With a passion for education and training, Sharon is currently chairperson of a parliamentary Education Committee, which is taking an active interest in today’s education procedures and the opportunities for the younger generation to better manage school life and working.

Born locally and the daughter of a coal miner Sharon was educated at Warilla and
Airds (Campbelltown) high schools before she completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in History at Sydney University and a Diploma of Education at the University of Wollongong.

She then taught as a casual at a local high school before going to TAFE to teach communications.

Interested in politics since she helped her mother distribute Labor Party information when she was seven and eight years of age, and becoming a party member at the age of 15, Sharon worked with Federal Member Colin Hollis for two years, which was then followed by seven years with the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Selected to contest the seat of Cunningham in 2002 Sharon was defeated by the Greens Michael Organ, but in 2004 she won the day.

In her role as Chairperson Sharon says the committee has been reviewing the department’s recent annual reports and working to address what is seen as a possible skills shortage in Australia in the future.

She says the committee is particularly interested in helping young people understand the need for a proper balance between finishing their studies and undertaking work, while at the same time educating employers that they also need to think about this when they offer, in particular, part time work.

Another important aspect of the committee’s work centres around education for children with disabilities.

“I love the committee work” she says “but too often the value of our involvement is ignored by the media in their rush to make headlines about other parliamentary activities.”

Good staff vital

Sharon says the secret to being a successful politician also depends upon having good staff and good ongoing relationships with them.

Without this, she suggests, you could never get the job done of properly serving your constituents.

Being able to help people, she also says, gives one a good feeling, particularly where you can help those who can get lost easily in today’s bureaucracy.

Sharon says one of the most difficult situations in politics is the success of a good leader. They come under tremendous pressure and while often you think you are making the right choice you quickly find out they can’t manage the pressure.

She has worked under Labor leaders Mark Latham, Simon Crean and Kim Beazley and now, of course, Kevin Rudd.

An area of politics she would like to see change is to increase the present three year term to five, which would greatly improve politicians ability to make long term strategies work.

And she cherishes the thought that one day she might be elected to cabinet, with education and training her preferred portfolio.

She sees more challenges ahead in our schools and the growing need to successfully blend today’s technology with life in general, something that needs to be better understood by schoolteachers and students alike.

Sharon says she has only made one overseas trip as a politician but despite the publicity given to such trips in recent times by the mass media she believes there can be value in interaction with people of other countries.

For relaxation Sharon likes to read historical novels and watch home improvement shows.

But right now her main attention is aimed at spreading the value of the work of her parliamentary committee and working with her staff to assist as many constituents as possible.