45 Notable alumni of
University of Canberra
Updated:
The University of Canberra is 1467th in the world, 31st in Oceania, and 24th in Australia by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 45 notable alumni from the University of Canberra sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Lotay Tshering
- Years
- 1969-.. (age 57)
- Occupations
- physicianpoliticiansurgeon
- Biography
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Lotay Tshering is a Bhutanese politician and surgeon who served as the prime minister of Bhutan, from 7 November 2018 to 1 November 2023. He was the president of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) political party from 14 May 2018 until his resignation in 2025.
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Garth Nix
- Occupations
- novelistwriterscience fiction writerchildren's writerauthor
- Biography
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Garth Richard Nix is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the Old Kingdom, Seventh Tower and Keys to the Kingdom series. He has frequently been asked if his name is a pseudonym, to which he has responded, "I guess people ask me because it sounds like the perfect name for a writer of fantasy. However, it is my real name."
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George Gregan
- Occupations
- entrepreneurrugby union player
- Biography
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George Musarurwa Gregan AM is a former rugby union player who played as scrum-half. Born in Lusaka, Zambia, Gregan represented Australia at an international level, and is Australia's second most capped player.
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Wil Anderson
- Occupations
- television presenter
- Biography
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William James Anderson is an Australian comedian, writer, presenter, and podcaster.
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Rosi Braidotti
- Occupations
- women's rights activistphilosopheruniversity teacher
- Biography
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Rosi Braidotti is a contemporary philosopher and feminist theoretician.
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Linda Reynolds
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Linda Karen Reynolds CSC is an Australian politician. She served as a Senator for Western Australia from 2014 to 2025, representing the Liberal Party, and held senior ministerial office as a cabinet minister in the Morrison government from 2019 to 2022.
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Abdulla Shahid
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Abdulla Shahid, NIIV is a Maldivian politician, diplomat, and public servant. He is currently the president-the second highest official of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2023. From 2021 to 2022, he served as President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, becoming the first Maldivian to be elected to the role.
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Ellie Cole
- Occupations
- swimmer
- Biography
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Ellie Victoria Cole, AM is an Australian retired Paralympic swimmer and wheelchair basketball player. After having her leg amputated due to cancer, she trained in swimming as part of her rehabilitation program and progressed more rapidly than instructors had predicted. She began competitive swimming in 2003 and first competed internationally at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships, where she won a silver medal. Since then, she has won medals in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Paralympic Games, the IPC Swimming World Championships, and various national championships.
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Fiona Patten
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Fiona Heather Patten is an Australian politician. She was the leader of Reason Australia (also known as the Reason Party) and was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council between 2014 and 2022, representing the Northern Metropolitan Region, until she lost her seat at the 2022 state election.
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Morris Gleitzman
- Occupations
- writerchildren's writer
- Biography
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Morris Gleitzman is an Australian author of children's and young adult fiction. He has gained recognition for sparking an interest in AIDS in his novel Two Weeks with the Queen (1990).
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Erasto B. Mpemba
- Years
- 1950-2023 (aged 73)
- Occupations
- physicist
- Biography
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Erasto Bartholomeo Mpemba was a Tanzanian game warden who, as a schoolboy, discovered the eponymous Mpemba effect, a paradoxical phenomenon in which hot water freezes faster than cold water under certain conditions.
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Christopher J. Mahoney
- Enrolled in the University of Canberra
- Graduated with master's degree in management
- Occupations
- military leader
- Biography
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Christopher J. Mahoney is a United States Marine Corps general who serves as the 13th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 2023 to 2025, Mahoney was the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. He previously served as the deputy commandant for programs and resources from 2021 to 2023.
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Kelsey-Lee Barber
- Occupations
- javelin thrower
- Biography
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Kelsey-Lee Barber is an Australian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She won consecutive gold medals at the 2019 World Championships and 2022 World Championships, the first person to do so, and her personal best of 67.70 m ranks her 13th in the overall list.
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Zed Seselja
- Occupations
- civil servantpolitician
- Biography
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Zdenko Matthew "Zed" Seselja is an Australian politician who was a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory from 2013 to 2022, representing the Liberal Party. He was the Minister for International Development and the Pacific in the Morrison government from December 2020 to May 2022, and previously served as an assistant minister in the Morrison and Turnbull governments since 2016.
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Vivek Wadhwa
- Enrolled in the University of Canberra
- In 1974 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in computer science
- Occupations
- writerresearch fellowentrepreneurcolumnist
- Biography
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Vivek Wadhwa is an Indian-American technology entrepreneur and academic. He is Distinguished Fellow & Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon's School of Engineering at Silicon Valley and Distinguished Fellow at the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School. He is also author of books Your Happiness Was Hacked: Why Tech Is Winning the Battle to Control Your Brain—and How to Fight Back, Driver in the Driverless Car, Innovating Women: The Changing Face of Technology, and Immigrant Exodus.
