Melissa Parke was elected as the federal member for Fremantle on 24 November 2007 at the general election that marked the beginning of the new Rudd Labor Government.

Before entering parliament, Melissa worked as a senior lawyer in the United Nations for 8 years. Melissa began her employment with the UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo within the Office of Legal Affairs in 1999. She has also worked for the UN in Gaza, Beirut, Cyprus, and New York, in many capacities including the investigation of terrorist crimes in the Middle East and the establishment of a UN Ethics Office.

Prior to joining the UN, Melissa was the solicitor in charge at the Bunbury Community Legal Centre. It was in this role that Melissa`s strong sense of a public service vocation was formed through her direct experience of working with people who could not afford private legal advice or representation. At the same time Melissa was engaged in community legal education and the law reform process, and she became closely involved in local community groups concerned about environmental and social justice issues, including the Communities for Coastal Conservation and the Waratah Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

These experiences gave Melissa the chance to see how the law and related governmental processes can work to assist and protect individuals and communities, but also how such institutions shape our society, for better or for worse.

February 2009