Virginia Judge
Encyclopedia
Dianne "Virginia" Judge a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
representing Strathfield
for the Australian Labor Party
from 2003 until 2011
.
from the Canberra School of Music
.
Judge taught in primary and secondary schools in Sydney
and Canberra
, including at the Evandale Special School in Croydon
, a school catering for intellectual disabled students. She also worked as a volunteer abroad for the Overseas Service Bureau in Tonga
and as a project officer for small non-government organisation, The Australian Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific, delivering items such as humidicribs, toilets and ovens to Pacific islands such as Nauru
, the Solomon Islands
and Fiji
.
Judge returned to Sydney,and worked in real estate, qualifying for her real estate licence. She was also studying Law part-time at Macquarie University
prior to her election to the Legislative Assembly.
in 1995 and served until 2004. Almost immediately after being elected, she was accused of speaking and voting against an application for a development approval without declaring a conflict of interest
, as her real estate agency, and allegedly herself, stood to benefit if it was approved. This charge was dismissed by the Department of Local Government
. She later found employment, working for Eddie Obeid
when he was the Minister for Fisheries. She was Mayor from 2001 to 2003 when she entered the NSW Parliament.
Judge was elected as member for Strathfield in 2003, representing Labor. Although the seat has traditionally been held by the Liberal Party of Australia
, she won it with a 15% majority.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees
appointed Judge Fair Trading Minister, and he gave Judge responsibility for citizenship and she assisted the Minister for the Arts (Premier Nathan Rees). Following the resignation of the then NSW Premier Nathan Rees
, the new Premier Kristina Keneally
, re-appointed Judge as Fair Trading Minister, and also appointed Judge the Minister for the Arts in December 2009.
At the March 2011 general election, Judge was defeated with a swing of 16.6% to the Liberal's Charles Casuscelli
, who won 54.4% of the vote on a two-party preferred basis.
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
representing Strathfield
Electoral district of Strathfield
Strathfield is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was first created in 1988, and derives its name from the suburb of the same name. Strathfield is an urban electorate, covering 17.94 km² and taking in the suburbs of Strathfield,...
for the Australian Labor Party
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...
from 2003 until 2011
New South Wales state election, 2011
Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...
.
Early life
Judge was born in Cooma where her father worked as a surveyor on the Snowy Mountain Scheme and was educated in Canberra. She received a Bachelor of EducationBachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
from the Canberra School of Music
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
.
Judge taught in primary and secondary schools in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, including at the Evandale Special School in Croydon
Croydon, New South Wales
Croydon is an affluent suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Croydon is located 11 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. Croydon is split between the two local government areas of Burwood Council and the Municipality of Ashfield.The...
, a school catering for intellectual disabled students. She also worked as a volunteer abroad for the Overseas Service Bureau in Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
and as a project officer for small non-government organisation, The Australian Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific, delivering items such as humidicribs, toilets and ovens to Pacific islands such as Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
, the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
.
Judge returned to Sydney,and worked in real estate, qualifying for her real estate licence. She was also studying Law part-time at 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...
prior to her election to the Legislative Assembly.
Political career
Judge was elected to Strathfield CouncilMunicipality of Strathfield
The Municipality of Strathfield is a Local Government Area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Municipality incorporates the suburbs of Flemington, Homebush, Homebush West, Strathfield South entirely, and shares the following suburbs with other Councils, Belfield, Greenacre, and Strathfield...
in 1995 and served until 2004. Almost immediately after being elected, she was accused of speaking and voting against an application for a development approval without declaring a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
, as her real estate agency, and allegedly herself, stood to benefit if it was approved. This charge was dismissed by the Department of Local Government
New South Wales Department of Local Government
The New South Wales Division of Local Government, an agency of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for administering legislation in relation to local government areas in New South Wales....
. She later found employment, working for Eddie Obeid
Eddie Obeid
Edward Moses Obeid OAM , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council who served between 1991 and 2011, representing the Australian Labor Party. He was the Minister for Fisheries and the Minister for Mineral Resources from 1999–2003...
when he was the Minister for Fisheries. She was Mayor from 2001 to 2003 when she entered the NSW Parliament.
Judge was elected as member for Strathfield in 2003, representing Labor. Although the seat has traditionally been held by the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, she won it with a 15% majority.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees
Nathan Rees
Nathan Rees MP, , an Australian politician, was the 41st Premier of New South Wales and parliamentary leader of the New South Wales division of the Australian Labor Party from September 2008 to December 2009...
appointed Judge Fair Trading Minister, and he gave Judge responsibility for citizenship and she assisted the Minister for the Arts (Premier Nathan Rees). Following the resignation of the then NSW Premier Nathan Rees
Nathan Rees
Nathan Rees MP, , an Australian politician, was the 41st Premier of New South Wales and parliamentary leader of the New South Wales division of the Australian Labor Party from September 2008 to December 2009...
, the new Premier Kristina Keneally
Kristina Keneally
Kristina Kerscher Keneally MP, is an Australian politician and was the 42nd Premier of New South Wales. She was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales and thus Premier in 2009, but went on to lose government to the Liberal/National Coalition at the March 2011 state election...
, re-appointed Judge as Fair Trading Minister, and also appointed Judge the Minister for the Arts in December 2009.
At the March 2011 general election, Judge was defeated with a swing of 16.6% to the Liberal's Charles Casuscelli
Charles Casuscelli
Charles Casuscelli MP, an Australian politician in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Strathfield for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011.-Early years and background:...
, who won 54.4% of the vote on a two-party preferred basis.