Meryl Jane Swanson (; born 3 September 1970) is an Australian politician and former radio presenter. She is a member of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

(ALP) and has represented the Division of Paterson in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

since the 2016 federal election.

Early life

Swanson was born on 3 September 1970 in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales. She grew up in nearby

Heddon Greta Heddon Greta is a suburb of the Cessnock LGA in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. At the , its population was 2,047. It lies mainly to the north of the Hunter Expressway The Hunter Expressway is a long controlled-access highw ...

. She holds the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Newcastle. After graduating she worked in broadcasting for several years, as a researcher, producer and reporter for NBN Television and as a presenter with

2KO 102.9 Triple M Newcastle (call sign: 2KKO) is an Australian radio station, licensed to, and serving Newcastle and surrounds. It broadcasts at 102.9 megahertz on the FM band from its studios in Newcastle. It is owned by Southern Cross Austereo ...

. She later worked as a business manager for the Hunter Region Organisation of Councils (1993–1996), as an electorate officer for

Joel Fitzgibbon Joel Andrew Fitzgibbon (born 16 January 1962) is a retired Australian politician. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2022, representing the New South Wales seat of Hunt ...

(1996–1997), and as executive director of Hunter Tourism (1997). After starting a family she operated a café for several years and then returned to radio with 2HD and

2NUR 2NUR is an Australian radio station, licensed to, and serving Newcastle and its surrounds. It is a community radio station, licensed to the University of Newcastle.About 2NUR. http://www.newcastle.edu.au/community-and-alumni/arts-and-culture/2n ...

Politics

Swanson was elected to parliament at the 2016 federal election, winning the seat for the Labor Party following the retirement of incumbent

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MP Bob Baldwin. She was assisted by a favourable redistribution prior to the election. She retained the seat at the 2019 election despite a five-point swing against the ALP. After the 2019 election, Swanson endorsed

for the leadership of the ALP, although he eventually decided not to stand. In August 2020 she was appointed Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence in

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parlia ...

's shadow ministry.

Political positions

Swanson is a member of the Labor Right faction. In March 2021 she "urged MPs ..to be careful about the way they talked about taking action on climate change, arguing that coal workers should not feel demonised as Australia transitions to a low-emissions future".

Personal life

Swanson has two daughters with her husband Nick and lives on a property in

Buchanan Buchanan may refer to: People * Buchanan (surname) Places Africa * Buchanan, Liberia, a large coastal town Antarctica * Buchanan Point, Laurie Island Australia * Buchanan, New South Wales * Buchanan, Northern Territory, a locality * Buchanan ...

. she was a co-owner and director of Swanridge Investments Pty Ltd, which sells horse rugs.

References

1970 births Living people Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Paterson Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Labor Right politicians Women members of the Australian House of Representatives 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians Australian radio presenters Australian women radio presenters University of Newcastle (Australia) alumni {{Australia-Labor-representative-stub