Suzanne Patricia Orr (born 6 February 1982) 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
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory (known in short as the ACT Legislative Assembly) is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It sits in the Legislative Assembly Building on Civic Sq ...
since October 2016, representing the electorate of
Yerrabi. She worked as an urban planner before her election.
Biography
Orr was born in Canberra and grew up in Giralang. While growing up her family fostered more than 200 children. The experience made her aware from a young age that government has a big role in helping when people need extra support. She worked in the hospitality and tourism industries. Orr completed university as a mature age student and along with her cousins became part of the first generation in her father's family to be university educated. After completing a master's degree she began a career as an urban planner and also worked for the Australian Public Service.
Political career
Orr joined the Australian Labor Party in 2013. She organised a successful campaign along with 350.org to encourage the ACT Government to divest from fossil fuel companies soon after being involved in the party.
In the
2016 ACT election, Orr was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly as the ACT Labor Member for
Yerrabi. On 26 August 2019, she was appointed as the Minister for Community Services and Facilities, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety and Minister for Government Services and Procurement in the
Second Barr Ministry
The Second Barr Ministry was the 14th ministry of the Government of the Australian Capital Territory, led by Labor Chief Minister Andrew Barr and his deputy Yvette Berry. It was appointed on 1 November 2016, following the 2016 general election ...
after a reshuffle.
Orr moved onto the backbench after the 2020 ACT Election and the reshuffle that formed the
Third Barr Ministry
The Third Barr Ministry is the 15th ministry of the Government of the Australian Capital Territory, led by Labor Chief Minister Andrew Barr and his deputy Yvette Berry. It was appointed on 4 November 2020 to replace the Second Barr Ministry, f ...
on 4 November 2020.
Personal
Orr is a qualified Urban Planner and is passionate about making cities the best they can be for the people that live in them, while at the same time minimising the impact urban lifestyles have on the environment.
As a
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
member of the
LGBTIQ community Orr was a passionate advocate for marriage equality during the
2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite and is Patron of Yes!Fest.
See also
*
List of LGBTI holders of political offices in Australia
This is a list of LGBTI ( lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) holders of political offices in Australia. Currently and historically there are no intersex parliamentarians, although Tony Briffa is known as the world's first openly ...
References
, -
1982 births
Living people
Australian Labor Party members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
21st-century Australian politicians
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