Alison Byrnes

Australian politician

Alison Byrnes MP

Member of the Australian Parliament for Cunningham
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 May 2022
Preceded by	Sharon Bird

Personal details
Born	(1974-02-05) 5 February 1974 (age 50) Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Labor
Spouse	Paul Scully
Occupation	Politician
Website	https://www.nswlabor.org.au/alison_byrnes

Alison Joy Byrnes (born 5 February 1974) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and was elected as a member for the New South Wales seat of Cunningham in the House of Representatives in the 2022 election.

Early life

Byrnes was born on 5 February 1974 in Wollongong, New South Wales.^[1] She is the daughter of Petronella and Ron Byrnes; her mother was born in the Netherlands and arrived in Australia as a child.^[2]

Byrnes grew up in the suburb of Woonona,^[3] attending Woonona Public School and Woonona High School.^[2] She holds the degree of Master of Management from the University of Wollongong.^[1]

Politics

Byrnes has worked for the ALP since the age of 16.^[4] She was a staffer to Cunningham MP Sharon Bird for 18 years,^[5] including as chief of staff.^[6] Following Bird's retirement, she won ALP preselection for Cunningham in February 2022.^[5] She was chosen unopposed following the withdrawal of her main opponent, Misha Zelinsky.^[4] At the 2022 Federal Election, she was elected to the seat of Cunningham with 65% of the vote.^[7]^[8]

Personal life

Byrnes is married to Paul Scully, an ALP member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.^[4] She has sometimes used the name "Alison Byrnes-Scully".^[6]^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b "Ms Alison Byrnes MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Maiden Speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
^ "Alison Byrnes". Australian Labor Party. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Labor candidate Alison Byrnes launches campaign for Illawarra seat of Cunningham". ABC Illawarra. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^ ^a ^b Tullis, Ashleigh (21 February 2022). "MP Sharon Bird's staffer Alison Byrnes preselected as Labor's candidate in federal Cunningham seat". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^ ^a ^b Pearson, Andrew (5 December 2016). "Labor staffer ditches Watson for new MP". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^ McIlwain, Kate (21 May 2022). "'Alison Byrnes wins Cunningham for Labor'". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
^ "House of Representatives division information".
^ "Labor preselection in Cunningham heats up; Andrew Constance confirmed for Liberals in Gilmore". ABC Illawarra. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.