Kate Thwaites

Kate Lynne Thwaites^[1] (born 19 January 1980) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election, representing the Division of Jagajaga in Victoria. She was a journalist and public servant before entering parliament.

Thwaites was born in Melbourne on 19 January 1980.^[2] Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a schoolteacher.^[3]

Thwaites grew up in the suburb of Rosanna.^[4] She holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of International Development from RMIT University.^[2]

In 2002, Thwaites began working at 2CUZ, an Indigenous community radio station in Bourke, New South Wales.^[3] She later worked for ABC News until 2008, when she joined Oxfam Australia as a media adviser.^[2] She later worked as a senior adviser to Labor MP Jenny Macklin and as communications director at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.^[5][6] She also worked with the National Disability Insurance Agency in Geelong.^[2]

In July 2018, Thwaites won Labor preselection for the Division of Jagajaga, following Macklin's retirement. According to The Guardian, her victory was "almost a direct result of Josh Burns' win in Macnamara, with the Labor left concerned about its female representation".^[7] She retained Jagajaga for the ALP at the 2019 federal election with a small positive swing.^[5] Thwaites was returned as the member for Jagajaga at the 2022 Federal Election with an increased margin of over 62% of the two party preferred vote.^[8]

In 2021, Thwaites co-authored a book, Enough Is Enough, with her predecessor Jagajaga member, Jenny Macklin.^[9]

In April 2023, Thwaites co-signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling for an urgent boost to JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, and other support payments.^[10] In the same month she joined others advocating for an expansion of the single parenting payment to include more mothers.^[11]

In July 2024 she was appointed Assistant Minister for Ageing, for Social Security and for Women.

Thwaites has two young children.^[12] She has a residential property in Rosanna in Victoria and in Kingston in ACT.^[13] She has an investment property in Collingwood.^[13]

She is a member of the Community and Public Sector Union and is a member of Emily's List.^[13]