Sarah Connolly (politician)

For other uses, see Sarah Connolly (disambiguation).

Sarah Connolly (born 29 December 1981^{[citation needed]}) is an Australian politician. She has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2018, representing the electorates of Tarneit (2018–2022) and Laverton (2022–present), in Melbourne's outer west.

Sarah Connolly MP
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Laverton
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 November 2022
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Tarneit
In office 24 November 2018 – 26 November 2022
Preceded by	Telmo Languiller
Succeeded by	Dylan Wight
Personal details
Born	(1981-12-29) 29 December 1981 (age 43)
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Labor Party
Spouse	Scott Connolly
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Queensland
Committees	Member, Legislative Assembly Economy and Infrastructure Committee March 2019 – February 2021 Chair, Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee December 2020 – August 2022 Member, Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee December 2018 – November 2022 Chair, Public Accounts and Estimates Committee August 2022 – November 2022 Chair, Public Accounts and Estimates Committee since February 2023[1]
Website	www.sarahconnollymp.com.au

Early life

Connolly grew up in the coastal township of Kingscliff in northern New South Wales.^[2]

She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Queensland University of Technology.^{[3][failed verification]}

Early career

Prior to entering into politics, Connolly worked in the criminal justice system as a judge's associate, and in a law firm. She also worked for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Australian Energy Regulator, and spent over a decade working across public and privately owned energy networks in policy, legislative reform and regulatory frameworks.^[4]

Personal life

Connolly is married to Scott Connolly, Assistant Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Together they have had three children conceived through IVF;^[5] her eldest, Viviene, was stillborn at 37 weeks.^[6][7]

Political career

Connolly was pre-selected by the Labor Party as its candidate for Tarneit in 2017 and went on to be elected at the 2018 Victorian State Election. She was a board member of VicHealth, and is a member of the Transport Workers Union and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.^[8]

At the 2022 state election, she stood in the new electorate of Laverton, which had been established in a redistribution, and was elected.^[9]