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Justin Harrison
- Occupations
- rugby union player
- Biography
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Justin Harrison is an Australian rugby union commentator and former international rugby union player, who played lock forward and is currently the head of the Australian Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA).
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Natasha Fyles
- Occupations
- teacherswimming coachpolitician
- Biography
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Natasha Kate Fyles is an Australian politician and former teacher who served as the 12th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and Minister for Health. She was the leader of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from May 2022 until her resignation in December 2023. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the division of Nightcliff from 2012 until her defeat at the 2024 election. She previously served as 22nd attorney-general of the Northern Territory and the territory's minister for Justice from 2016 to 2020.
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Simon Overland
- Occupations
- Australian rules football playerpolice officermanager
- Biography
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Simon James Overland APM is the former Chief Executive Officer at the City of Whittlesea and a former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in Australia. He previously worked with the Australian Federal Police and then with Victoria Police focusing on Melbourne's gangland wars. On 2 March 2009 he was named by the Premier, John Brumby, as Victoria Police Chief Commissioner. He resigned from this position on 16 June 2011 after intense public pressure from critics who questioned his performance. In July 2011, he was appointed the chair of the Board of Management of the Tasmania University Union and was responsible for overseeing the direction of the student union.
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Michael Noonan
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Vice Admiral Michael Joseph Noonan, AO is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy, who served as Chief of Navy from 6 July 2018 to 6 July 2022. He previously served as Commander Border Protection Command from 2013 to 2015 and Deputy Chief of Navy from 2016 to 2018.
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Chris Crewther
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Christopher John Crewther is an Australian politician. He was a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Australian House of Representatives from 2016 to 2019 before being elected to the Victorian State Parliament in 2022, representing the division of Mornington.
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Kristy McBain
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Kristy Louise McBain is an Australian politician. She currently represents the division of Eden-Monaro, and is the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories and Minister for Emergency Management.
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Nathan Deakes
- Occupations
- athletics competitor
- Biography
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Nathan Deakes is an Australian former race walker. Deakes trained with the Australian Institute of Sport under Ronald Weigel and Craig Hilliard.
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Rosalie Woodruff
- Years
- 1960s
- Occupations
- politicianepidemiologist
- Biography
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Rosalie Ellen Woodruff is an Australian epidemiologist and politician who serves as the current leader of the Tasmanian Greens. She has represented Franklin in the Tasmanian House of Assembly since 17 August 2015, when she was elected in a count back to replace Nick McKim.
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Rosemary Follett
- Occupations
- civil servantpolitician
- Biography
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Rosemary Follett AO is an Australian former politician who was the first Chief Minister of Australian Capital Territory, serving in 1989 and again between 1991 and 1995. She was the first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territory.
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Tandi Dorji
- Years
- 1968-.. (age 58)
- Occupations
- politicianphysician
- Biography
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Tandi Dorji is a Bhutanese politician who served as Foreign Minister for Bhutan from November 2018 to 2024. He was a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan from October 2018 to November 2023.
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Susan Coyle
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Lieutenant General Susan May Coyle, AM, CSC, DSM is a senior officer in the Australian Army. She joined the army as a reservist in 1987 and, following training at the Australian Defence Force Academy, was commissioned into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals in 1992. She has commanded the 104th Signal Squadron (2003–04), 17th Signal Regiment (2009–10), Task Group Afghanistan (2015) and the 6th Combat Support Brigade (2017–19), and has deployed on operations to East Timor, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. She was appointed Commander Joint Task Force 633, with responsibility for all Australian operations in the Middle East, from January to November 2020. She was the first woman to command the task force, which had oversight for 1,200 personnel under Operation Accordion. Coyle was Head Information Warfare from January 2021 to November 2022, Commander Forces Command from November 2022 to June 2024, and assumed the role of Chief of Joint Capabilities in July 2024.
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Daniel McDaniel
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Major General Daniel Francis McDaniel, DSC, AM, DSM is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He served as the acting Special Operations Commander Australia from September 2013 to December 2014, after Major General Gus Gilmore was reassigned. He was seconded to the United States Army Pacific as Deputy Commanding General – North from January 2019 to January 2022.
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Jeremy Hanson
- Occupations
- politicianmilitary officer
- Biography
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Jeremy David Hanson, CSC, MLA is an Australian politician and former Australian Army officer who has served as Speaker since 2025 and a member for Murrumbidgee since 2016 in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly.
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Simon Corbell
- Years
- 1970-.. (age 56)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Simon Corbell is a former Australian politician and Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory. He was also Attorney-General, Minister for Health, Minister for the Environment and Minister for the Capital Metro.
