Louise's Story:

I have called Western Sydney and the Hawkesbury region home for over 27 years. I was born in Epping and my Dad ran a family business as a Stone Mason. He sadly passed away when I was sixteen and my Mother rose to the challenge magnificently, working to see my sister and I complete our education.

Working to get an education

I started my first job packing at Woolworths when I was fifteen. After completing my HSC I went on to study a bachelor degree in social work and during this time I worked in the shoe department of David Jones to help pay my way through university. After graduating from university I commenced my first full time job as a Social Worker at Social Security, now known as Centrelink. Subsequently I worked as a TAFE teacher, a couple and family counsellor and before entering federal Parliament I was a Senior Social Worker for the Dept of Social Security and managed a Family Counselling and Medical Centre at Wesley Mission.

Raising our family

My husband Jim and I were married at Kurrajong in 1988 and lived in Kurrajong for the first years of our married life. We moved to Bligh Park where we bought our first home and had our children Joshua and Hannah. Family is extremely important to us and we work hard to ensure we spend quality time together. We moved to Riverstone several years ago to be closer to where the children go to school.

A broad life experience

As a wife and a mother and having been married for over 19 years, I personally understand the challenges we all face as women (and men) balancing work and family life. In addition, having worked a Social Worker and counsellor with families, individuals and communities, I feel I have a special insight to the difficulties faced by many people within our local community. My work involved helping people take responsibility and find practical solutions to the difficult situations they faced. I have led teams of professionals, volunteered my time in community based organisations, managed a family counselling and medical centre, taught at TAFE and ran my own private practice.

This broad life experience gives me the capacity to do the job of a good local member and, having lived here for so long, I can understand and relate to what is important to the people of the region.

Outside of Parliament, my interests are reading, swimming, and spending time with family and friends, and I am a supporter of the Wests Tigers NRL team.

Working for the future

As a hard working local member I am determined to secure even more funding for local projects that deliver real practical results. Protecting and securing our life style in the region is my priority. I will continue to deliver programmes that provide our young people with opportunities to build for the future.

It is an honour to serve as the Federal Member for Greenway and I will continue to represent what is in the best interest of our community. This has been my second term in office since I was elected to the House of Representatives for Greenway in 2004 and 2007 and it is a pleasure to represent your views in the House.

The electorate of Greenway is extremely diverse encompassing the Hawkesbury region to the north, St Albans and the Hawkesbury River, the M7 to the south and Richmond, Kurrajong and the Grose River to the West. I always welcome the opportunity to attend meetings and events in the electorate, so if you have something coming up in your community group, organisation or business please contact me and I will do my best to attend.

Services and Contact Information

As your Federal Member there are various services my office can provide including:

Congratulatory Messages; Flags; JP Service; Australian Veteran Certificate of Appreciation; Order of Australia Nomination Forms and other useful guides.

You may contact my office by phone, fax, letter or in person:
Shop 24, Riverview Shopping Centre,
227 George Street, Windsor NSW 2756, or PO Box 855, Windsor NSW 2756
Phone: (02) 4577 2631
Fax: (02) 4577 2640