About Mary

I am a wife, a mother, a businesswoman, a community activist and the Member for Doncaster.

Born and bred in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs as the youngest of four children, I have long held a passion to improve the opportunities and way of life for people in my community.

Interest in politics has been a family affair, with my brother, Michael, serving as Australia’s Health Minister in the federal parliament.

I grew up watching my parents work hard to build a profitable business and raise a family – experiences that shown me how persistence and drive will ultimately achieve success.

This helped me graduate from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours, before I went on to study an MBA at Harvard University.

Employment with consultants McKinsey & Company and major Australian media organisation, Publishing & Broadcasting Limited (PBL), has meant I have worked with some of the world’s leading companies, and learnt skills to manage a business effectively.

I also worked as a Senior Adviser to the Australian Government. As part of my work in the small business policy area, I advocated for and achieved increased Government funding for COMET, a program which supports small innovative businesses to grow through business mentoring and seed funding.

Most recently I was the Chief Executive Officer of The Foundation for Young Australians – an organisation committed to the pursuit of leadership and redressing disadvantage for young people.  During my time at FYA, we introduced innovative changes to the organisation so that it is led by young people, including the appointment of young people as decision makers on the Board and all committees.

Community participation and volunteering have long been important parts of my life.  An interest in women’s health and a commitment to achieve better health care for women meant I became involved with the Breast Cancer Network Australia, a cause I’m still supportive of and involved in. I also serve on the Board of the Otis Foundation, a network of rural retreats for women with breast cancer.

It was through this involvement that I met my husband, Andrew, who is a doctor at Box Hill Hospital and the founder of the Otis Foundation.  Married since 2003, we have a son, Jamison, who keeps us busy and reminds me of why I want to improve the way of life for people in my community.

As the Member for Doncaster I seek to deliver positive results that improve the lives and futures of the people of Doncaster and the people of Victoria.