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Elizabeth Grant
- Occupations
- university teacherarchitectanthropologist
- Biography
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Elizabeth Grant CF was an Australian architectural anthropologist, criminologist and academic working in the field of Indigenous Architecture. She was a Churchill Fellow and held academic positions at the University of Adelaide, as Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at RMIT University's RMIT School of Architecture and Design, Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra and the University of Queensland. She researched, wrote, and was an activist focused on architecture and design with Indigenous peoples as architectural practice and a social movement, and the observance of human rights in institutional architecture (in particular reforms to prison, custodial and court architecture). Her expertise in Indigenous housing and homelessness, design for Indigenous peoples living with disability, and indigenising public places and spaces made her a regular guest on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National and ABC Local Radio. She wrote and reviewed architectural projects for architectural magazines such as Architecture Australia, the journal of the Australian Institute of Architects, and the Australian Design Review.
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Tara Cheyne
- Occupations
- civil servantpolitician
- Biography
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Tara Maree Cheyne is an Australian politician, serving as a Member for the Ginninderra electorate in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly as of 26 October 2016.
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Jenny Aitchison
- Born in
-
Australia - Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Jennifer Kathleen Aitchison is an Australian politician who has served as Minister for Roads and Minister for Regional Transport in the Minns ministry since 2025. She previously served as Minister for Regional Transport and Roads from 2023 to 2025. She is a member of the Labor Party.
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Scott Fava
- Occupations
- rugby union player
- Biography
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Scott Fava is an Australian retired rugby union footballer.
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Betty Kitchener
- Occupations
- educator
- Biography
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Betty Ann Kitchener AM is an Australian Mental Health educator who co-founded Mental health first aid training along with Professor Anthony Jorm.
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Suzanne Orr
- Occupations
- urban plannercivil servantpolitician
- Biography
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Suzanne Patricia Orr is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since October 2016, representing the electorate of Yerrabi. She worked as an urban planner before her election.
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Annabelle Lindsay
- Years
- 1998-.. (age 28)
- Occupations
- wheelchair basketball player
- Biography
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Annabelle Lindsay is a 4.5 point Australian wheelchair basketball player. She made her international debut with the Australian women's national wheelchair basketball team (the Gliders) at the Osaka Cup in February 2017. In May 2019, she was part of the U25 National team (the Devils) that won silver at the 2019 Women's U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Suphanburi, Thailand.
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Kelly Hoare
- Occupations
- civil servantpolitician
- Biography
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Kelly Joy Hoare was an Australian politician. She was a member of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2007, representing the New South Wales seat of Charlton for the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She succeeded her father Bob Brown in federal parliament.
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Wendy Duncan
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Wendy Maxine Duncan is an Australian politician who was a National Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 2013 to 2017, representing the seat of Kalgoorlie. She was previously a member of the Legislative Council, representing the Agricultural Region from 2008 to 2009 and the Mining and Pastoral Region from 2009 to 2013. She is a patron of the Earbus Foundation of Western Australia.
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Travis Passier
- Occupations
- volleyball player
- Biography
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Travis Passier is an Australian volleyball player. He competed for Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Passier is a 6’10" middle blocker for the Australia men's national volleyball team. His nicknames are T-rannosaurus Pas, Trang pak, and Pasinator, and he speaks Italian and English.
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Scott Thomson
- Years
- 1966-.. (age 60)
- Enrolled in the University of Canberra
- 2004-2006 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- herpetologisttaxonomistzoologistpaleontologist
- Biography
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Scott A. Thomson is an Australian herpetologist, paleontologist, and taxonomist, specialising in turtles of the family Chelidae.
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Cecilia Nembou
- Occupations
- women's rights activist
- Biography
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Cecilia Nembou is an educator and women's rights advocate from Papua New Guinea.
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Deborah Schofield
- Years
- 1965-.. (age 61)
- Occupations
- researchereconomisthealth economist
- Biography
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Deborah Schofield is an Australian academic in the Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University where she is the director of the Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine
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Susan Cox
- Years
- 20th Century
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Susan Cox OAM is an Australian diplomat and is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has served in several ambassadorial positions, including as Australian Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia from 2007 to 2011 and Australian Ambassador to Croatia from 2012 to 2017.
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Afelee F. Pita
- Years
- 1958-.. (age 68)
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Afelee Falema Pita is a Tuvaluan diplomat. He was Tuvalu's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 19 December 2006 to December 2012, and was also the ambassador to the United States.
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Peter Hendy
- Occupations
- political advisereconomistpolitician
- Biography
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Peter William Hendy is a former Australian politician. He was the Liberal member representing the Australian House of Representatives seat of Eden-Monaro in New South Wales from 2013 to 2016. Hendy served as Assistant Minister for Productivity in the First Turnbull Ministry between September 2015 and February 2016; and as Assistant Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Minister to the Minister for Finance from February 2016. Hendy lost his seat in the 2016 federal election to Labor candidate Mike Kelly.
