My Story

I love being Mayor of this special city. I was elected Lord Mayor of Hobart in 2018 – the third woman to hold the position in the City’s 168 year history. There are so many great things about Hobart and it is changing rapidly, which brings new challenges and opportunities.

I love being an advocate for the things that make Hobart special and working with communities across Hobart to deliver great local projects.

I grew up in Townsville and am proudly public school educated. I did a Degree majoring in Political Science at the Australian National University and then a Masters of Management at the University of Technology Sydney. Before I moved to Tasmania I worked and lived around Australia and internationally in a number of roles in public policy and advocacy, and in the management of teams and organisations. I’ve worked in local, national and international government agencies and community organisations. I was a Director with WWF International’s Global Climate Change Team, working with governments, scientists and community organisations worldwide. I also worked as a business consultant, advising companies on energy and emission reduction strategies.

One of my proudest achievements to date is when I established the Climate Action Network Australia in 1998, which led the major environment organisations to work together on climate change for the first time.

I moved to Tasmania in 2009 to live closer to my parents, Henry and Margaret, who are originally from Tasmania, and to bring up my two children in this peaceful, creative and welcoming city. I worked as International Advisor to Senator Bob Brown and then as CEO of the Multicultural Council of Tasmania. Now, I am so proud to be able to work with the community to create a city that is inclusive, future focused and economically thriving.