Elected on November 24, 2007 Janelle Anne Saffin made political history when she was elected the first female Member for the Federal seat of Page

Janelle Saffin was born and raised in the One Mile Housing Commission Estate in Ipswich, Queensland.

Following stints as a hairdresser, a check out operator an abattoir hand., Janelle’s unlikely Ipswich destiny would lead her to become, as years advanced, a solicitor, a teacher, a chief political advisor to a Prime Minister, a local representative in the Federal and State Parliaments – and a social activist.

She gained a teaching diploma from the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education in Lismore, and later graduated with a degree in law from Macquarie University.

Janelle’s unswerving commitment to higher education later informed her work as an advocate and solicitor in Casino, Kyogle and Lismore – and as a teacher in community education.

Over this period she spent considerable time lobbying successfully for a breast screen program in the Northern Rivers, a new women’s refuge in Lismore and helped to secure funding for the Summerland Way.

This work is dovetailed by her activism on human rights – at home and abroad. She built strong friendships and networks across NGOs, church-based charities and advocacy bodies. She counts among her close friends Burmese Opposition Leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi, East Timorese Prime Minister His Excellency Xanana Gusmao, and former Australian Joint Force Commander in Dili, Brigadier Mick Slater.

Janelle worked for three and a half years as a key advisor to former Nobel Peace Prize Winner and then Prime Minister of East Timor, His Excellency Dr Jose Ramos Horta, of whom she remains a close confidante and family friend. Her tireless efforts in the world’s newest nation contributed to the rule of law and poverty alleviation in East Timor.

Issues of adversity and poverty and family breakdown are not new to Janelle. She witnessed the break-up of her parents’ marriage in the shadow of poverty and need, forcing the teenager to leave school early and work in a string of jobs.

This explains somewhat her affinity with the dispossessed and the suffering, and her unswerving commitment to the underprivileged.

Janelle has been an active member of the Australian Labor Party since 1982. She entered politics at state level and served as a Member of the NSW Legislative Council from 1995 until 2003