Senator Louise Pratt

Louise Pratt is a member of the Australian Senate with a strong background in community activism. Louise has also served in the Western Australian Legislative Council. Her key policy interests include economic and environmental sustainability, community engagement, human rights, refugees, minority and gender equity issues, economic equality and family policy, including child welfare, adoption, maternity services, childcare and life-work-family balance. She is a proud member of Emily’s List Australia and of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union.

In 2001, Louise became the youngest woman ever elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council. As a member of the Parliament of Western Australia, she served on the Procedure and Privileges Committee, as the Chair of the Environment and Public Affairs Committee and as the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Australia regional representative. As Deputy Chair of Committees, Louise also regularly chaired sessions of Legislative Council. She promoted gender equality and e-democracy in parliamentary procedures, as well as participating in a review into maternity services in Western Australia.

As a member of both the Gallop and Carpenter Labor Governments, Louise was the chair of Greenhouse Stakeholder Group, which facilitated wide ranging consultation on social, economic and environmental issues relating to climate change policy. She chaired a review of Adoption Legislation for the State Government and held the position of secretary to the Western Australian State Labor Caucus between 2001 and 2005. Louise was also a key member of the State Government’s Ministerial Taskforce on lesbian and gay law reform.

Louise resigned from the State Parliament in 2007 to contest election to the Senate for Western Australia. Louise served as the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Water and was member of a wide variety of Senate Committees including the Senate Economics Committee, the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the Environment and Communications Committee as well as Chair of the Joint Standing Committee for the National Capital and External Territories.

Louise lost her Senate seat at the 2013 Federal election, but was returned in the subsequent 2016 election, at which time she also became the Shadow Assistant Minister for Families and Communities, then Shadow Assistant Minister for Universities and Equality. Louise was the Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Shadow Assistant Minister for Employment Services and Skills from 2019 until 2022.

Louise is currently Government Deputy Whip in the Senate.

Find out more about Louise and her current committees and more by clicking here...