Lisa Loraine Baker (born 26 August 1958) is an Australian politician who has been a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

since 2008, representing the seat of Maylands. Baker was born in

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 i ...

. She attended Perth College, Mercedes College, and Governor Stirling Senior High School at various points, and then went on to the Western Australian Institute of Technology (now Curtin University), graduating with an initial degree in psychology and then a graduate diploma in

development studies Development studies is an interdisciplinary branch of social science. Development studies is offered as a specialized master's degree in a number of reputed universities around the world. It has grown in popularity as a subject of study since the e ...

. During the 1990s, Baker was employed by the

National Native Title Tribunal The National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT) is an independent body established under the ''Native Title Act 1993'' in Australia as a special measure for the advancement and protection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Indigenous Aus ...

as director of its business services division. In 2002, she became the CEO of the Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS), a

peak organisation A peak organisation or peak body is an Australian term for an advocacy group or trade association, an association of industries or groups with allied interests. They are generally established for the purposes of developing standards and processes ...

for the social services sector in Western Australia.Lisa Loraine Baker
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2016. From 1998 to 2001, Baker also served on the Mundaring Shire Council. In 2008, she was preselected as the Labor candidate for Maylands, a safe seat. She subsequently entered parliament at the 2008 state election, replacing the retiring

Judy Edwards Judith Mary Edwards (born 10 April 1955) in Beverley, Western Australia is an Australian politician. She was the ALP member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from May 1990 to September 2008, representing the electorate of Mayland ...

. Her majority was reduced at the 2013 election (as part of a statewide swing against Labor), turning Maylands into a

marginal seat A marginal seat or swing seat is a constituency held with a small majority in a legislative election, generally one conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada, they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat. The ...

. Baker is openly gay, and owns a 20-acre property on the outskirts of Perth. Baker was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on 11 May 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Lisa 1958 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian lesbians Lesbian politicians LGBT legislators in Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People educated at Governor Stirling Senior High School People educated at Perth College (Western Australia) Western Australian local councillors Curtin University alumni 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians Women members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Women local councillors in Australia 21st-century Australian LGBT people