Catherine King was first elected to Federal Parliament in 2001 to represent the electorate of Ballarat and was re-elected as member at subsequent Federal Elections in 2004, 2007 and 2010.
Ms King was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the portfolios of Health and Ageing and Infrastructure and Transport in the Gillard Government following the 2010 election. As such she held responsibility in the Health portfolio for such areas as the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Food Standards Australia New Zealand and the Organ and Tissue Authority and in the Transport portfolio for national road safety policy and regional aviation.
On March 25, 2013, Ms King was elevated to the roles of Minister for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories and Minister for Road Safety in the Gillard Government.
She holds a Degree in Social Work and a Masters in Public Policy from the Australian National University. Catherine worked in the social welfare sector in Ballarat and later in the public sector as an assistant director for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and then as a director. Prior to entering Parliament she was a senior manager at KPMG Consulting in
Melbourne.
Catherine has a strong commitment to equality of access for all Australians to vital services such as health care and education; quality care and amenities for older people and high standard, affordable childcare. She is passionate about the development of regional Australia, including the provision of services and infrastructure, the creation and retention of job opportunitiesand the delivery of training for local people.
Catherine is married and has one son. She enjoys spending time with family, cooking and a good book.
Parliamentary service
Elected to the House of Representatives for Ballarat, Victoria, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010.
Ministerial appointments
Minister for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories from 25.3.13
Minister for Road Safety from 25.3.13
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing from 14.9.10 to 25.3.13
Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport from 14.9.10 to 25.3.13
Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Australia in Victoria
Committee service
House of Representatives Standing: Health and Ageing from 2.12.04 to 19.7.10;
Chair Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government from 19.2.08 to 19.7.10.
Joint Statutory: Public Accounts and Audit from 20.3.02 to 19.7.10.
Conferences, delegations and Visits
Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Indonesia, June 2005.
Qualifications
Masters of Arts (Public Policy) - Australian National University
Bachelor of Arts (Social Work) - Philip Institute of Technology
Honours
Victorian Young Achiever of the Year (Community Service) – 1991