AR
Amanda Rishworth
Australia
Minister of Social Services
Biography
Amanda Rishworth was elected to the federal parliament as the Member for Kingston in Adelaide’s southern suburbs in 2007. Prior to becoming Minister for Social Services in 2022, she served as a parliamentary secretary in the Gillard Government in the areas of disabilities, carers, environment and water. In opposition, Amanda served as Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel and Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth.
Her diverse portfolio encompasses issues such as women’s safety, social security, delivering Australia’s first Early Years’ Strategy for children, improving the lives of Australians living with disability, and tackling the harm caused by online wagering.
As Minister, Amanda oversaw the release of Australia’s National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children in 2022, which provides a blueprint for the next ten years to end gender-based violence. She jointly led the introduction of paid domestic violence leave and introduced historic changes to Australia’s Paid Parental Leave scheme to support women’s economic security by expanding the scheme to a full six months and introducing more flexibility to encourage more shared parenting. Amanda also expanded access to social security payments for single parents, which are overwhelmingly women, to help them balance caring and work.
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