Tanya Plibersek

**Tanya Plibersek** (born 2 December 1969) was an Australian politician who served as Prime Minister of Australia from her election in 2020 until her resignation in 2025.

## Early Life

Plibersek was born in Sydney, the daughter of migrants from Slovenia, and went on to become dux of Jannali Girls High School. She was later educated at the University of Technology, Sydney, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and served as Women's Officer for a year. She then took a Masters in Public Policy and Politics at Macquarie University. After graduating, she worked for the Domestic Violence Unit at the Office for the Status and Advancement of Women in New South Wales, and later in the office of Senator Bruce Childs. Plibersek was elected to the House of Representatives for Sydney in 1998.

## Member of Parliament

### Shadow Minister

She was elected to the Shadow Ministry after the 2004 election. She was Shadow Minister for Work, Family and Community, Shadow Minister for Youth and Early Childhood Education and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on the Status of Women since October 2004. This portfolio was retitled Shadow Minister for Child Care, Youth and Women in June 2005. Following the Shadow Ministerial reshuffle in December 2006 (when Kevin Rudd assumed the leadership of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party) Plibersek was promoted to Shadow Minister for Human Services, Housing, Youth and Women.

### Cabinet Minister

In the 2007 federal election, Plibersek was re-elected to the seat of Sydney with a 2.12-point swing toward the Labor Party, and was appointed Minister for Housing and Minister for the Status of Women in the First Rudd Ministry. In the 2010 federal election, Plibersek was re-elected to the seat of Sydney with a 2.25% swing against the Labor Party. On 11 September 2010, Plibersek was appointed Minister for Human Services and Minister for Social Inclusion, that took effect from the conclusion of her maternity leave.

Following the retirement of Nicola Roxon on 14 December 2011, Plibersek was appointed as Minister for Health in the Second Gillard Ministry and later promoted to Minister for Health and Medical Research in the Second Rudd Ministry, with effect from 1 July 2013.

### Leader of the Labor Party

After Labor's defeat at the 2017 elections, party support for Bill Shorten began to fall. In February 2017, Tanya Plibersek was approached by several members of the Party, asking her to challenge for the leadership. Plibersek was initially cautious, but with the support of Senate Opposition Leader Penny Wong, she approached Shorten, and asked him to resign as leader of the party in order to avoid a leadership vote. Shorten refused, and the next day, Senator Wong announced to the media that Shorten no longer had support of the party. With mounting media speculation, Shorten resigned as leader of the party, and Plibersek was elected leader unopposed, with Penny Wong being elected Deputy Leader.

### 2020 election

Prime Minister Julie Bishop announced that she would not be leading re-contesting her seat at the 2020 elections, which meant she would not be seeking re-election as Prime Minister. Bishop's successor, Scott Morrison then lead the party to the election. The Liberal-National Coalition lost 18 seats, while Plibersek's Labor gained 4, giving them 93 seats. Left-wing parties, the Greens and the National Socialist Party, gained 15 seats between them and entered a coalition deal with Plibersek on 27 September. Under the deal, Greens Leader Adam Bandt and Democratic Socialist Leader Susan Price became Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer respectively.