Robyn Parker
Encyclopedia
Robyn Mary Parker MP (born 3 August 1958), an Australian politician, is the New South Wales
Minister for Environment and Minister for Heritage in the O'Farrell
-Stoner
Liberal
/National
coalitition
government
. Parker is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
representing Maitland
for the Liberal Party since 2011
and was previously a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales between 2003
and 2011.
, New Zealand and obtained a Diploma of Teaching. She subsequently worked as a development officer with a focus on Children's Services for the City of Sunshine
between 1979 and 1980; a Family Day Care Co-ordinator for the City of Oakleigh
between 1981 and 1982, and for Queensland Centacare between 1982 and 1983. After moving to Maitland
in the mid-1980s, she was the Co-ordinator of a mobile resource service between 1984 and 1995 and she also taught child studies for TAFE between 1985 to 1992. At Maitland she developed one of the first mobile community outreach programs for that city.
Her interest in politics became evident in 1999, when she became a political advisor to Senator John Tierney
but left in November 2001 to become a manager at a skin cancer centre in Lake Macquarie. At the clinic she developed and implemented a program to encourage women to take leadership positions within politics, particularly the Liberal party.
She is currently the Patron of Wesley Mission's Operation Hope.
In 2004 she spoke on the debate of the Criminal Procedure Amendment Sexual Offences Bill in the New South Wales Parliament. She supported the introduction of closed circuit television for victims to give their evidence in court as she had been a victim when she was nineteen in New Zealand. In the debate she pointed out the different standards that apply to rape victims compared to other victims of crime. She said that if "an assailant held you at knifepoint, asked you for your wallet and you complied, there is no question that a crime was committed. You would not be asked if you consented. You would not be asked if you had tried to resist. Only survivors of sexual assault are asked these questions." Following the disclosure, she was inundated with communications from victims who had also not disclosed their experiences saying that "I feel that at least I've been able to help effect some change."
seat of Maitland. At the 2011 election, Parker was elected with a swing of 20.3 per cent and won the seat with 56.3 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis. Her main competitor was the incumbent sitting member, Labor's Frank Terenzini
.
in the 2003 election
. In 2009 it was revealed that Parker's eldest son, Dylan, then aged 22, makes and flies paper planes and he has become one of the world's best; whilst at the same time dealing with the sudden discovery of a brain tumour. His story was broadcast in an episode of the ABC TV
program Australian Story
.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Minister for Environment and Minister for Heritage in the O'Farrell
Barry O'Farrell
Barry Robert O'Farrell MP, is an Australian politician and is the 43rd Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Western Sydney, Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party and a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Ku-ring-gai for the Liberal Party since 1999.Born in...
-Stoner
Andrew Stoner
Andrew John Stoner is an Australian politician, Deputy Premier of New South Wales and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the seat of Oxley since the 1999 state election, and the Leader of the New South Wales National Party since 31 March 2003...
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...
/National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
coalitition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
government
O'Farrell Ministry
The O'Farrell ministry is the 93rd ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and is led by the 43rd Premier Barry O'Farrell.The Liberal–National coalition ministry was formed following the defeat of the Keneally Labor government at the 2011 election...
. Parker is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
representing Maitland
Electoral district of Maitland
Maitland is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Robyn Parker of the Liberal Party of Australia....
for the Liberal Party since 2011
New South Wales state election, 2011
Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...
and was previously a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales between 2003
New South Wales state election, 2003
Elections to the 53rd Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 22 March 2003. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
and 2011.
Early years and background
Parker was born to parents, Adeline and Campbell McEwen. Her family has its origins in the dairy farming district of Taranaki, New Zealand. She studied at the Palmerston North Teacher’s College at Massey UniversityMassey University
Massey University is one of New Zealand's largest universities with approximately 36,000 students, 20,000 of whom are extramural students.The University has campuses in Palmerston North , Wellington and Auckland . Massey offers most of its degrees extramurally within New Zealand and internationally...
, New Zealand and obtained a Diploma of Teaching. She subsequently worked as a development officer with a focus on Children's Services for the City of Sunshine
City of Sunshine
The City of Sunshine was a Local Government Area located about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1860 until 1994.-History:...
between 1979 and 1980; a Family Day Care Co-ordinator for the City of Oakleigh
City of Oakleigh
The City of Oakleigh was a Local Government Area located about southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1891 until 1994.-History:...
between 1981 and 1982, and for Queensland Centacare between 1982 and 1983. After moving to Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
in the mid-1980s, she was the Co-ordinator of a mobile resource service between 1984 and 1995 and she also taught child studies for TAFE between 1985 to 1992. At Maitland she developed one of the first mobile community outreach programs for that city.
Her interest in politics became evident in 1999, when she became a political advisor to Senator John Tierney
John Tierney (Australian politician)
Dr John Tierney , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate 1991 - 2005, representing the state of New South Wales....
but left in November 2001 to become a manager at a skin cancer centre in Lake Macquarie. At the clinic she developed and implemented a program to encourage women to take leadership positions within politics, particularly the Liberal party.
She is currently the Patron of Wesley Mission's Operation Hope.
Legislative Council
Parker was first touted as a Liberal candidate in 2000 However, she had to wait until 2002 to be pre-selected for the fifth position on the Liberal ticket, and was the seventh person elected on the combined Liberal/National ticket.In 2004 she spoke on the debate of the Criminal Procedure Amendment Sexual Offences Bill in the New South Wales Parliament. She supported the introduction of closed circuit television for victims to give their evidence in court as she had been a victim when she was nineteen in New Zealand. In the debate she pointed out the different standards that apply to rape victims compared to other victims of crime. She said that if "an assailant held you at knifepoint, asked you for your wallet and you complied, there is no question that a crime was committed. You would not be asked if you consented. You would not be asked if you had tried to resist. Only survivors of sexual assault are asked these questions." Following the disclosure, she was inundated with communications from victims who had also not disclosed their experiences saying that "I feel that at least I've been able to help effect some change."
Legislative Assembly
On 19 February 2010, Parker was pre-selected by the Liberal Party to contest the semi-marginal Lower HouseNew South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
seat of Maitland. At the 2011 election, Parker was elected with a swing of 20.3 per cent and won the seat with 56.3 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis. Her main competitor was the incumbent sitting member, Labor's Frank Terenzini
Frank Terenzini
Francesco Terenzini is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 until 2011, representing the electorate of Maitland. He was a lawyer and teacher before entering politics....
.
Personal life
Parker is married to David and has three children Dylan, Chelsea and Heath and two stepchildren Ben and Tim. Her husband stood for the seat of NewcastleElectoral district of Newcastle
Newcastle is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales named after and including Newcastle. It is represented by Tim Owen of the Liberal Party of Australia.-History:...
in the 2003 election
New South Wales state election, 2003
Elections to the 53rd Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 22 March 2003. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
. In 2009 it was revealed that Parker's eldest son, Dylan, then aged 22, makes and flies paper planes and he has become one of the world's best; whilst at the same time dealing with the sudden discovery of a brain tumour. His story was broadcast in an episode of the ABC TV
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
program Australian Story
Australian Story
Australian Story is a national weekly documentary series, produced and broadcast on ABC Television.Since 1996 Australian Story has featured many Australians from diverse backgrounds and reputations...
.
External links
- The Hon. Robyn Mary PARKER, MP - Parliament of New South WalesParliament of New South WalesThe Parliament of New South Wales, located in Parliament House on Macquarie Street, Sydney, is the main legislative body in the Australian state of New South Wales . It is a bicameral parliament elected by the people of the state in general elections. The parliament shares law making powers with...
.