Minister Linda Reynolds CSC was elected to the Australian Senate in 2014 and is a passionate representative for her state of Western Australia.
Minister Reynolds served for 29 years in the Australian Army as a Reserve Officer, in a wide range of part and full time appointments. Professionally she has worked both in the private sector and in various roles at the national political level and has a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies).
Key career appointments include: Chief of Staff to the Minister for Justice and Customs, Project Director with Raytheon Australia, Deputy Federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia, Commanding Officer of a Combat Service Support Battalion and Adjutant General of Army.
Minister Reynolds was the first woman in the Australian Army Reserves to be promoted to the rank of Brigadier and was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross. She also spent many years working overseas to support the democratisation of institutions.
Prior to her appointment as Minister for Emergency Management and North Queensland Recovery on 2nd March 2019, she was Assistant Minister for Home Affairs from 28th September 2018 to 2nd March 2019, Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, the Senate Legislation Committee on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade, the Defence Sub-Committee and the Senate Publications Committee. Minister Reynolds is currently the Chair of the Australia-Indonesia parliamentary friendship group and co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Defence, Friends of Australian Books, and Writers and Friends of Disability.