Caitlin Mary Collins (born 22 July 1988) is an Australian politician. She has been a

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

member of the

Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth. The Legisla ...

since the 2021 state election, representing Hillarys. Prior to her election, Collins taught politics and history at Scotch College, a private, all boys school in Swanbourne. Previously, she contested the 2017 state election in then-Premier

Colin Barnett Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is a former Australian politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He concurrently served as the state's Treasurer at several points during his tenure and had previously held various other po ...

's seat of Cottesloe. As the Member for Hillarys Collins has worked hard to deliver real outcomes for local residents. Her key priorities include upgrading local primary and secondary schools, protecting the character of the area, improving road safety and increasing access to public transport.

Personal life

Born in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, Scotland on 22 July 1988, Collins migrated to Australia, arriving in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in 1992 and then moving to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia in 1996. She graduated from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in 2010 with a BA, majoring in history, politics and international relations. She lives in Padbury with her partner Jack, and their dog Lenny.

Early career

Collins studied history, politics and international relations at Notre Dame in Fremantle then pursued a teaching qualification in order to share her passion for civics. She has taught extensively in India, Colombia and Vietnam and completed a parliamentary internship in Ireland. Her experiences abroad instilled a recognition of the transformative power of education and imparted a deep appreciation of Australian democracy. In her inaugural speech, she raised the issues of climate action, youth mental health and the power of education.

Political career

Collins was endorsed as Labor candidate for the seat of Hillarys in July 2020. In her election campaigns, she received mentoring from New South Wales politician,

Rose Jackson Rose Butler Jackson is an Australian Labor Party politician serving as a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 8 May 2019. She is a former Secretary of the New South Wales Labor Left faction and the former Assistant General Sec ...

, through

EMILY's List Australia EMILY's List Australia is a political network in Australia that supports progressive Labor Party (ALP) women candidates seeking election to political office. Founded in 1996, EMILY's List Australia was inspired by EMILY's List, a political ac ...

. At the 2021 election Collins gained one of the largest swings in the entire state, 19.3% as was elected as the first Labor Member to Hillarys since Pamela Beggs held the predecessor seat of Whitfords from 1983-1993. Collins is the 100th woman elected to the Western Australian Parliament being sworn in 100 years after the election of

Edith Cowan Edith Dircksey Cowan (' Brown; 2 August 18619 June 1932) was an Australian social reformer who worked for the rights and welfare of women and children. She is best known as the first Australian woman to serve as a member of parliament. Cowan h ...

, the first woman elected to any Parliament in Australia.

Parliamentary appointments

Collins was appointed as a member of the Education and Health Standing Committee from 12 May 2021 and as an Acting Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 11 May 2022.

Election Results

2021 State Election

2017 State Election

References

Living people 1988 births Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Women members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians {{Australia-Labor-WesternAustralia-MP-stub People from Aberdeen University of Notre Dame Australia alumni