Michelle Roberts
Encyclopedia
Michelle Hopkins Roberts (born 1960) is an Australia
n politician. A member of the Australian Labor Party
, she currently represents the Electoral district of Midland
in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
.
Roberts grew up in Inglewood
, in Western Australia
. She was educated at Mercedes College
and the University of Western Australia
. She worked as a teacher at the John Curtin Senior High School from 1983 until 1987, teaching English, Italian and Mathematics. She moved to the State Public Service in 1987, in the Department of Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare, where she worked until her election to the Assembly in 1994.
Roberts began her political activism in 1978, when she joined the Australian Labor Party. In 1986 she was elected to the Perth
City Council. She sat on the boards of the East Perth Redevelopment Authority and the Perth Theatre Trust, and was at one point the Deputy Lord Mayor of Perth. She was first elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (The Thirty Fourth Parliament) as the Member for Glendalough on the 19th of March 1994. This was a by-election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Hon. Carmen Lawrence
. The seat of Glendalough was subsequently abolished by the redistribution of electoral boundaries prior to the 1996 State General Election.
Roberts was endorsed by the ALP to contest the newly created seat of Midland and was re-elected to the Thirty Fifth Parliament on 14 December 1996 as the member for Midland. She was re-elected again at the General elections of 2001, 2005, 2008.
Roberts held various ministerial responsibilities from the 16th February 2001 to the 6th September 2008 in the Gallop Labor Governments, including Minister for Police & Emergency Services, Local Government, Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Justice, Housing and Works; Consumer Protection, Heritage, Land Information, Indigenous Affairs and Employment Protection.
Roberts was the Shadow Minister for Education and Women's Interests after Labor's defeat in WA in 2008 until early 2011. She is currently the Shadow Treasurer, Shadow Minister for Tourism and Shadow Minister for Government Accountability.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. A member of 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...
, she currently represents the Electoral district of Midland
Electoral district of Midland
-External links:* ABC Election Profiles: * WAEC District Maps:...
in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
.
Roberts grew up in Inglewood
Inglewood, Western Australia
Inglewood is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.-History:With a name thought to have been derived from the Norwegian barque Inglewood , the suburb of Inglewood began when land was first granted to John Gregory in 1831...
, in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. She was educated at Mercedes College
Mercedes College (Perth)
Mercedes College is a private, all girls' high school located in the CBD of Perth, Western Australia.The school was founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, thus making it the oldest independent Catholic girls' school in Australia, and the oldest existing secondary school in Perth.There are...
and the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
. She worked as a teacher at the John Curtin Senior High School from 1983 until 1987, teaching English, Italian and Mathematics. She moved to the State Public Service in 1987, in the Department of Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare, where she worked until her election to the Assembly in 1994.
Roberts began her political activism in 1978, when she joined the Australian Labor Party. In 1986 she was elected to the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
City Council. She sat on the boards of the East Perth Redevelopment Authority and the Perth Theatre Trust, and was at one point the Deputy Lord Mayor of Perth. She was first elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (The Thirty Fourth Parliament) as the Member for Glendalough on the 19th of March 1994. This was a by-election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Hon. Carmen Lawrence
Carmen Lawrence
Carmen Mary Lawrence is a retired Australian politician; a former Premier of Western Australia and the first woman to become Premier of a State of the Commonwealth of Australia....
. The seat of Glendalough was subsequently abolished by the redistribution of electoral boundaries prior to the 1996 State General Election.
Roberts was endorsed by the ALP to contest the newly created seat of Midland and was re-elected to the Thirty Fifth Parliament on 14 December 1996 as the member for Midland. She was re-elected again at the General elections of 2001, 2005, 2008.
Roberts held various ministerial responsibilities from the 16th February 2001 to the 6th September 2008 in the Gallop Labor Governments, including Minister for Police & Emergency Services, Local Government, Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Justice, Housing and Works; Consumer Protection, Heritage, Land Information, Indigenous Affairs and Employment Protection.
Roberts was the Shadow Minister for Education and Women's Interests after Labor's defeat in WA in 2008 until early 2011. She is currently the Shadow Treasurer, Shadow Minister for Tourism and Shadow Minister for Government Accountability.