Tanya Plibersek

Tanya Joan Plibersek (born 2 December 1969) is an Australian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Sydney since 1998, and the deputy leader of the opposition and deputy leader of the Labor Party since 2013. She previously served in both the Rudd and Gillard Governments as Minister for Health, Minister for Human Services and Minister for Housing.

Early life

Plibersek was born in Sydney, the daughter of migrants from Slovenia, and went on to become dux of Jannali Girls High School. She was later educated at the University of Technology, Sydney, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and served as Women's Officer for a year. She then took a Masters in Public Policy and Politics at Macquarie University. After graduating, she worked for the Domestic Violence Unit at the Office for the Status and Advancement of Women in New South Wales, and later in the office of Senator Bruce Childs.

Career

Plibersek was elected to the House of Representatives for Sydney in 1998 and has been re-elected six times. She was elected to the Shadow Ministry after the 2004 election. She was Shadow Minister for Work, Family and Community, Shadow Minister for Youth and Early Childhood Education and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on the Status of Women since October 2004. This portfolio was retitled Shadow Minister for Child Care, Youth and Women in June 2005. Following the Shadow Ministerial reshuffle in December 2006 (when Kevin Rudd assumed the leadership of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party) Plibersek was promoted to Shadow Minister for Human Services, Housing, Youth and Women.