Jill grew up in the northern NSW town of Mackville and was educated at Mackville High School. She graduated from Newcastle University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and undertook additional studies in social science at the University of New England. Before entering the NSW Parliament, she worked with people with disabilities as a rehabilitation counsellor with the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service.
Jill was also a casual lecturer in rehabilitation counselling at the University of Newcastle. She has also worked as an employment officer and employment counsellor at the Commonwealth Employment service in Newcastle. Jill was a Member of the NSW Parliament, representing the seat of Swansea from 1995 to 1998.
She was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Shortland in 1998. She is on the House of Representatives Family and Community Affairs committee and chairs the Government Service Delivery Caucus Committee. She is also on the Social Policy and Community Development Caucus committee and was on the joint-select committee for the Republic Referendum.
Electorate Profile
Shortland
State:
NSW
Name Derivation:
Named after Naval Lieutenant John Shortland (1769 – 1810) who discovered coal near Shortland.
Area and Location Description:
Shortland covers an area of approximately 205 sq km from Highfields and Kotara South in the north to Budgewoi and Lake Haven in the south and is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean and on the west by the Newcastle bypass, Hillsborough Road, King Street, the eastern shoreline of Lake Macquarie, Wyee Road, the Pacific Highway, Wallarah Rd, the southern shoreline of Budgewoi Lake, the Budgewoi/ Toukley locality boundary, Budgewoi Road and Werepi Street. The main suburbs include Belmont, Budgewoi, Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Chain Valley Bay, Charlestown, Dudley, Eleebana, Floraville, Gateshead, Gwandalan, Halekulani, Highfields, Jewells, Kahibah, Kotara South, Lake Haven, Lake Munmorah, Mannering Park, Nords Wharf, Redhead, San Remo, Summerland Point, Swansea, Tingira Heights, Valentine, Whitebridge, Windale and parts of Doyalson, Gorokan, Hillsborough and Warners Bay.
Products/Industries of the Area:
Coal mining, tourism, fishing, power stations, building industry and poultry farming.
First Proclaimed/Election:
1949
Demographic Rating:
Provincial
Members:
- Hall, J (ALP) 1998-
- Morris, P (ALP) 1972-1998
- Griffiths, C E (ALP) 1949-1972