Penny Sharpe
Penny Sharpe MLC | |
---|---|
![]() Penny Sharpe in November 2012 | |
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council | |
Assumed office 6 May 2015 | |
In office 11 October 2005 – 5 March 2015 | |
Preceded by | Carmel Tebbutt |
Personal details | |
Born | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, | 22 October 1970
Political party | Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) |
Spouse | Jo Tilly |
Children | Jemima Tilly, Redmond Tilly and Pip Tilly |
Alma mater | University of New South Wales |
Website | Personal Website |
Penelope Gail Sharpe (born 22 October 1970) is an Australian politician. She was a Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2005 to 2015. Sharpe was appointed to the casual vacancy caused by Carmel Tebbutt's resignation to stand for a by-election in the Legislative Assembly seat of Marrickville, and was re-elected at the 2011 election.
In 2015, Sharpe resigned from the Legislative Council to contest the Legislative Assembly seat of Newtown at the 2015 election. Newtown was a new seat partially replacing Tebbutt's abolished seat of Marrickville, which had been left open by Tebbutt's retirement. She was defeated in Newtown by Greens candidate Jenny Leong, and was subsequently re-appointed to the Legislative Council to fill her own vacancy. Sharpe, a mother of three, was the first open lesbian to serve in the New South Wales parliament.[1]
Early life
Sharpe was born in Canberra, but later shifted to Sydney. She studied food technology at the University of New South Wales,[2] where she became involved in student politics.[3] She was elected president of the University of New South Wales Student Guild in 1993, the same year that she met her long-term partner, Jo Tilly.[citation needed] Sharpe rose to national prominence the following year when she became president of the National Union of Students. As president, she was involved in a national campaign against the Keating Labor government's higher education reforms, as well as in the partially successful Victorian battle against attempts by its Liberal government to introduce voluntary student unionism there.[citation needed]
Sharpe was a co editor of Party Girls: Labor Women, a book about the role of women in politics.[4] She was a Marrickville Council councillor from 2004 to 2008.[5]
Political career
Sharpe's official appointment to the Legislative Council was announced in late September 2005, which immediately caused substantial media attention due to her status as a lesbian mother – particularly as she would now be sitting alongside the likes of conservative Liberal David Clarke and Christian Democratic Party firebrand Fred Nile.[6] She largely refused to comment on her private life in the subsequent fracas, but announced her policy goals as improving access to education and eliminating discrimination against gay parents. She has also made clear her intention to confront Clarke and Nile on gay rights issues; a stance that was heavily reflected in her maiden speech to parliament.[7]
Sharpe maintains her own blog, Red Leather.[8][self-published source?]
In March 2015, Sharpe resigned from the Legislative Council to contest the lower house seat of Newtown at the 2015 state election. She was unsuccessful, with Jenny Leong of the Greens winning the seat, and subsequently announced her intention to contest preselection to be re-appointed to the vacancy caused by her own resignation.[9]
References
- ^ Pollard, Ruth (15 October 2005). "Out in the house". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "The Hon. (Penny) Penelope Gail Sharpe, MLC". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ^ "About Penny Sharpe". Penny Sharpe. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Deverall, Kate (2000). Party Girls: Labor Women. Annandale, N.S.W.: Pluto Press. ISBN 1-86403-117-4.
- ^ "Penny Sharpe". NSW Labor. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Gay mum set to liven stuffy upper house". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 September 2005.
- ^ Sharpe, Penny. "First Parliamentary speech" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ^ "Red Leather". Penny Sharp. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)[self-published source?] - ^ Nicholls, Sean (7 April 2015). "NSW state election 2015: Penny Sharpe will seek to return to upper house after Newtown loss". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
- 1970 births
- University of New South Wales alumni
- Australian bloggers
- New South Wales local government politicians
- Lesbian politicians
- LGBT legislators in Australia
- Living people
- Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council
- Women bloggers
- Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales
- 21st-century Australian politicians
- 21st-century women politicians
- Women members of the New South Wales Legislative Council
- Women local political office-holders in Australia