Maria Vamvakinou

Biography

Maria Vamvakinou is an Australian politician, a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and has been serving in the House of Representatives since 2001, representing the Division of Calwell in Victoria. She was born on 4 January 1959 in Lefkada, Greece, and arrived in Australia with her family in 1963 at the age of four, settling in Melbourne. Vamvakinou completed her education at public schools in Carlton and Brunswick before attending Princes Hill High School. She later completed a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Greek and political science at the University of Melbourne.

Vamvakinou worked as a high school teacher from 1982 to 1987, teaching Greek. She held office in the Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch) and worked as a political staffer for several years before entering parliament herself. She worked as an electorate officer for various politicians, including Senator Kim Carr from 1993 to 2001. Vamvakinou also served on the Northcote City Council from 1990 to 1992.

Vamvakinou was elected to parliament at the 2001 federal election, regaining the Division of Calwell for the ALP against the incumbent MP Andrew Theophanous, who had resigned from the party in 2000 to sit as an independent. She has been re-elected on seven further occasions, most recently at the 2022 federal election. During her time in parliament, Vamvakinou has served on numerous House and joint committees, including as chair of the House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Innovation from 2008 to 2010. She has also served on the Speaker’s panel from 2010 to 2013 and again from 2016.

Vamvakinou is married to Dr Michalis S. Michael, and they have two children. As of 2016, she lived in Northcote, which is outside her electorate. Vamvakinou renounced her Greek citizenship in 2000 prior to standing for parliament. She is the first woman born in Greece to serve in federal parliament and is a member of the ALP’s Socialist Left faction.