I was born and raised in this area, one of seven children. I went to school here before studying medicine at the University of Melbourne, then undertaking paediatric training in Melbourne and Sydney. I trained as a paediatric neurologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, the #1 paediatric hospital in the world.
Before standing as your Independent candidate in Kooyong, I was Director of the Neurology Department at the Royal Children’s Hospital for 8 years. I ran a department of more than 40 people, had a busy clinical practice, and was also head of a research team involved in clinical trials of new treatments for nerve and muscle disorders of childhood. I had professorial appointments at Melbourne and Monash Universities, and I have extensive experience in the development and licensing of new medications.
My husband and I have raised our children in Kooyong. I can think of no better place to raise a family: that’s why we chose to do so in Hawthorn.
I’ve only recently become a politician. I felt compelled to do so because I’d experienced years of increasing concern about the effects of climate change and our government’s inactivity on this front. I was worried that my children might not have the opportunities I’ve had because our environment and economy might be blighted by the effect of human-induced climate change. I felt that I could no longer look away from the incipient disasters of rising sea levels, warming of the land, and species extinction. I was also concerned about the loss of integrity and transparency in our government, and about persisting gender inequity.
As the Member for Kooyong, I’m committed to responsible economic policy with foresight and long-term planning, to integrity and honesty in politics, true equality, and safety for women and girls, to working for social cohesiveness with an end to the politics of division, and to world-standard health and aged care for all Australians.