Lynda Jane Voltz (born 1965) is an Australian politician. She is a Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Auburn since 2019.

Lynda Voltz
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Auburn
Assumed office
23 March 2019
Preceded byLuke Foley
Member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales
In office
24 March 2007 – 28 February 2019
Succeeded byRose Jackson
Personal details
Born1965 (age 58–59)
Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyLabor Party
ChildrenTwo
ResidenceGranville[1]
EducationBirrong Girls High School
OccupationSoldier, clinical counsellor, political staffer
Military service
AllegianceAustralia
Branch/serviceAustralian Army
Years of service1987–1993
UnitRoyal Australian Corps of Military Police

Career

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Voltz joined the Australian Army Reserve in 1984, and in 1987 she became one of the first women to the join the regular Australian Army as one of the second group of women to train alongside men at Army Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka. She joined the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police, as it was one of the few field force units women were allowed to join.[2]

After leaving the army, she worked as a political staffer for state MP Sandra Nori, federal member for Sydney Peter Baldwin, and then as an electoral officer for Senator John Faulkner. At the 1995 New South Wales state election, she contested the district of North Shore but was defeated by the Liberal candidate, Jillian Skinner.[3] Voltz was elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council in 2007 and re-elected in 2015.[4] In 2016, Voltz replaced Guy Zangari as Shadow Minister for Sport and Veterans' Affairs in the shadow Ministry of Luke Foley,[5] a position she retained in the shadow Ministry of Michael Daley.[4]

Voltz resigned from the Legislative Council in February 2019 to contest the Legislative Assembly district of Auburn following the vacation of that seat by Luke Foley. Voltz was elected to the Assembly and appointed as Shadow Minister for Police and Counter Terrorism and Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation in the shadow Ministry of Jodi McKay She retained these positions until the constitution of the shadow Ministry of Chris Minns, to which she was not appointed.[4]

In October 2023, Murphy signed an open letter which condemned attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[6]

Personal life

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Voltz was born in Hornsby on Sydney's North Shore, and attended Birrong Girls High School.[3] She has two daughters, Katerina and Anastasia.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Candidates - The Legislative Assembly District of Granville". elections.nsw.gov.au. New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  2. ^ Kamenev, Marina (1 October 2009). "How Soon Will Australia's Female Soldiers Be on the Frontlines?". TIME. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Voltz, Lynda (c. 1965–)". The Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "The Hon. Lynda Jane Voltz, MLC". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Ryan Park becomes shadow treasurer in NSW Labor reshuffle". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 March 2016.
  6. ^ "'Catastrophic crisis': NSW politicians release open letter supporting Palestinian communities". ABC News. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Inaugural Speech of the Honourable Lynda Voltz" (PDF). NSW Hansard. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
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New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Auburn
2019–present
Incumbent