Jacinta Collins

Jacinta Mary Ann Collins (born 4 September 1962), is an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate. She served from May 1995 to 2005, and again from May 2008, representing the state of Victoria.

Collins was the Deputy Leader of Government and was Manager of Government Business in the Senate before the defeat of the Rudd Government in September 2013, and was the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing in the Second Rudd Ministry.

Background and early career

Born in Melbourne, Victoria, and educated at Monash University and La Trobe University. Before entering Parliament, Collins was a social worker and union official and held several positions with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA), including as National Industrial Officer for five years.^[1]

Political career

Jacinta Collins was first elected to the Australian Parliament, as a Senator for Victoria, in 1995.

Collins was appointed to the Senate to fill a casual vacancy caused by the death of Senator Olive Zakharov. At the time, Collins was the only Victorian female Labor representative.

From October 1998 to November 2001 Collins was Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment, Training and Population.

In 2003 Senator Collins was made the Shadow Minister for Children and Youth.

Senator Collins lost office at the 2004 election, losing her seat to Steve Fielding of the Family First party. In 2006 she was preselected for the number one spot on the Labor ticket in Victoria for the 2007 federal election, replacing Senator Robert Ray, who did not contest the election.

She was elected, and her term was due to start on 1 July 2008 when Ray's term expired, but he resigned on 5 May 2008 and Collins was appointed to the casual vacancy and sworn into the Senate later that month.^[1]

Senator Collins was promoted to the Second Gillard Ministry as the Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations on 14 September 2010. In March 2012 she was appointed Manager of Government Business in the Senate following the retirement of Senator Mark Arbib.^[1]

On 26 June 2013, following the return of Rudd as leader, Senator Collins was elected Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate by her parliamentary colleagues. She replaced Senator Penny Wong, who was elevated to Senate leader.

In Parliament, Senator Collins has been active on many Senate Committees, including:

• Chair of the Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education References Committee;
• Chair of the Economics References Committee;
• Deputy Chair of the Privileges Committee;
• Member of the Finance and Public Administration Committee.

References

v t e Second Rudd Cabinet Prime Minister: Kevin Rudd Anthony Albanese Chris Bowen Tony Burke Mark Butler Bob Carr Kim Carr Jacinta Collins Julie Collins Mark Dreyfus Joel Fitzgibbon Gary Gray Catherine King Jenny Macklin Richard Marles Brendan O'Connor Tanya Plibersek Bill Shorten Stephen Smith Penny Wong