The son of Italian immigrants, Raff grew up in Melbourne’s south-east. Raff’s father was a machinist and his mother a seamstress. They believed that with hard work and dedication Australia was the best place to raise a family. His parents worked hard to give Raff and his brother the very best opportunities in life.

Driven by his parents’ example, Raff started his working career as a teenager at the local dry cleaners. Raff believes quality education and the opportunity of a decent job with fair pay and conditions is the right of all Australians. He joined the ALP in 2000, inspired by former Premier Steve Bracks’ campaign to roll back Liberal cuts made in education and health and to reverse the impacts of industrial relations reforms that hurt workers.

After graduating, he initially worked in financial planning but his real passion lay with making a meaningful difference for working people. He went to work in the labour movement at the SDA Union where he was a tireless advocate for improving the pay and conditions of retail, fast food and warehousing workers. It was this work that led Raff to becoming an adviser to Senator the Hon. Jacinta Collins, primarily working in workplace relations policy.

Access to the highest quality healthcare for every Australian and the importance of preventative healthcare led Raff to volunteer on the board of his local community health organisation, Link Health and Community. A staunch defender of Medicare, he understands just how important an accessible health care system is for every Australian.

Raff became the 100th Senator to represent the people of Victoria in the Australian Parliament on 6 March 2019. He holds a number of parliamentary roles focused on defence, foreign affairs, national security and agriculture. Raff has been a member of the ALP’s national executive since 2020.

Only Labor will deliver a fair go for Australia. That is why Raff has dedicated his adult life to supporting working Australians.