# Jenny McAllister

Jennifer Ryll McAllister (born 21 February 1973) is an Australian politician. She has been a Senator for New South Wales since 2015 and previously served as the Labour party's national president from 2011 to 2015. She is from the Socialist Left faction of the Labor Party. She is the Minister for Emergency Management and the Minister for Cities in the Albanese ministry.

## Early life and education

McAllister was born in Murwillumbah, on the north coast of New South Wales. She was a student at Kingscliff High School from which she achieved her HSC in 1991. She attended the University of Queensland from 1992 to 1995, majoring in politics and government, and the University of Sydney, from which she graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts with first-class honours, majoring in political economy, politics and government.

## Professional career

From 2002 to 2006 McAllister worked as an adviser to the Minister for Environment in the NSW Government. Between 2006 and 2010 she worked as a public servant in the NSW State Government. She subsequently joined AECOM Australia Pty Ltd as Strategic Advisor Water and Climate (2010–2013), progressing to Technical Director – Infrastructure Advisory (2013–2014) and was managing director, Water and Urban Development (2014–2015) and a member of AECOM's ANZ executive when she resigned to join the Senate.

## Political career

McAllister is a member of the ALP State Conference (NSW) (1999–present) and the ALP Administrative Committee (NSW) (2000–present). She was previously a member or delegate of the ALP National Policy Committee on Foreign Affairs (1998–2000), the ALP National Policy Committee (2006–2007). She has been the director of several election campaigns.
McAllister was the co-founder of the Labor Environmental Activist Network (known as LEAN).
McAllister was the Labor candidate for the seat of Richmond in the 2001 federal election.
On 25 November 2011, McAllister was elected as National President of the ALP, serving until the conclusion of her term at the 2015 Australian Labor Party National Conference, where she was replaced by Mark Butler.

### Opposition (2015–2022)

In July 2014, Jenny McAllister was selected to run on the Labor senate ticket at the 2016 election in the number two position, replacing John Faulkner, and considered a winnable spot. However, on 6 February 2015, John Faulkner resigned from the Senate, creating a casual vacancy. On 6 May 2015, McAllister was elected by a joint sitting of the NSW Parliament to fill the vacancy.
In August 2018 she was appointed Shadow Assistant Minister for Families and Communities. On 30 August 2016 to 21 August 2018 she was Opposition Deputy Whip in the Senate. From 2 June 2019 to 23 May 2022 she served as Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet.

### Albanese government (2022–present)

Following the 2022 federal election, on 1 June 2022 McAllister was appointed the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy. In the July 2024 reshuffle, she was appointed Minister for Emergency Management and made the Minister for Cities in a re-created role last held in May 2022.

## Personal life

McAllister is married to John Graham—former assistant general secretary of the NSW branch of the Labor Party and member of the Legislative Council. She has two children. She lives with her family in Alexandria in NSW.
McAllister owns an investment property in Redfern in NSW.
She also owns a property with her husband in Wentworth Falls in NSW, which is managed for the purposes of environment conservation and recreation.