Maxine Morand
| Maxine Morand | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Victorian Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development | |
|
In office July 2007 – 2 December 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Lisa Neville |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Lovell |
| Constituency | Mount Waverley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
30 January 1959 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | John Merritt |
| Profession | Nurse, Researcher |
Maxine Veronica Morand (born 30 January 1959)[1] is Chief Executive Officer of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA).
Prior to joining BCNA, Morand was Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development and Minister for Women's Affairs in the Brumby Ministry, and held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Mount Waverley.
Before being elected to Parliament, she was a researcher at Cancer Council Victoria and ministerial adviser. Prior to entering politics she was a nurse and transplant coordinator.
Morand lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children. Morand was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. Morand took over as CEO from BCNA founder Lyn Swinburne in November 2011.[2]
Career
Morand has a background in health, research and politics. After commencing her career as a general nurse, Morand was one of the first organ transplant coordinators in Victoria. After a career break with the birth of her two children, Morand returned to university and completed her Arts degree at La Trobe University with an honours year in Sociology, majoring in statistics. This led to a research role at the Centre for Behavioural Research at the Cancer Council Victoria and work on a diverse range of projects including evaluation of the Quit program and cancer patient needs. Morand went on to become an advisor to John Thwaites, the newly elected Victorian Minister for Health and Deputy Premier, working across a range of public health policies and programs and health practitioner regulation.
Political career
Morand ran unsuccessfully as the Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate for the federal electorate of Kooyong in the 1998 election, achieving a 2.4% swing towards the ALP..
She won the Liberal-held Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Mount Waverley in the 2002 election, at the age of 43. During her time in Parliament, she served for four years on the board of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) and held a range of senior government positions including Parliamentary Secretary for Health.
On 2 August 2007, newly appointed Premier John Brumby announced a cabinet reshuffle in which Morand was elevated to the newly created portfolio of Children and Early Childhood Development. She was also appointed Minister for Women's Affairs.[3]
As Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development, Morand had responsibility for a wide range of early years services including maternal and child health, kindergarten and early intervention services for children with disabilities. As Minister for Women's Affairs she was a passionate advocate for women's equality of opportunity and the prevention of violence against women, and led major legislative reform in women's health.
In 2008, Morand introduced the Abortion Law Reform Bill. The passage of the bill decriminalised abortion in Victoria up to twenty four weeks and up to the moment of birth if two doctors grant approval.[4][5] As a consequence of her pro-choice advocacy she was targeted by Right to Life organisations before and during the campaign for the 2010 Victorian election.[6]
At that election, she lost her seat to the Liberal candidate, Michael Gidley.[7][8]
Breast Cancer Network Australia
Morand was appointed as BCNA's CEO in November 2011. Her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment earlier in the same year has provided her with an intimate knowledge and understand of the issues and challenges faced by women with breast cancer and their families around Australia.
External links
References
- ↑ Parliamentary handbook of the parliament of Victoria
- ↑ (2011). "New appointments and departures," in Third Sector News, 27 September 2011. http://thirdsectormagazine.com.au/news/new_appointments_and_departures/063729/
- ↑ Nader, Carol (2010-04-17). "Morand's progress". The Age. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ↑ http://www.lifenetwork.org.au/_blog/Abortion_in_Australia/tag/The_Role_of_Law/
- ↑ Austin, Paul; Rood, David; Miller, Nick (2008-08-20). "Campaigner Kirner hails abortion law victory". The Age. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ↑ Allan, Lyle (2010-11-30). "Margaret Tighe. The most powerful woman in Victoria". Tasmanian Times. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ↑ Schmidt, Emma; Bannan, Alison (2010-11-27). "State Election: Gidley elated to take Mount Waverley". Waverley Leader. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ↑ "Victoria Votes 2010". Retrieved 23 October 2011.
| Victorian Legislative Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Seat created |
Member for Mount Waverley 2002–2010 |
Succeeded by Michael Gidley |