The Honourable
Kate Washington
MP
Minister for Families and Communities
Assumed office
5 April 2023 (2023-04-05)
PremierChris Minns
Preceded byNatasha Maclaren-Jones
Minister for Disability Inclusion
Assumed office
5 April 2023 (2023-04-05)
PremierChris Minns
Preceded byNatasha Maclaren-Jones (as Minister for Disability Services)
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for Port Stephens
Assumed office
28 March 2015
Preceded byCraig Baumann
Personal details
Born1970 (age 53–54)
Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyNew South Wales Labor Party
ResidenceLemon Tree Passage[1]
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
ProfessionLawyer
Websitewww.katewashington.com.au

Kate Rebecca Washington (born 1970) is an Australian politician who has served as Minister for Disability Inclusion and Families and Communities in the Minns Government of New South Wales since 2023. She was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Port Stephens for the New South Wales Labor Party at the 2015 New South Wales state election.

Before entering parliament, Washington worked as a health lawyer. She has three children[2] and lives in Lemon Tree Passage.[1]

Political career

Washington first contested the seat of Port Stephens for the Labor Party at the 2011 election. She was not elected, with Labor losing the seat after a 12.4-point two-candidate swing against the party.[3] Four years later, she won the seat with a two-candidate swing toward her of 19.5 points.[3] Her electorate office is located in Raymond Terrace. During her first two terms, she served as a member of the Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission.

In 2016, Jodie Harrison resigned from the Shadow Ministry of Luke Foley.[4] Washington replaced her as Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, the Hunter and the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault on 19 January 2016. In a March 2016 reshuffle that occurred following the resignation of Linda Burney, she was replaced as Shadow Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault by Jenny Aitchison but retained the portfolios of Early Childhood Education and the Hunter until the 2019 New South Wales Labor Party leadership election in which Jodi McKay was elected as Leader of the Opposition.

She held the portfolios of Shadow Minister for Environment and Heritage and Shadow Minister for Rural Health from 2019 to 2021 in the McKay shadow ministry. Washington became the Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services and Shadow Minister for Disability Inclusion, following the 2021 New South Wales Labor Party leadership election.[5]

In the 2023 election, Washington retained her seat for a third term with a 13.3-point swing to the Labor Party in the electorate. Following the election she was appointed Minister for Family & Community Services and the Minister for Disability Inclusion in the Minns Labor Government.

References

  1. 1 2 "Candidates - The Legislative Assembly District of Port Stephens". elections.nsw.gov.au. New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  2. ↑ Bevan, Scott (30 September 2017). "MP Kate anchors in Port Stephens". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Port Stephens – NSW Election 2015 – New South Wales Votes – NSW Election 2015 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  4. ↑ McGowan, Michael. "Kate Washington promoted to front bench as Jodie Harrison steps aside in Labor reshuffle". The Newcastle Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Ms Kate Rebecca WASHINGTON, BA, LLB MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 January 2019.

 

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