Marise Payne

Biography

Marise Ann Payne is an Australian politician and member of the Liberal Party who has been a Senator for New South Wales since 1997. She was born on July 29, 1964, in Sydney and attended the University of New South Wales, where she earned degrees in Arts and Law. Payne made history as the first woman to serve as federal president of the Young Liberals from 1989 to 1991. She joined the Liberal Party in 1982 and served as state president of the New South Wales Young Liberals from 1987 to 1988 before moving on to the federal level.

In 1997, Payne was chosen to fill a casual vacancy in the Senate left by Bob Woods. She has since been re-elected five times and is currently the longest-serving female senator in Australia’s history. Payne’s early years in the Senate were spent as a backbencher, and she faced opposition from some members of the Liberal Party’s conservative faction. However, she was able to retain her place on the Coalition ticket with the support of Howard and Heffernan.

After the Coalition lost the 2007 election, Payne became a shadow parliamentary secretary with responsibility for foreign affairs, international development assistance, and indigenous affairs. When Tony Abbott became Leader of the Opposition in 2009, Payne was appointed Shadow Minister for COAG and Modernising the Federation, and later became Shadow Minister for Housing and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Development and Employment.

In 2013, when the Coalition won the federal election, Payne was appointed Minister for Human Services in the Abbott Government. She oversaw the closure of Medicare offices on Saturdays and the creation of myGov hybrid government shopfronts. In 2015, after Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister, Payne was appointed Minister for Defence, making her the first woman to hold the position. When Scott Morrison became Prime Minister in 2018, Payne replaced Julie Bishop as Minister for Foreign Affairs, a position she held until 2022.

Payne’s father was a World War II veteran who worked as an accountant and farmer. Payne grew up in Bardwell Park, in Sydney’s southern suburbs, and attended MLC School before university. In her second year at university, she was involved in a road accident that caused serious injuries to her neck. Payne has also served as vice-chair of the Australian Republican Movement and was criticised by Tony Abbott and John Howard for accepting the position.