Maria Kovacic

Biography

Maria Kovacic is an Australian politician serving as a Senator for New South Wales, representing the Liberal Party. She assumed office on May 31, 2023, succeeding Jim Molan. Before her tenure in the Senate, she was the President of the New South Wales Liberal Party.

Born in 1970 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Kovacic comes from a Bosnian Croat background. Her parents immigrated to Australia from Yugoslavia after the Second World War. She grew up in Canberra and later became a franchisee of an ANZ mobile lending franchise for 16 years. She also served as a director of the Franchise Council of Australia from 2020 to 2023 and was actively involved in various community groups in Western Sydney.

In the 2022 federal election, Kovacic ran as the Liberal Party’s candidate for the marginal Labor seat of Parramatta. Despite expectations of a possible gain for the party, she was unsuccessful, with Labor’s Andrew Charlton winning the seat with an increased majority.

On October 5, 2022, Kovacic was elected President of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party. Following the passing of Jim Molan in 2023, the Liberal Party needed to fill a casual vacancy in the Senate. Kovacic emerged as the preferred candidate, securing support from the Moderate and Centre Right factions of the party. She was endorsed by Senator Andrew Bragg and Deputy Leader Sussan Ley.