Melanie Gibbons

Melanie Rhonda Gibbons (born 18 September 1978), an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Holsworthy for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2015, and Menai from 2011 to 2015.

Early years and background

Gibbons was born and raised in Woronora in the Sutherland Shire and worked as a real estate agent before becoming a development manager for Technical Aid to the Disabled.^[1] She also formerly worked for various state and federal politicians.^[2]

Political career

Elected to the Sutherland Shire Council in 2004 as an independent candidate, Gibbons was, at one stage, deputy mayor.^[3]

Having previously sought endorsement in 2007, Gibbons was endorsed as a candidate for the Liberal Party in 2010. At the March 2011 elections, Gibbons was elected and received a swing of 27.1 points, winning 74.4 per cent of the two-party vote. She won 61 percent of the primary vote, enough to win the seat without the need for preferences.^[4] Alison Megarrity, the incumbent Labor member, did not seek re-election. Gibbons' main competitor was Peter Scaysbrook. Menai was among the first seats claimed as won by the Coalition on election night; according to Gibbons, it was the very first seat the Coalition took off Labor in its landslide victory.^[5]

For the 2015 NSW Election, the New South Wales Electoral Commission undertook the process of redistributing electoral boundaries. In this process, Gibbons' seat of Menai was abolished, and replaced with the redrawn seat of Holsworthy, encompassing more of the City of Liverpool than previously. Gibbons won the new seat with a reduced margin of 10.7%, despite a 3.4% swing to Labor.^[6]

When first elected in 2011, Melanie served as a Temporary Speaker in the Legislative Assembly. After the 2015 election, in addition to her Temporary Speaker position, Melanie also was appointed the Chair of the Committee for Children and Young People and as the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the Office of the Valuer-General.^[7]

In 2017, Melanie was appointed the Deputy Government Whip in the Legislative Assembly, working alongside the Government Whip. She continued to serve as the Chair of the Committee for Children and Young People.

Melanie has been a strong campaigner for disability services, youth, community services and emergency services within the Sutherland Shire and Liverpool City Council. Additionally, Melanie has been an opponent to development proposals that will have a negative impact of the Liverpool region, such as the federally proposed Moorebank Intermodal.

References