Biography

Catherine Cusack is a Liberal Member of the NSW Legislative Council, elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2011.

She currently serves as Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Ombudsman and Police Integrity Commission, and is a member of three other Committees – the Health Care Complaints Committee; the Legislative Council Social Issues Committee and General Purpose Standing Committee No 1.

As of March 2012 accepted the Chair of the Advisory Council for the Australian Rural Health Research Collaboration.  (The Collaboration is a partnership of four Rural Health Research Centres and associated Health Services).

Following the 2003 Election Catherine was appointed by John Brogden to the Opposition frontbench where she served for 8 years in a range of portfolios:

Shadow Minister for Juvenile Justice (2003-07)

Shadow Minister for Women (2003-07).

Shadow Minister for Youth Affairs (2006-7);

Shadow Minister for Fair Trading (2007-09)

Shadow Minister for Climate Change & Environment (2009-11)

Key initiatives achieved in the 2011 State Campaign included the establishment of a Dharawal National Park; abolishing park entry fees for Mt Tomah and Mt Annan Botanic Gardens; funding to connect wildlife corridors including the Great Dividing Range initiative; core funding for landcare; State funding for the Australian Reptile Park's "Devil Ark" project; new air quality research and monitoring initiatives and funding to enable the redevelopment of the RSPCA's facilities at Yagoona.

Throughout this period in Opposition she served on numerous Parliamentary Committees including the Social Issues Committee and the Children and Young People Committee. Inquiries including Workplace Fatalities; Juvenile Offenders; the closure of the Casino-Murwillumbah Rail line; Reports of the Child Deaths Review Committee (now the Ombudsman) and an Inquiry into service gaps for the "middle" years of youth (aged 9-15 years).

Prior to entering Parliament Catherine was a successful freelance writer with corporate and public sector clients.

In the Liberal Party Catherine was the first female State President of the NSW Young Liberals; a Member of Liberal State Executive; President of Richmond  FEC and served as a Ministerial Adviser in the Greiner-Fahey Governments.

Catherine has a Bachelor of Economics (Social Science). She is a regular columnist with the Sunday Telegraph's "Agenda" section, writing on state politics.

Catherine  lives in Lennox Head with her husband and two teenage sons.