Guest Speaker November 13, Melissa Price MP Federal Parliament, Member for Durack.
A former Defence and Environment Minister in the Morrison Government she is he youngest of four children. She was born and raised in Kalgoorlie.
A former Defence and Environment Minister in the Morrison Government she is he youngest of four children. She was born and raised in Kalgoorlie.She has spent eleven years in Parliament and reflects that her travelling costs are higher than most members because of the size of the Durack electorate and the distance to Canberra.
She gave her talk a theme – What do you like about yourself?
She loves shoes and has over three hundred pair. Her current favourites which she is wearing are orange.
A former lawyer her ambition is not to be a typical cookie cutter in anything she does and advises that it is best not to pretend to be what you're not.
Her mother still lives in Kalgoorlie and complains that Melissa doesn't visit her enough. However the electorate of Durack which doesn't include Kalgoorlie is large – 1.4 sq million kilometres.
After being schooled by nuns in the Catholic Education system she left school at fifteen and eventually enrolled at the Eastern Goldfields Technical College (a precursor to TAFE) where she became the 1979 'typist of the year'.
Melissa who is a Liberal member of Parliament was born into a Labor family. Her Grandfather was David Dellar a Labor Member of the Upper House. Her Uncle Sam Dellar followed suit.
Melissa says she babysat prominent Goldfields Labor parliamentarian Julian Grill's children.
She worked in the United Kingdom for ten years and it was there that she gained her legal qualifications.
In Perth she and her sister walked the streets of Perth pushing their babies in prams trying to secure Melissa a job with a legal firm. She eventually ended up working for Clayton Utz and then moved to a position at Co-Operative Bulk Handling (CBH). She moved then to Crosslands which was very much part of the push for the port of Oakajee. She has also held positions on boards of Not For Profits like the Cancer Council.
In 2013 she stood as a Liberal for the WA State seat of Kalgoorlie but lost. In the same year she contested the Federal seat of Durack and was successful. She marvelled at her mainly Labor Party family supporting her as a Liberal and remarked that “Blood is thicker than water.”
Finally she says she loves to sing and it is a pity there isn't time this morning. Singing shows people who you are.
Questions from Ian Taylor, Phil Martin and Geoff Wood.
Caption :Hon. Melissa Price, MP, President Hugh, presenting a certificate representing 50 Polio Vaccines donated to Rotary International on Melissa's behalf.