Maree Therese Davenport (née Maree Therese Marley) is an Australian politician. She was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House, Melbourne, Parliament ...

from 1996 to 2002, representing

Waverley Province Waverley Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It existed as a two-member electorate from 1976 to 2006, with members holding alternating eight-year terms. It was a marginal seat for its entire existence, often changin ...

as Maree Therese Luckins.

Early life and education

Maree Therese Marley was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. Her parents are Patrick James and Therese Mary Hamilton Marley. Maree earned a Master of Leadership at

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974 with antecedent history since 1887, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia and a founding father of Australian Fede ...

Politics

Davenport joined the Noble Park Young

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

in 1986, and was active in the Young Liberals. Davenport was endorsed as the Liberal candidate for the seat of

Dandenong North Dandenong North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located 27 kilometers southeast of the Melbourne CBD, within the City of Greater Dandenong local government area. With a population of over 22,500 people according to the 2021 cens ...

in 1991 and gained a swing of over 8 per cent, but was unsuccessful by 19 votes. She was Ministerial Advisor to Minister for Industry and Employment and Deputy Leader of the Liberal party Phil Gude from 1992 until 1996 when she was elected to the

for

at the age of 28. She was the youngest woman elected in Victoria (with an 18-month-old son) and the first to give birth (eldest daughter), while serving as a Member of Parliament. From 1996 to 2002, she chaired the Liberal Party health policy committee and was later appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Human Services with responsibility for Health, Housing, Community Services and Aged Care. In addition, she was appointed to serve on the Consumer Affairs, Industry and Employment, Industrial Relations, Small Business, Multicultural Affairs and Women's Affairs Policy Committees and th
Victorian Parliament's Joint all-party Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee (SARC).
She also served as chair of the Redundant Legislation Committee and Deputy Chair of the Regulation Review Committee. She held the seat until

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, when she unsuccessfully attempted to transfer to the Legislative Assembly seat of

Narre Warren North Narre Warren North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 36 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Casey local government area. Narre Warren North recorded a population of 8,033 at the 2 ...

following a redistribution of Waverley Province. Davenport was the endorsed Liberal candidate in the seat of Mulgrave in 2018, standing against

Daniel Andrews Daniel Michael Andrews (born 6 July 1972) is an Australian former politician who served as the 48th premier of Victoria from 2014 to 2023. He held office as the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2010 and ...

, however, was unsuccessful, blaming ‘leadership turmoil in the Coalition Federal Government’.

Post-parliament

Davenport is company director of advocacy fir
Regs and Corporate Advisory Pty Ltd
also trading as Government/Gender and Corporate Advisory Network (was Phoenix Public Affairs) which she founded in 2004, specialising in peak bodies, consumer advocacy, NFP, housing, aged care, health, building and industry sectors. She is an accredited AMDRAS mediator and serves on th
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO)
Practitioner Panel. and is a member of the

Australian Institute of Company Directors The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is a non-profit membership organization for directors. The AICD is a founding member of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). History The origins of the AICD can be traced ba ...

Governance Institute of Australia Governance Institute of Australia, formerly Chartered Secretaries Australia, is an independent professional association for company secretaries, governance advisers and risk managers in Australia, committed to promoting sound practice in governan ...

, Mediation Institute, Resolution Institute, Victorian Women's Trust, Women on Boards, and the National Association of Women in Construction. Maree Davenport is the author of The Australian Guide to Living Well with Endometriosi
www.endoencompass.com
published b
Wiley
She was on the organising committee for the World Congress on Endometriosis https://www.worldendosociety.org/world-congress in Sydney in 2025 and chaired the Patient Liasion committee. She was a director, the
CEO of Endometriosis Australia
from 2023 to 2024. She is a Board Director o
St Vincent's Institute for Medical Research Foundation
an
Her Place Women's Museum Australia
and a member of

Chief Executive Women Chief Executive Women (CEW) is an Australian organisation that supports women entrepreneurs and those in leadership positions and those aspiring to be senior executives. It provides a network of women in these positions, as well as funding lead ...

. Davenport chaired the Minister for Planning's Building Advisory Council from 2013 to 2019. She served as a member of the Building Appeals Board at the Victorian Building Authority from 2010 to 2013. Since 2013 Maree Davenport is an Ambassador for AFL'
Carlton Football Club
and became Ambassador for the Housing Industry Associatio
Building Women
in 2024.

Personal life

She is married to Marcus Davenport, who is a partner and foundation director at

Clayton Utz Clayton Utz is an Australian law firm headquartered in Sydney. Established in 1833, it is a large-sized firm, known as one of the big six Australian law firms. The firm is recognised for its litigation practice, government clients, ''pro bono' ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davenport, Maree Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian politicians Women members of the Victorian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian women politicians