Sarah Henderson

Biography

Sarah Moya Henderson is a prominent Australian politician, lawyer, and former journalist. Born on April 4, 1964, in Geelong, Victoria, Henderson grew up with a passion for media and advocacy. Her mother, Ann Henderson, served as a Liberal state government minister in the 1990s, and her father, Michael Henderson, was an unsuccessful Liberal candidate for state parliament and mayor of the City of Newtown.

Henderson’s academic journey began at Sacred Heart College in Geelong before moving to The Geelong College in 1977, where she became the first female school captain. In 1982, she started her media career as a cadet reporter with Channel 7 in Melbourne before moving on to work with Channel 9 in Brisbane and then Channel 10 in Melbourne. She presented the weekend news with Alister Paterson and later worked for ABC-TV as a presenter of the consumer advocacy program The Investigators.

Henderson’s media career was marked by several notable achievements. She won a Walkley Award for her coverage of the Port Arthur massacre, and she also worked as the Victorian presenter of The 7.30 Report in 1995. When The 7.30 Report became a national program in 1996, she continued working as the program’s law correspondent. Henderson left journalism in 1998, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree from Monash University and moving to a career in law with the Melbourne firm Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks.

Henderson’s legal career was followed by a stint as an attorney for News Corporation and as a weekly columnist with the Herald Sun newspaper from 2002 to 2004. She also established the Kudos Management Group, which led to business management roles with Network Ten and National Indigenous Television.

Henderson’s political career began in 2009 when she was chosen as the Liberal Party candidate for the federal seat of Corangamite. She 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. Henderson campaigned strongly against coal-seam gas mining (fracking) in Victoria’s south-west as well as against a planned drilling campaign in the Great Australian Bight.

Henderson sought another term in 2019 but was defeated by her 2016 opponent, Libby Coker. However, in 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 Henderson to fill the casual vacancy caused by Fifield’s eventual resignation to accept the role. On 8 September 2019, Henderson defeated Greg Mirabella in the preselection ballot 234 votes to 197 and was appointed to the Senate by a joint sitting of the Parliament of Victoria on 11 September 2019.

Henderson’s political positions have been marked by her support for foreign investment rules, a review into the allocation of water permits in the Murray-Darling Basin, and the construction of new dams. She has also taken a more rightward shift on the issue of climate change, describing local MPs in the Geelong region as “climate action zealots” while coming out in support of coal mining and gas.

In 2022, after the Coalition’s defeat at the federal election, Henderson was appointed to new opposition leader Peter Dutton’s shadow cabinet. She held the communications portfolio until February 2023, when she replaced Alan Tudge in the education portfolio following his retirement from parliament.

Henderson’s life has been marked by her dedication to public service, advocacy, and the pursuit of justice. Her contributions to media, law, and politics have made her one of Australia’s most respected and accomplished public