29 Facts About Sarah Henderson

Sarah Moya Henderson was born on 4 April 1964 and is an Australian politician, lawyer and former journalist.

Sarah Henderson has been a Senator for Victoria since September 2019, representing the Liberal Party.

Sarah Henderson previously held the Division of Corangamite in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019.

Sarah Henderson's mother Ann Henderson was a Liberal state government minister in the 1990s, while her father Michael Henderson served as mayor of the City of Newtown and was an unsuccessful Liberal candidate for state parliament.

Sarah Henderson began her education at Sacred Heart College in Geelong.

Sarah Henderson moved to The Geelong College in 1977, soon after it became co-educational, and became the first female school captain.

In 1982, Sarah Henderson became a cadet reporter with Channel 7 in Melbourne.

Sarah Henderson went on to work with Channel 9 in Brisbane and then Channel 10 in Melbourne, where she presented the weekend news with Alister Paterson.

Sarah Henderson moved to ABC-TV where she worked as a presenter of the consumer advocacy program The Investigators.

Sarah Henderson worked as an attorney for News Corporation and was a weekly columnist with the Herald Sun newspaper from 2002 to 2004.

In 2003, Sarah Henderson hosted the Ethnic Business Awards, which is a national business award highlighting migrant and Indigenous excellence in business.

In 2009, Sarah Henderson was chosen as the Liberal Party candidate for the federal seat of Corangamite, but was defeated by ALP incumbent Darren Cheeseman in the 2010 election.

Sarah Henderson was preselected again as the Liberal Party's candidate for Corangamite at the 2013 federal election, and won the seat with a 4.6-point swing.

Sarah Henderson sought another term in 2019, but was defeated by her 2016 opponent, Libby Coker.

On 26 May 2019, Victorian Senator Mitch Fifield chose to accept a position as the Permanent Australian Representative in the United Nations, leaving the possibility that the Liberal Party would choose Sarah Henderson to fill the casual vacancy caused by Fifield's eventual resignation to accept the role.

Sarah Henderson was appointed to the Senate by a joint sitting of the Parliament of Victoria on 11 September 2019.

Sarah Henderson held the communications portfolio until February 2023, when she replaced Alan Tudge in the education portfolio following his retirement from parliament.

Sarah Henderson opposes the transfer of asylum seekers to Australia on medical grounds.

Sarah Henderson has generally upheld the party line on boat turnbacks.

Sarah Henderson supported public health measures, including restrictions, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the community, but stated while Victorians understood the need for health restrictions, including those made using State of Emergency powers, restrictions must be proportionate to the public health risk, justifiable and temporary.

Sarah Henderson said that she had "raised deep concerns about some restrictions which have closed businesses on what appears to be arbitrary and inconsistent grounds".

In September 2020, Sarah Henderson described Victoria's roadmap out of COVID-19 restrictions as a "journey of despair".

Sarah Henderson was a supporter of same-sex marriage in Australia.

Sarah Henderson advocated for a free vote on the floor of parliament on the issue for Coalition MPs.

Sarah Henderson is pro-choice on the issue of abortion, which has drawn ire from more conservative elements within the Victorian Liberal Party.

Nonetheless, on the floor of Parliament, on the question on whether the federal government should ensure that all Australians have access to abortion services, Sarah Henderson has almost always voted along party lines.

Sarah Henderson supported state Liberal MP Moira Deeming when the state Liberal Party Leader proposed expelling her for anti-trans rhetoric and her part in organising an anti-trans rally attended by neo-Nazis.

Sarah Henderson handed back part of this payout saying her decision to keep only a "pro rata" amount was "in line with community expectations".

In early November 2022, Sarah Henderson wrote to ABC managing director David Anderson "requesting disclosure of the remuneration packages for employees, contractors, subcontractors, or other workers earning an annual salary of at least $230,000" among other information sought.