Assistant Minister for Social Services, Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence

Hon. Ged Kearney MP. is the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and the Federal Member for Cooper in the Albanese Labor Government.

She has served in the parliament since March 2018, when she was first elected in a by-election. Ged has previously served as the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health, and the Shadow Assistant Minister for Skills.

Before politics, Ged worked as a nurse for two decades until becoming the Federal Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation in the early 2000s. She later became the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) – the peak body of the Australian union movement. At the ACTU she led campaigns for better pay and conditions for workers; including the campaign for 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave.

From nursing to the union movement, to parliament, Ged’s life has centred around caring for others and fighting for progressive politics. She is a strong voice for social justice, workers’ rights, women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ protections, support for refugees, and environmental protections inside Labor and the Parliament.

Ged was the second youngest of nine children, born and raised in working-class Melbourne. Ged lived in Cooper for over 25 years, raising her family here. Ged has four children, two stepchildren and six adored grandchildren.