Ann Sudmalis

Ann Elizabeth Sudmalis (born 16 September 1955) is an Australian politician. She has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Gilmore in New South Wales, since September 2013.^[1]

Early life and education

Sudmalis was born in Milton and trained as a science teacher.^[2]

Career

Political career

Sudmalis has served as a councillor on the Kiama Council and worked as an advisor to Joanna Gash, the Member for Gilmore between 1996 and 2013. At the 2007 New South Wales state election, Sudmalis contested the seat of Kiama, running against Labor incumbent, Matt Brown. She was defeated, gaining 38% of the two-party-preferred vote.^[3]

Following the January 2012 decision of Gash to retire from politics at the 2013 federal election;^[4] Sudmalis won Liberal pre-selection in April 2012;^[5] and was elected as Member for Gilmore with 52.65% of the two-party preferred vote.^[6]

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In November 2014 it was announced that the Australian government would be reducing the ABC budget by $254 million, in spite of a pre-election promise by Tony Abbott not to cut the ABC's funding.^[7] The ABC managing director, Mark Scott, later announced where the cuts would affect, one area of which was the ABC's Nowra office. Sudmalis released an open letter to Mark Scott declaring his decision "appalling", "deplorable" and that he was "taking the easy way out" by allowing the Nowra branch to be closed and not targeting more cuts to metropolitan areas, appearing to blame Mark Scott for the effect on her electorate.^[8]

References