Virginia Judge

Virginia Judge b. Cooma, New South Wales, a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Strathfield for the Australian Labor Party from 2003 until 2011.

Judge was born in Cooma and educated in her early years in both Canberra, ACT and New Delhi, India. She later returned to Canberra for her secondary schooling. She received a Bachelor of Education from the Canberra School of Music.

Judge taught in primary and secondary schools in both Sydney and Canberra. She also worked as a volunteer abroad for the Overseas Service Bureau in Tonga and as a project officer for small non-government organisation, The Australian Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific, delivering items such as humidicribs, toilets and ovens to Pacific islands such as Nauru, the Solomon Islands and Fiji.

Judge returned to Sydney, and taught in various primary and secondary schools - including Evondale Special School for students with intellectual disabilities. She was also studying Law part-time at Macquarie University and serving as a Strathfield Municipal Councillor from 1995-2004 - serving as Mayor from 2000-2003, prior to her election to the Legislative Assembly as the first ALP woman to be elected to the NSW seat of Strathfield.

Political Activity

Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 7yrs 11mths 11days 53rd (2003 - 2007)54th (2007 - 2011)

Member for Strathfield 7yrs 11mths 11days 53rd (2003 - 2007) 54th (2007 - 2011)

Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts 1yr 2mths 27days 54th (2007 - 2011)

Minister for Citizenship 1yr 2mths 27days 54th (2007 - 2011)

Minister for Fair Trading 1yr 2mths 27days 54th (2007 - 2011)

Minister for the Arts 1yr 3mths 21days 54th (2007 - 2011)

Minister for Fair Trading 1yr 3mths 21days 54th (2007 - 2011)

Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Education & Training, Industrial Relations, and the Min. Assisting the Min. for Finance 1yr 3mths 29days 54th (2007 - 2011)

Member, Joint Select Committee on the Transportation and Storage of Nuclear Waste 9mths 10days 53rd (2003 - 2007)

Member, Legislation Review Committee 1yr 5mths 19days 53rd (2003 - 2007) Elected Vice-Chairman of the Committee

Member, Committee on Children and Young People 3yrs 9mths 23days 53rd (2003 - 2007)

Vice-Chairman, Legislation Review Committee 2yrs 4mths 5days 53rd (2003 - 2007)

Member, Joint Select Committee on Tobacco Smoking in New South Wales 2mths 12days 53rd (2003 - 2007)

Membership of Committee (and the Committee itself) dissolved with the prorogation of the Parliament on 19 May 2006.

Member, Joint Select Committee on Tobacco Smoking in New South Wales 1mth 6days 53rd (2003 - 2007) Re-appointed to the Committee on 25 May 2006 following committee being re-established after prorogation.

In July 2011, Judge became Head of Strategic Partnerships for the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) which is an independent medical research institute which commenced operations in 1958 as part of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Camperdown, Sydney.

In 2013, she also became a Board Member of the Riverside Theatres Parramatta and Board Member of Gallery 49 Marrickville.