backbencher
Which position did Nicola Roxon hold from Feb 2013 to Aug 2013?
Nicola Roxon Nicola Louise Roxon ( born 1 April 1967 ) is a former Australian politician , who was a member of the House Representatives representing the seat of Gellibrand in Victoria for the Australian Labor Party from the 1998 federal election until her retirement in August 2013 . Between 2011 and 2013 , Roxon was the first female Attorney-General of Australia . Roxon is currently an adjunct professor at Victoria University . Early and personal life . Roxon was born in Sydney , New South Wales . She is the second of three daughters and the niece of the late Australian journalist and Sydney Push member Lillian Roxon . Her paternal grandparents were Jewish and migrated from Poland to Australia in 1937 . Anglicising the family name from Ropschitz to Roxon , her grandfather worked as a GP in Gympie and Brisbane , Queensland . Her mother Lesley trained as a pharmacist , while her father Jack was a microbiologist . He was a strong influence in her life and she was devastated by his death from cancer when she was 10 years old . Roxon was educated at the Methodist Ladies College in the suburb of Kew in Melbourne , Victoria . She studied for a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Melbourne , winning the university medal for law . She ultimately came to the view that governments have got a role to make sure they can help people in circumstances they cant control—either through their health failing or an accident . Between 1992 and 1994 , Roxon was employed as a judges associate to High Court Justice Mary Gaudron . She then became involved with the trade union movement , joining the National Union of Workers as an organiser . Roxon was also an industrial lawyer and senior associate with the law firm Maurice Blackburn and Co . from 1996 to 1998 . Political career . Roxon was elected to the comfortably safe Labor seat of Gellibrand in 1998 , succeeding longtime member Ralph Willis . She served on a number of committees , including the Standing Committee on Industry , Science and Resources and the Joint Select Committee on the Republic Referendum . Roxon was promoted to the Shadow Ministry after Labors loss in the 2001 election . Initially , she was appointed Shadow Minister for Child Care , Family Support and Youth . Roxon then had a brief stint as Shadow Minister for Population and Immigration later that year , when Julia Gillard moved from the Immigration portfolio to Health . In 2003 , new leader Mark Latham appointed her shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on the Status of Women . She remained as Shadow Attorney-General following Lathams election loss in the 2004 election , holding this position until 2006 . Kevin Rudd appointed her to the position of Shadow Health Minister upon his elevation to the Labor leadership in December 2006 , and she retained the portfolio when Labor won government , replacing Tony Abbott as Minister for Health and Ageing . Roxon made headlines during the 2007 federal election campaign when , on 31 October 2007 , then Health Minister Tony Abbott arrived half an hour late for a televised debate . After apologising on behalf of the absent party to the audience of media and health industry figures , Roxon had the debate to herself and made light of the situation by stating that her staff felt she did a good impersonation of Abbott and could play his part . When Abbott arrived , he apologised for being late , but swore at Roxon when she claimed he could have been on time if he had wanted to . Minister for Health . In February 2009 , Roxon attempted to introduce legislation backing the alcopops tax increase into parliament . In 2010 , Roxon aimed to introduce major health reform in Australia . She said the Government would hold a referendum on hospital reform even if the Senate rejected the idea . In 2012 Roxon was featured in the Australian Story television program in an episode entitled Kicking The Habit , about her advocacy for plain cigarette packaging . Attorney-General . Prime Minister Julia Gillard implemented a major change to her Cabinet on 14 December 2011 . Roxon was promoted from Health and Ageing to become Australias first woman to serve as Attorney-General . In a reshuffle announced on 2 March 2012 , Roxon was given the additional portfolio of Emergency Management . She was sworn into that portfolio on 5 March . In May 2012 , Attorney-General Roxon announced that the Australian Government would not seek a pardon for Harry Breaker Morant from the British Government , on the grounds that Morant and his two fellow officers did , in fact , kill unarmed prisoners and others during the Second Boer War . Resignation . Roxon resigned as Attorney-General on 2 February 2013 . She continued as a backbencher for the remainder of her term , and retired when the parliament was dissolved before the 2013 federal election .