Yvette Simone Berry (born 1 August 1968) is an Australian politician and
Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
The deputy chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the second-most senior officer in the Government of the Australian Capital Territory. The deputy chief ministership has been a ministerial portfolio since its establishment in 1989 ...
. She has been a
Labor Party member for the seat of
Ginninderra
Ginninderra is the name of the former agricultural lands surrendered to urban development on the western and north-western fringes of Canberra, the capital of Australia. Ginninderra corresponds with the watershed of Ginninderra Creek, which is ...
in the
ACT 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 the
2012 ACT election. Berry is the daughter of
Wayne Berry
Wayne Bruce Berry (born 14 November 1942), former Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1989 to 2008, representing the electorate of Ginninderra (from 1995–2008) for the ...
who was a Member of the ACT Assembly for Ginninderra from 1989 to 2008, Deputy Chief Minister from 1991 to 1994,
Opposition Leader
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
from 1997 to 1998 and
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
from 2001 to 2008. Berry is the first family member of a current or previous member to be elected to the ACT assembly.
Biography
For schooling, Berry attended Holt Primary School, Ginninderra District High School and
Hawker College
Hawker College is a senior secondary college in the Australian Capital Territory. It caters to students completing their final two years of secondary education, and offers a wide range of curriculum choices.
Established in 1976, Hawker has a non ...
.
Prior to her election to the Assembly Berry worked as a community organiser for the
United Voice
United Voice was a large Australian trade union, with over 130,000 members. United Voice members worked in a wide range of occupations including hospitality, childcare, teachers' aides, aged care, property services (cleaning, security, maintenan ...
(formerly called the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (LHMU)) trade union for more than 15 years representing workers and their families to win fairer wages and better conditions.
She was active in the
Clean Start campaign to improve jobs for cleaners in the CBD office cleaning industry and coordinated the
Big Steps campaign to win professional wages for Early Childhood Educators in the early childhood education sector. Before she started working at the LHMU Berry commenced her working life in the hospitality industry where she worked for 8 years.
Berry is a full-time working mother with two children who lives with her family in the
West Belconnen suburb of
Macgregor
MacGregor or Macgregor may refer to:
People
* MacGregor (surname)
* MacGregor (filmmaker), a Spanish commercial cinematographer and film director
* Clan Gregor, a Scottish clan
* Macgregor baronets, related individuals including a British Army Br ...
.
Political career
Berry chaired the Legislative Assembly's ‘Select Committee on Regional Development’ which undertook an inquiry into regional development from February 2013 to February 2014.
In 2014 Berry was a member of the following Standing Committees: Public Accounts (PAC), Health, Ageing, Community and Social Services (HACS), Education, Training and Youth Affairs (ETYA) and Chair of the Planning, Environment and Territory and Municipal Services (PETAMS) Standing Committee.
Berry voted for the Legislative Assembly's 'Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013'
On 20 January,
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
Andrew Barr
Andrew James Barr (born 29 April 1973) is an Australian politician who has been serving as the 7th Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory since 2014. He has been an Australian Labor Party member in the ACT Legislative Assembly sin ...
appointed Berry a Minister in his Government. She assumed the following portfolios: Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Housing, Community Services and Social Inclusion, Multicultural and Youth Affairs and she was made Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Social Inclusion and Equality.
Following the
ACT 2016 election, Berry was appointed Deputy Chief Minister in the re-elected Barr Labor Government. This is the same position her father, Wayne, held between 1991 and 1994. She assumed portfolio responsibilities for Education and Early Childhood Development, Housing and Suburban Development, Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Sport and Recreation, while retaining portfolio responsibilities for Women.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Yvette
1968 births
Living people
Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
Australian Labor Party members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
Australian trade unionists
21st-century Australian politicians
21st-century Australian women politicians
People educated at Hawker College
Women members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly