Julie Maree Collins (born 3 July 1971) is an Australian politician. 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 t ...

(ALP) and has represented the Tasmanian seat of Franklin since the

2007 federal election This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not ...

. She held ministerial positions in the Gillard and

Rudd Government Rudd Government may refer to the following Australian governments: * Rudd government (2007–10) Rudd Government may refer to the following Australian governments: * Rudd government (2007–10) * Rudd government (2013) {{Dab ... * Rudd gov ...

s, and is Minister for Housing and Homelessness and Minister for Small Business in the Albanese ministry.

Early life

Collins was born in Hobart on 3 July 1971. Her father died when she was five months old, leaving her mother, Anne Peters, widowed at the age of 19. She spent her early years in her grandparents' housing commission property. Her mother subsequently remarried and she was adopted by her step-father Andrew Collins. Collins attended

Cosgrove High School Cosgrove High School is a government co-educational comprehensive junior secondary school located in , a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1951 and named in honour of Sir Robert Cosgrove, the school caters for approximatel ...

. She enrolled in a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

to complete the final two years of her secondary education, but had to discontinue her studies for financial reasons. Shortly after the 1987 federal election she began working for the ALP as an administrative assistant. She holds a

certificate IV The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Government's Department of Industry, with oversight from the States and Territo ...

in business administration. In 2021, Collins was identified as one of only four federal MPs who did not graduate from high school, the others being

Jacqui Lambie Jacquiline Louise Lambie (born 26 February 1971) is an Australian politician who is the leader and founder of the Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN). She is a Senator for Tasmania since 2019, and was previously a Senator from 2014 to 2017. Lambie, an ...

Llew O'Brien Llewellyn Stephen O'Brien (born 26 June 1972) is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2016 federal election, representing the Division of Wide Bay. He was deputy speaker of the House from Fe ...

and Terry Young.

Politics

Prior to entering parliament herself, Collins worked in various administrative positions for Tasmanian Labor MPs and state government departments. She worked for the state health department (1990–1993), state opposition leader Michael Field (1993–1994), Senator John Coates (1995–1996), Senator Sue Mackay (1996–1998),

Hydro Tasmania Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC) or The Hydro, is the trading name of the Hydro-Electric Corporation, a Tasmanian Government business enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator i ...

(1998), state premier Jim Bacon (1998–2003), the state Department of Tourism, Parks, Heritage and the Arts (2003–2005), and Senator Carol Brown (2005–2006). Collins was state president of

Young Labor Australian Young Labor, also known as the Young Labor Movement or simply Young Labor, is the youth wing of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) representing all ALP members aged between 15 to 26. The organisation operates as a federation with independen ...

in 1996 and a delegate to state and national conference. She served as state secretary of the ALP from 2006 to 2007. Collins is a member of

Labor Left The Labor Left, also known as the Progressive Left or Socialist Left, is political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It competes with the more economically liberal Labor Right faction. The Labor Left operates autonomously in each s ...

Parliamentary career

Before her election as Member for Franklin in 2007, Collins previously unsuccessfully stood for the seat of Denison in the 2006 state election. She successfully held her seat in the 2010 federal election and was sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services on 14 September 2010 in the First Gillard ministry. In 2011, Collins became Minister for Community Services, Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development, and Minister for the Status of Women in the Second Gillard ministry. In 2013, Collins gained additional responsibilities as the Minister for Housing and Homelessness and was promoted to the cabinet in the Second Rudd ministry. She remained in these positions until the defeat of the

in September 2013. Following the 2022 federal election, Collins was appointed Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Small Business in the Albanese ministry.

Personal life

Collins has three children with her husband Ian Hubbard.

References

External links