Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson

Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson

Senator for VIC

Party
Liberal Party of Australia
Chamber
Senate

Seating Plan

Seating map

Electorate Office

(Principal Office)

231-233 Moorabool Street
Geelong, VIC, 3220

Postal address

PO Box 821
Geelong, VIC, 3220

Telephone:
(03) 5221 5900

Parliament Office

PO Box 6100
Senate
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Telephone:
(02) 6277 3812

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 present
  • 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.
  • Shadow Minister for Education from 12.2.2023.
  • 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.

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