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Kate Lynne Thwaites (born 19 January 1980) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election, representing the Division of Jagajaga in Victoria. She was a journalist and public servant before entering parliament.

Early life

Thwaites was born in Melbourne on 19 January 1980. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a schoolteacher.

Thwaites grew up in the suburb of Rosanna. She holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of International Development from RMIT University.

Career

In 2002, Thwaites began working at 2CUZ, an Indigenous community radio station in Bourke, New South Wales. She later worked for ABC News until 2008, when she joined Oxfam Australia as a media adviser. She later worked as a senior adviser to Labor MP Jenny Macklin and as communications director at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. She also worked with the National Disability Insurance Agency in Geelong.

Politics

In July 2018, Thwaites won Labor preselection for the Division of Jagajaga, following Macklin's retirement. According to The Guardian, her victory was "almost a direct result of Josh Burns' win in Macnamara, with the Labor left concerned about its female representation". She retained Jagajaga for the ALP at the 2019 federal election with a small positive swing. Thwaites was returned as the member for Jagajaga at the 2022 Federal Election with an increased margin of over 62% of the two party preferred vote.

In 2021, Thwaites co-authored a book, Enough Is Enough, with her predecessor Jagajaga member, Jenny Macklin.

In April 2023, Thwaites co-signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling for an urgent boost to JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, and other support payments. In the same month she joined others advocating for an expansion of the single parenting payment to include more mothers.

In July 2024 she was appointed Assistant Minister for Ageing, for Social Security and for Women.

Personal life

Thwaites has two young children. She has a residential property in Rosanna in Victoria and in Kingston in ACT. She has an investment property in Collingwood.

She is a member of the Community and Public Sector Union and is a member of Emily's List.

References

1. "Qualification checklist" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
2. ^ "Ms Kate Thwaites MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
3. ^ "First speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
4. "Kate Thwaites". Australian Labor Party. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
5. ^ "Jagajaga". ABC News. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
6. "Jagajaga". The Poll Bludger. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
7. "Victorian Labor senator's dumping could have ramifications in Queensland". The Guardian Australia. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
8. "Jagajaga - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
9. Thwaites, Kate (30 November 2021). "'Today must mark the end of impunity in this place': Kate Thwaites MP appeals for the government to #SettheStandard". Women's Agenda. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
10. "Labor backbenchers agitate for JobSeeker increase ahead of federal budget". ABC News. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
11. "Labor MP joins calls for expansion of single parenting payment to more mothers". ABC News. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
12. "About Kate". Kate Thwaites MP. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
13. ^ "The private interests of Kate Thwaites MP". openpolitics.au. Retrieved 9 May 2024.

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Assistant Ministers	Tim Ayres Anthony Chisholm Justine Elliot Patrick Gorman Julian Hill Ged Kearney Andrew Leigh Emma McBride Matt Thistlethwaite Kate Thwaites Tim Watts Josh Wilson
Resigned	Carol Brown Linda Burney Brendan O'Connor

• 1980 births
• Australian journalists
• Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
• Labor Left politicians
• Living people
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Jagajaga
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives
• RMIT University alumni
• Women members of the Australian House of Representatives