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Justine Elliot

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The Honourable
Justine Elliot
MP
Assistant Minister for Social Services
Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 June 2022
Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese
MinisterAmanda Rishworth
Preceded byMichelle Landry (as Minister for Children and Families)
Minister for Ageing
In office
3 December 2007 – 28 June 2010
Prime MinisterKevin Rudd
Julia Gillard
Preceded byChristopher Pyne
Succeeded byMark Butler
Parliamentary Secretary for Trade
In office
14 September 2010 – 4 February 2013
Prime MinisterJulia Gillard
MinisterStephen Smith (2010-2012)
Craig Emerson (2012-2013)
Preceded byAnthony Byrne
Succeeded byKelvin Thomson
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Richmond
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 October 2004
Preceded byLarry Anthony
Personal details
Born
Maria Justine Borsellino

(1967-07-29) 29 July 1967 (age 57)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political partyLabor
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
OccupationPolice officer
Websitewww.justineelliot.com.au

Maria Justine Elliot (née Borsellino; born 29 July 1967) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served in the House of Representatives since the 2004 federal election, representing the New South Wales seat of Richmond. She served as Minister for Ageing in the First Rudd government from 2007 to 2010 and as a parliamentary secretary in the Gillard government from 2010 to 2013.

Early life

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Elliot was born on 29 July 1967 in Brisbane, Queensland.[1] Her father Bob Borsellino (d. 2011) was a journalist and political activist who led efforts for an inquiry into the killing of the Balibo Five. He was a candidate for the Democrats and Greens at several state and federal elections.[2][3] Her grandfathers were both World War II veterans, Joe Borsellino with the United States Marines and Victor Perkins with the Australian Army.[4]

Elliot attended Nambour State High School, graduating in 1984.[2] She went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Queensland, majoring in English and history,[5] and a graduate diploma in human resource management and industrial relations at Griffith University. Elliot was an officer with the Queensland Police from 1990 to 1997. She subsequently moved to New South Wales and worked at the Department of Juvenile Justice from 2002 to 2003.[1]

Political career

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Elliot joined the ALP in 1995 and served as president of its Tweed Coast branch from 2003 to 2004.[1]

Opposition (2004–2007)

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In a considerable upset at the 2004 election,[6] Elliot defeated the National Party's Larry Anthony, a minister in the Howard government. Elliot's win was one of the few victories for the Labor Party as the Coalition easily won a fourth term in government. She was only the second Labor member ever to win the seat, and was also the only Labor challenger to defeat a Coalition MP in a rural seat. Richmond had been in the hands of a conservative party for all but six years since Federation, and for 66 of those years by the National Party. For much of that time, it had been a reasonably safe National seat. However, the growth of Tweed Heads and other coastal communities, as well as the concurrent loss of its more rural territory, has seen it become an increasingly urban seat since the 1980s. Elliot trailed Anthony by 11 points on the first count and was well behind him for most of the night. However, on the seventh count, a Green candidate's preferences flowed overwhelmingly to Elliot, allowing her to defeat Anthony by 301 votes.[citation needed]

Elliot served on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing from 2004 to 2007.[1] The 2007 election saw Elliot re-elected over the Nationals' Sue Page. She picked up a swing of over 7.4 points, which was significantly larger than the New South Wales state average and technically made Richmond a safe Labor seat.[citation needed]

Government (2007–2013)

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Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced Elliott would be part of his new ministry on 29 November 2007,[7] as Minister for Ageing. She retained the seat at the 2010 election with only a small swing against Labor. She stepped aside as Minister for Ageing ahead of the formation of the Second Gillard Ministry on 11 September 2010.[8] On 11 September 2010 Elliot was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade,[9] and held this position until a reconfiguration of the ministry on 4 February 2013 when she became a backbencher.[10] She publicly announced that this was because of her opposition to coal-seam gas mining (CSG) in the electorate, which conflicted with the role of parliamentary secretary.[11]

Opposition (2013–2022)

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Elliot retained Richmond for Labor at the 2013 election even as the Coalition opposition defeated the incumbent Labor government, marking only the second time (the first being her initial victory in 2004) that the non-Labor parties had been in government without holding Richmond. She again won with an increased majority at the 2016 election and then increased her majority again at the 2019 election.

Elliot served on the Joint Statutory Law Enforcement Committee in 2013 and 2014, and the Joint Standing Treaties Committee in 2013. She also served on the three House of Representatives Standing Committees of Regional Australia, Publications and Petitions from 2013 to 2016.[1] Elliot has been the Chair of the Federal Labor Country Caucus since 2014,[12] and was the Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Petitions from 2013 to 2016, and again since 2019. She has also served on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity since 2016, and the Law Enforcement Committee since 2019.[1]

Government (2022-present)

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Elliot retained Richmond at the 2022 election with a decrease of 2.91 percent in the primary vote, and two-party swing of 4.15%.[13] She was subsequently named Assistant Minister for Social Services and Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence.[14]

Personal life

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Elliot has two children with her husband Craig Elliot,[5] who is also a former police officer. As of 2018 they lived in the rural locality of Nunderi. Her husband was the ALP's candidate in Tweed at the 2019 and 2023 New South Wales state election.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Hon Justine Elliot MP". Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Nambour High has third Minister". Sunshine Coast Daily. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Bob fought for justice". Daily Mercury. Mackay, Qld. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Maiden speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2004.
  5. ^ a b "Justine Elliot". Australian Labor Party. 3 April 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Tweed MP to back Kevin Rudd". Goldcoast.com.au. 24 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Rudd drops six: report". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 November 2007. Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  8. ^ "Gillard unveils new Cabinet". Australia: ABC News. 11 September 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  9. ^ "The Gillard ministry". The Age. Australia. 11 September 2010. Archived from the original on 13 September 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  10. ^ "The Hon Justine Elliot MP". Parliament of Australia: Senators and Members. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  11. ^ "Justine Elliot defends her stand against CSG". 10 February 2013. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Rural and Regional Australia Goes to the Top of Labors Agenda". Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  13. ^ "House of Representatives division information". Australian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Hon Justine Elliot MP". Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Game on: MP's husband throws hat in ring". Queensland Times. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2021.[permanent dead link]
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Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Ageing
2007–2010 		Succeeded by
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Richmond
2004–present 		Incumbent
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