Laura Mary Smyth an Australia

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

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

, is a member of the Australian House of Representatives

Australian House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....

 for the seat of La Trobe

Division of La Trobe

The Division of La Trobe is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the outer eastern/south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was originally located closer to the city, but redistributions moved it further south-east. It originally included the suburbs of Croydon,...

 representing 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 defeated Liberal

Liberal Party of Australia

The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...

 MP Jason Wood at the 2010 federal election. She is the first woman to represent La Trobe in its fifty year history.

Early years and background

Smyth was educated at Dandenong

Dandenong, Victoria

Dandenong is a suburb and major urban centre in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 30 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Situated on Dandenong Creek and mostly flat land at the foothills of Mount Dandenong, it is the main administrative centre for the City of...

 and Oakleigh

Oakleigh

Oakleigh may refer to:* Oakleigh Historic Complex , historic complex in Mobile, Alabama* Oakleigh, New Zealand, locality in the North Island* Oakleigh, Victoria, suburb of Melbourne, Australia...

 before attending Monash University

Monash University

Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....

, where she completed a Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 and a Bachelor of Laws

Bachelor of Laws

The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...

. She worked as a corporate lawyer for almost ten years, and is studying at the University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...

 for a Masters in law.

While studying, Laura represented students in university committees and was President of the Victorian branch of the National Union of Students. As a student, she was actively involved in campaigns relating to education and student welfare.

Laura supported herself at university working at the St Vincent De Paul Nursing Home in Box Hill and later worked as an electorate staffer for a local member of parliament in south eastern Melbourne.