Natalie Maree Hutchins (''née'' Sykes, born 9 March 1972), also known as Natalie Sykes-Hutchins,
is an Australian politician. She has been a
Labor Party member of the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presiding ...
since 2010, representing the electorates of
Keilor
Keilor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Brimbank and Hume local government areas. Keilor recorded a population of 5,906 at the 2021 census.
Whi ...
(2010–2014) and
Sydenham Sydenham may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Sydenham railway station, Sydney
* Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne un ...
(2014–present).
Hutchins was the
Minister for Local Government,
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister for Industrial Relations in the
First Andrews Ministry from December 2014 to December 2018. In June 2020, she rejoined the
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
as Minister for Victim Support and Minister for Corrections, Youth Justice and Crime Prevention. In June 2022, she was appointed as Minister for Education and Minister for Women.
A former union organiser, Hutchins was first woman to be elected Assistant Secretary of the
Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC). She was a senior advisor to the former Premier of Victoria,
Steve Bracks
Stephen Phillip Bracks (born 15 October 1954) is a former Australian politician and was the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Labor Party and was party leader and premier from 1999 ...
, Chief of Staff to the former Victorian Minister of Education,
Mary Delahunty, and was a founding partner in the research and strategy company Global Workplace Solutions. Hutchins, a member of
Labor's Unity faction, is a member of the
Australian Labor Party National Executive.
The widow of
Steve Hutchins, a former
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, she has one child and five step-children.
Early life and background
Educated at public schools in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne including St Albans North Primary School and Buckley Park High School. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...
, where she was the president of the La Trobe University Labor Club and the Victorian President of the
National Union of Students. While in high school and studying for her degree she worked variously as a waitress, a dance teacher and a printer's assistant.
Her great-great grandfather, Hughie Sykes, was one of the first members of the
Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia.
Career
Following her graduation, Hutchins became an organiser and industrial officer at the
National Union of Workers
The National Union of Workers was an Australian trade union formed in 1989.
History
The National Union of Workers of Australia was formed by a progressive amalgamation of unions from 1989 onwards in a time when all Australian unions were merging ...
. In 1996 she was the first woman to be elected as the assistant secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, in the organisation's 137-year history. During her time at the VTHC, Hutchins was one of the police negotiators for the union movement during the
1998 waterfront dispute, coordinated the WorkCover campaign and was instrumental in obtaining legislative changes to stop trainee and apprentice bullying in the workplace. In 1999, shortly after the
1999 election of the Bracks Labor Government, Hutchins resigned her position at the VTHC citing "leadership tensions".
In 2001, Hutchins was employed as a senior organiser with the
Transport Workers Union of Australia
The Transport Workers' Union of Australia (TWU) is a trade union with members throughout Australia. It has 5 main branches based in: Australian Capital Territory/New South Wales; Queensland; Victoria/Tasmania; South Australia/Northern Territory ...
(TWU) where she negotiated national wages agreements in the airlines, car carrying and road transport industries. A key event during her time with the TWU was the collapse and closure of airline
Ansett Australia
Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into adminis ...
.
Hutchins started a business partnership in 2007, called Globe Workplace, which focused on workplace research and strategy across Australia. Globe Workplace staff have completed major research projects for both state and federal governments into workforce skills shortages in the transport, logistics manufacturing industries.
Hutchins is a member of the Australian Workers Union component of the Victorian
Labor Right.
Political career
Hutchins was a senior advisor to the former Premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks and Chief of Staff and to the former Minister of Education, Mary Delahunty. Long considered by Labor as a future Member of Parliament, Hutchins' name was proposed in June 2000 for preselection for the Victorian Federal Seat of
Isaacs Isaacs may refer to:
* The Isaacs, a bluegrass Southern gospel music group
* Isaacs (surname)
* Isaacs, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, Australia
* Division of Isaacs, a federal electoral division in Victoria, Australia
* Divisi ...
following the death of the sitting member
Greg Wilton
Gregory Stuart Wilton (6 November 195514 June 2000) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Isaacs, from 1996 until his suicide at the age of 44. He is the only ser ...
. In 2006, her name was briefly mentioned as a preselection candidate for the NSW state seat of
Blue Mountains following the move of
Bob Debus to the Federal Parliament.
In 2009, following the retirement of
George Seitz, who had held the seat for Labor since 1982, Hutchins was endorsed by
Labor's National Executive as the candidate for Keilor in the 2010 Victorian state election. Hutchins was subsequently elected and was appointed as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Public Transport in a February 2012 reshuffle. On 19 February 2013, she was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Ports, Freight & Logistics.
After Labor's win in the
2014 state election, Hutchins was appointed as minister for local government, industrial relations and Aboriginal affairs. After
Fiona Richardson
Fiona Catherine Alison Richardson (22 November 1966 – 23 August 2017) was an Australian politician. She was a Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch), Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2006 until her death in 20 ...
died in August 2017, Hutchins took over Richardson's roles as minister for women and the prevention of family violence in September 2017, but relinquished the local government portfolio.
After the
2018 state election, Hutchins asked not to be reappointed to the ministry, so that she could spend more time with her children following the recent death of her husband and former
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Steve Hutchins. Hutchins returned to the ministry in June 2020 when she was appointed as minister for Corrections, Youth Justice, Crime Prevention and Victim Support.
In June 2022, Hutchins was appointed as Minister for Education and for the second time, as Minister for Women.
References
External links
Parliamentary voting record of Natalie Hutchins at Victorian Parliament Tracker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchins, Natalie
1972 births
Living people
La Trobe University alumni
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
Labor Right politicians
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Ministers for Women
Spouses of Australian politicians
21st-century Australian politicians
21st-century Australian women politicians
Women members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly