victimless crimes, of which one example is the consumption of illegal drugs .Those...
of same-sex marriage. Plibersek's own views aside, in 2007 she told The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
On 25 July 2004, Plibersek was loudly heckled at an anti-homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
rally due to the issue.
War in Iraq
Plibersek opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. It was reported that when US President, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, visited the Australian Parliament in 2003, ‘Sydney Labor MP Tanya Plibersek walked around the chamber as President Bush shook hands with MPs to give Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice a book of speeches by Labor MPs opposing Australia invading Iraq without UN approval.’ She also stated in Parliament that ‘I do not support an attack on Iraq. I particularly do not support a pre-emptive first strike. Nor do I support any action that is initiated by the US alone rather than being sanctioned by the United Nations.’
Israel
In 2002, Plibersek angered former Federal Labor MP Barry CohenBarry Cohen
Barry Cohen AM is a former Australian Labor politician. He was a minister in the government of Bob Hawke.-Biography:He was born in Griffith, New South Wales and educated at Griffith High School, Sydney Grammar School and North Sydney Technical High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the...
by commenting that "I can think of a rogue state which consistently ignores UN resolutions whose ruler is a war criminal – it is called Israel and the war criminal is Ariel Sharon." She later apologised for the remark.
Maternity during minority government
Following the 2010 federal election where Labor retained government with the support of the Australian GreensAustralian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
and independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, parliamentary numbers were finely balanced. Plibersek was granted a 'pair' by the Coalition so that her absence from the House of Representatives while on maternity leave did not affect the result of votes. She gave birth to a son on 1 October 2010.