1. Mary Louise Newling Wooldridge was born on 29 July 1967 and is a former Australian politician.
26 Facts About Mary Wooldridge
1. 2.
Mary Wooldridge was a Liberal Party member of the Parliament of Victoria from 2006 to 2019.
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Mary Wooldridge was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Doncaster from 2006 to 2014; her seat was abolished in a redistribution for that year's election, and she was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for Eastern Metropolitan Region in November's state election.
4.
Mary Wooldridge was elected as leader of the Liberal Party in the Legislative Council in December 2014 and appointed as the Shadow Minister for Health.
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Mary Wooldridge was born and raised in Melbourne and is the youngest of four children.
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Mary Wooldridge graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours in 1989.
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Mary Wooldridge is the sister of Michael Wooldridge, a former federal Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party.
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Between 2001 and 2005 Mary Wooldridge was the chief executive of The Foundation For Young Australians, a not-for-profit charitable trust.
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From 1999 to 2001 Mary Wooldridge worked as a Senior Adviser to Senator the Hon Nick Minchin.
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Mary Wooldridge chaired the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness, which advises the Federal Minister for Family and Community Services on matters relating to homelessness.
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Mary Wooldridge was Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Drug Abuse, Community Services and Environment and Climate Change.
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When Denis Napthine replaced Baillieu as Premier, Mary Wooldridge became Minister for Disability Services and Reform, ceding the Women's Affairs portfolio to Heidi Victoria.
13.
Mary Wooldridge instigated the Shergold Report into Reform of the Human Services Sector to improve partnerships between the government and community sector organisations, with a view to better address the needs of vulnerable community members.
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Mental health reforms led by Mary Wooldridge included the significant re-drafting of the Victorian Mental Health Act.
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Mary Wooldridge established a pilot Family Drug Treatment Court within the Family Division of the Children's Court of Victoria.
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Mary Wooldridge legislated secondary supply laws which prohibited serving alcohol in a private residence to minors, without their parents' permission.
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Mary Wooldridge was the responsible Minister during the Protecting Victoria's Vulnerable Children Inquiry in 2011.
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Mary Wooldridge tabled the Report of the Inquiry on 27 January 2012.
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Mary Wooldridge secured the full roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme across Victoria and negotiated for the National Disability Insurance Agency headquarters to be based in Geelong.
20.
Mary Wooldridge stood for preselection for the seat of Kew, but despite the support of the Premier, lost preselection to Tim Smith.
21.
Mary Wooldridge contested a seat in the Upper House for the Eastern Metropolitan Region.
22.
In opposition, Mary Wooldridge has been a vocal critic of the Andrews Governments decision to cancel the creation of Peter Mac Private, a 42-bed private hospital at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
23.
Mary Wooldridge announced her intention to retire from state politics on 8 December 2019, using the moment to call on the Liberal Party to consider gender quotas as a way of increasing female representation in the Victorian Parliament.
24.
Mary Wooldridge vacated her seat on 28 February 2020, and was replaced by Matthew Bach.
25.
Mary Wooldridge is married to Andrew, a surgeon, and they have a son.
26.
Mary Wooldridge has been a Director of the Breast Cancer Network Australia, Foundation Boroondara, Trinity College at Melbourne University and the Otis Foundation, a network of rural retreats for women with breast cancer.