Melinda Pavey

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Melinda Jane Pavey (née Shaw) is an Australian politician. She has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2002, representing the National Party of Australia. A former party staffer, the Coffs Harbour businesswoman attracted attention when she became the party's youngest New South Wales MP at the age of 33. This also marked an apparent attempt to shift the image of the party, as Pavey's "beach girl" image was markedly different from the common perceptions of the National Party.

Pavey initially worked as a radio journalist with 2UW in Sydney, but soon became involved in the National Party, and in 1988 took up a position as a media officer for Matt Singleton, the then-Minister for Administrative Services. Over the next decade, she worked for a number of MPs, including Deputy Premier Wal Murray (1990-1993), Minister for Consumer Affairs Wendy Machin (1993-1994) and National Party leader Ian Armstrong (1994-1997).

In 1997, having recently married, Pavey and her husband moved to Coffs Harbour, where they operated a cafe for some years. She had her first child, Jack (named for former federal party leader John "Black Jack" McEwen) in 1999, and soon sold the cafe, buying a local bookstore instead. While not actively employed by the party, she remained politically involved and was a member of the party's central council.

Pavey did not attempt to enter politics herself until July 2002, when long-serving Legislative Council member Doug Moppett died suddenly. In the subsequent weeks, Pavey announced her intention to nominate for the resulting casual vacancy. At the time, the party was recovering from a significant defeat at the 2001 election, and the party was keen to look for younger and more appealing candidates. Despite being nine months pregnant at the time, Pavey was ultimately successful in obtaining preselection, and was sworn in as an MLC in September 2002, three weeks after the birth of her daughter, Emily.

Pavey has been a reasonably high-profile member of parliament, frequently being chosen to attack the government on key accountability issues. She has dedicated much of her time to advocating for the people of the Queanbeyan region, in her role as the National Party's duty member for the Labor-held Legislative Assembly electorate of Monaro. She has also served on the Parliamentary Committee on Children and Young People since 2003.

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