inducted 2013 Service
This, together with the social justice values taught by the nuns and teachers, saw Danielle choose a public sector career, in policy and program management roles at housing, transport, consumer affairs, ethnic affairs and the Rural Women's Network.
Danielle become active in her trade union, the Community and Public Sector Union, serving as a State and a Federal Councillor, Chair of the Equal Opportunity Forum and being elected State Vice-President 1993-96 during the turbulent Kennett era. Like many women she has juggled her career with parenting two sons (Blake and Carlo ) undertaking an Arts Degree as a mature age student and membership of many community organisations including the Labor Party, which she joined in 1988.
Being passionate about policy Danielle served on numerous ALP committees as Secretary of Housing, Secretary of Aboriginal Affairs and Vice-President of Economics policy committees. She also thrived on the adrenaline of elections and managed numerous campaigns.
In 2001, Danielle was preselected to the marginal seat of Yan Yean. Achieving a 10% swing, Danielle was elected as part of the record breaking ‘Brackslide' election of 2002 that saw the largest number of women elected ever at any State election.
In her first term, Danielle served on the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee and after being re-elected in 2006, was promoted to be Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services and later Police and Emergency Services. Premier Bracks and then Premier Brumby had faith in Danielle's rapport with the emergency services given her service as an active CFA volunteer firefighter.
In February 2009, all of Danielle's worlds collided when she found herself fighting the Black Saturday fires, in her own electorate and as close as 3km to her own home. She was also amongst the bereaved losing numerous friends, supported friends who had lost loved ones including children, others who lost homes and everything they owned.
After two exhausting days of fighting the fires, blacking out and searching for signs of life and worse, Danielle began the gruelling work of leading her community through the recovery process. What sustained her through all this were her extended family and her still close group of school friends. Danielle drew strength from the horrific experiences of her own family's loss of four friends, homes, farms and stock in the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires. This helped her to support the community personally, in many ways including attending dozens of funerals, and professionally, on the Expert Reference Panel of the Victorian Bushfire Recovery and Reconstruction Authority. Danielle has particularly focussed her efforts on ensuring that children and schools continue to be supported in their long-term post trauma recovery.
In 2010, Danielle was elected for a third time, joined the front bench and is now a senior member of Opposition Leader, Daniel Andrews' Labor Team. Danielle is now Shadow Minister for Child Safety, Disability Services, Health Promotion and Women. She also serves as a VicHealth Board Member.
The Yan Yean electorate is the most populous and fastest growing constituency in Victoria so this keeps Danielle busier than ever advocating for jobs, infrastructure and services like hospitals and schools along with her Shadow Ministerial responsibilities. Danielle has never lost touch with her school friends, which may explain why her class waited until 2010 for their first reunion. It didn't seem needed given how close they remain to each other.
Cureently Danielle is Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Major Events and Regional Victoria.
Danielle said she is profoundly honoured to be inducted as a distinguished alumnus of the College.
