Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the Senate for the Northern Territory 2013. Retired prior to general elections 2016.

Parliamentary positions

• Temporary Chair of Committees from 7.7.2014 to 9.5.2016.

Committee service

• Joint Select: Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples served as Deputy Chair from 4.12.2013 to 25.6.2015
• Joint Standing: National Capital and External Territories served from 4.12.2013 to 9.12.2013
• Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing: Community Affairs: Legislation served from 12.11.2013 to 12.11.2015; Community Affairs: References served from 12.11.2013 to 12.11.2015; Education and Employment: References served from 1.7.2014 to 12.11.2015; Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Legislation served as Substitute member from 16.7.2014 to 10.11.2014; Finance and Public Administration: Legislation served from 12.11.2015 to 9.5.2016; Finance and Public Administration: References served from 12.11.2015 to 9.5.2016; Education and Employment: References served from 26.11.2015 to 9.5.2016; Legal and Constitutional Affairs: References served as Substitute member from 20.4.2016 to 20.4.2016
• Senate Standing: Regulations and Ordinances served from 12.11.2013 to 9.5.2016; Publications served from 1.7.2014 to 9.5.2016

Parliamentary party positions

• Australian Labor Party. Served: 07.09.2013 to 09.05.2016

Personal

• Born: 25.2.1971, Darwin, Australia
• Gender: Female
• Marital Status: Married
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: Yes

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• Member of the Australian women's field hockey team (Hockeyroos) from 1992 to 1996 (winner, Gold Medal Team, Olympic Games, Atlanta, USA 1996).
• Member of the Australian athletics team from 1997 to 2001 (winner, Gold Medal 200m and 4x100m relay Commonwealth Games, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998).
• Founder and Patron of the Nova Peris Girls' Academy, St Johns Catholic College, Darwin (NT) from 2012.

Honours

• Awarded Young Australian of the Year, 26.1.1997.
• Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, 26.1.1997.
• Awarded the Australian Sports Medal, 22.6.2000.

Publications

• Nova: my story; the autobiography of Nova Peris (with I Heads), ABC Books, Sydney: 2003.
• Nova: finding my voice, Wilkinson Publishing, Melbourne: 2018.