Hon Melissa Parke

Hon Melissa Parke

Former Member

Party
Australian Labor Party
Chamber
House of Representatives

Biography

Parliamentary service
  • Elected to the House of Representatives for Fremantle, Western Australia, 2007. Re-elected 2010 and 2013. Retired prior to general elections 2016.
Ministerial appointments
  • Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health from 4.2.2013 to 1.7.2013.
  • Parliamentary Secretary for Homelessness and Social Housing from 4.2.2013 to 1.7.2013.
  • Minister for International Development from 1.7.2013 to 18.9.2013.
Committee service
  • House of Representatives Standing: Health served from 4.12.2013 to 18.3.2014
  • Joint Standing: Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade served from 18.2.2008 to 5.2.2013; Treaties served from 18.2.2008 to 6.2.2013; Treaties served from 4.12.2013 to 9.5.2016; Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade served from 3.9.2014 to 10.2.2015; Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade served from 24.6.2015 to 9.5.2016
  • Joint Statutory: Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity served from 18.2.2008 to 30.6.2008; Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity served as Chair from 1.7.2008 to 6.2.2013; Human Rights served from 14.3.2012 to 13.2.2013
Parliamentary party positions
  • Australian Labor Party. Served: 24.11.2007 to 09.05.2016
  • Shadow Assistant Minister for Health from 18.10.2013 to 19.2.2014.
Party positions
  • Member of the Australian Labor Party from 1995.
  • Chair of the Australian Labor Party National Executive International Party Development Committee from 2008 to 2010.
Personal
  • Born: 11.8.1966, Bunbury, Australia
  • Gender: Female
Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament
  • BBus (Curtin University).
  • LLB (University of New South Wales).
  • GradDipLegPrac (University of Technology, Sydney).
  • LLM (Murdoch University).
  • Solicitor at private law firms from 1992 to 1994.
  • Solicitor in Charge at the Bunbury Community Legal Centre (WA) from 1994 to 1997.
  • Lecturer in the School of Law at Murdoch University (WA), 1999.
  • Senior International Lawyer at the United Nations (Kosovo, Gaza, Lebanon, Cyprus, New York) from 1999 to 2007.
Electorate
  • Name: Fremantle
  • Location: south-west of Perth; it includes the city of Fremantle and the suburbs of Attadale, Atwell, Aubin Grove, Banjup, Beaconsfield, Beeliar, Bibra Lake, Bicton, Cockburn Central, Coogee, Coolbellup, Hamilton Hill, Hammond Park, Henderson, Hilton, Jandakot, Kardinya, Munster, North Lake, Palmyra, Samson, South Lake, Spearwood, Success, Wattleup, White Gum Valley, Willagee and Yangebup. It also includes Rottnest Island.
  • Area: 199 Sq km
  • Electors enrolled: 100,902 (at 7.9.2013)
  • Industries: smallgoods, ship building, market gardens, brewing, hospitality, tourism and fishing.
  • Includes: Fremantle includes the Western Australian Legislative Assembly electorates of Cockburn and Fremantle, and parts of Alfred Cove, Bateman, Cottesloe, Jandakot and Willagee.

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