Member for Fremantle
Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health, Homelessness and Social Housing
Melissa grew up in country Western Australia on an apple orchard. She attended Bunbury High School and later graduated with a Bachelor of Business from Curtin University, a Bachelor of Laws at the University of NSW, and a Master of Laws in Public International Law at Murdoch University.
Before entering politics she worked in a private practice in Sydney and then as the Solicitor-In-Charge at the Bunbury Community Legal Centre.
Melissa was inspired to join the Labor party by her family who owned an orchard farm near Donnybrook in Western Australia. Her family instilled in her a passion for social justice, and the environment, and she made it her mission to see Fremantle become recognised as a leader in urban sustainability, and in climate change awareness and action.
“Once upon a time, if you were not an environmentalist, it might have been said that you did not have a heart. Today, if you are still not an environmentalist, it must be said that you do not have a brain.”
Melissa has also worked for the United Nations all over the world, an experience that cemented her passion for the Labor values she continues to fight for today; social justice, economic opportunity and environmental conservation.
Melissa was elected to Federal Parliament as member for Fremantle in 2007. In 2013, she was sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health, Homelessness and Social Housing.