Shelley Hancock
| The Honourable Shelley Hancock MP | |
|---|---|
| 31st Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 May 2011 | |
| Premier | Barry O'Farrell |
| Preceded by | Richard Torbay |
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for South Coast | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 22 March 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Wayne Smith |
| Majority | (2011) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 January 1951 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Ossie |
| Children | 3 |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Teacher |
| Website | Parliamentary webpage |
Shelley Elizabeth Hancock MP (born 14 November 1951) is an Australian politician who has been Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since the 2011 state election. Hancock has been a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly seat of South Coast since 2003. Hancock is the first female speaker in New South Wales state history.
Early years and background
Hancock grew up in Chatswood and attended Chatswood and Artarmon Primary Schools and North Sydney Girls High School. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney. She was a former joint owner of the H Ranch at Milton and was a School teacher at Ulladulla High School for 26 years. Hancock is married to Ossie and they have three children.[1]
Hancock served on Shoalhaven City Council for 16 years, serving on a number of Council committees. Hancock was also elected Deputy Mayor from September 2000 to September 2001.[2]
Political career
Hancock has represented South Coast for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2003.[3] She was the only Liberal candidate to win a seat from the governing Labor Party at the 2003 state election.
Prior to the 2007 election, local and metropolitan journalists received phone calls encouraging them to print false allegations that Hancock and her husband had been involved in the making of pornographic films.[4] The source of the phone contact was revealed to be a staff member of the Labor Party candidate Michelle Miran, an employee of the New South Wales Department of State and Regional Development.[5] The same reports suggested that Labor had unsuccessfully tried to publish the same allegations at the 1991, 1995 and 2003 elections as well.
At the 2011 general election, Hancock was re-elected to the South Coast with a swing of 11.2 per cent and won the seat with 70.4 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis.[6] Her main opponent was Glenn Sims, representing Labor. Subsequent to the election, on 3 May 2011, Hancock was appointed Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.[3][7][8]
Notes
- ↑ "Hancock, Shelley (1951 - )". Australian Women. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ↑ "Former Councillor Shelley Hancock". History with Council. Shoalhaven City Council. 1999. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Mrs Shelley Elizabeth Hancock, BA, DipEd MP". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
- ↑ Benson, Simon; Sikora, Kate (23 March 2007). "Labor porn film smear". The Daily Telegraph (News Limited). Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ↑ "The Poll Bludger blog - South Coast 2007". Crikey.com. Private Media Pty Limited. 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ↑ Green, Antony (5 April 2011). "South Coast". NSW Votes 2011 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ↑ Humphries, David (4 May 2011). "Ritual abounds but little hubris - and even WC is missing". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ↑ "Female speaker makes NSW history". 702 ABC Sydney (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 30 March 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
| New South Wales Legislative Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Wayne Smith |
Member for South Coast 2003–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Richard Torbay |
Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 2011 – present |
Incumbent |
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