About Sharon

Sharon was first elected in 2001 - the first woman to represent the federal seat of Newcastle - and was re-elected in 2004 and 2007.

Sharon graduated from Newcastle Girls High School and Newcastle Teachers College and served as a teacher and Principal in the Hunter region. In her professional career she completed extensive management and financial training and studied Arts and Law.

She was a board director of the Honeysuckle Development Corporation for four years and a member of the management committee of the Tinonee Multicultural Village for Aged Care.

As the Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon has applied her skills and experience to complement the work of the parliament and promote the interests of Newcastle.

Sharon is Chair of Parliament’s powerful Joint Committee of Public Accounts & Audit and is a Member of the Joint Committee on Corporations & Financial Services and the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade. As the co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Dementia, Sharon works in a bipartisan way to promote to her colleagues the needs of people living with dementia.

Understanding that Newcastle’s continuing challenge is to build a sustainable and diverse economy, Sharon believes that linking our strong industrial foundation in transport, mining, engineering and manufacturing to new endeavours such as our tourism and leisure industry, creative arts, defence technology, medical research, and the CSIRO energy centre, represents the way to a prosperous future.

Building relationships and networks to advance these opportunities for Newcastle is always a focus for her activities.

Each year since being elected, Sharon has presented a Leadership Prize to all Newcastle schools and has sponsored an Education Scholarship of $250 to one TAFE and one University student to assist them with purchase of textbooks. Sharon also supports the annual National Tree Day, donating trees for planting at sites in Newcastle.