Welcome
Thank you for visiting my website.
When I became an Australian Senator, I committed to listening to locals and improving our community. That includes shining a light on the issues that affect working people, highlighting key social justice issues and working towards fairness for all.
I’m proud of Federal Labor’s commitment to improving wages, creating jobs, delivering quality education and strengthening Medicare.
My story
The son of Italian immigrants, I grew up in Melbourne’s south-east and attended a local Catholic primary and secondary school before going on to university.
Driven by my parents’ example of hard work and sacrifice, my working life began as a teenager at the local dry cleaners.
I joined the Australian Labor Party in 2000, inspired by former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks’ state campaign to roll back Coalition cuts to education and health, and to reverse industrial relations reforms that had disadvantaged workers.
After graduating, I began my career in financial planning, but soon realised that my true passion was making a meaningful difference for working people.
That passion led me into the labour movement and a role with the SDA Union, where I advocated for better pay and conditions for retail, fast food and warehousing workers. A highlight of this work was helping recover underpaid wages for 7-Eleven employees – work that strengthened my commitment to fairness and justice in the workplace.
My experience in workplace issues later led to me becoming an adviser to Senator the Hon. Jacinta Collins, focusing on workplace relations policy.
My belief in preventative healthcare and universal access to high-quality health services motivated me to volunteer on the board of my local community health organisation, Link Health and Community.
On 6 March 2019, I had the honour of being appointed the 100th Senator to represent the people of Victoria in the Australian Parliament. Since August 2020, I have also served on the ALP’s national executive.
I hold a number of parliamentary roles focused on defence, foreign affairs, national security and agriculture. This includes chairing both the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
I am also proud to chair several parliamentary groups in Canberra such as the country groups of Italy, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the European Parliament and Holy See, as well as the Parliamentary Friends of Fresh Produce, Red Meat, and Forestry, Timber and Paper Products, among others.
Throughout my adult life, my mission has remained the same: to support workers and ensure every Australian has access to quality education and the opportunity for a decent job with fair pay and conditions.
Away from politics, I am a passionate Collingwood Football Club member, a Formula One fan and a Weber BBQ enthusiast.
