House of Representatives

Meryl Swanson

Member for Paterson

Australian Labor Party · ALP

Federal parliamentary service10 years 3 month(s) and 27 days.Duration reported by the Parliamentary Handbook · 28 Oct 2026

Current ministry / shadow entries0Includes office-holder entries such as Cabinet membership; not a count of distinct policy areas.

Parliamentary service

First entered federal Parliament: 2 July 2016.

Service periods below follow the Handbook’s election and service boundaries. The source-reported duration above is shown separately from our interval calculation.

3 May 2025 – CurrentHouse of Representatives
Re-elected 2025
21 May 2022 – 3 May 2025House of Representatives
Re-elected 2022
18 May 2019 – 21 May 2022House of Representatives
Re-elected 2019
2 July 2016 – 18 May 2019House of Representatives
Elected to the House of Representatives for Paterson, New South Wales, 2016.

Current responsibilities

Ministry and shadow ministry

No current ministry or shadow-ministry appointment is recorded in this Handbook snapshot.

Parliamentary and party offices

Member of the Speaker's Panel23 July 2025 – Current

These are the Handbook’s dated appointments. Party spokespeople and committee memberships outside these records need their own source checks.

Background before Parliament

Qualifications recorded by Parliament

Bachelor of Commerce, University of Newcastle
Bachelor of Arts, University of Newcastle

Occupations recorded by Parliament

Radio Broadcaster from 2004 to 2016.
Small business owner and cafe operator from 2001 to 2004.
Student and mother from 1998 to 2001.
Executive Director for Hunter Tourism, 1997.
Electorate Officer for J Fitzgibbon, MP from 1996 to 1997.
Business Manager for the Hunter Region Organisation of Councils from 1993 to 1996.
Radio Presenter for 2KO, 1992.
Researcher, Producer and Reporter for NBN Television from 1991 to 1993.

Appointment history

View 2 dated office and portfolio entries

Member of the Speaker's Panel23 July 2025 – Current
Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence11 Aug 2020 – 23 May 2022

Reported parliamentary expenses

Summary verification pending

Reported office expenditure

April–June 2026 · 2026Q02

A matching record has been staged, but its official summary comparison is not complete. We are withholding the amount until that check passes.

No figure is shown. This does not mean zero spending, missing a declaration or wrongdoing. Salary, office expenditure and declared assets are different records.

Check IPEA’s official expenditure summary

A source match, reporting period and summary reconciliation are required before an amount appears here.

Public financial records

Annual salary including matched role

$246,450 AUD per year · approximately

Member of the Speaker's Panel: base salary plus 3% ($7,180).

Official additional salary rules

Calculated annual rate, before tax. Excludes superannuation, allowances and any separately eligible offices or acting arrangements; this is not a record of payments received. Multiple ministerial portfolios are not added together.

Statutory base salary

$239,270 AUD per year

Base rate effective 30 Aug 2026. This excludes role additions, allowances and personal tax circumstances.

Electorate allowance

$39,700–$57,100 AUD per financial year, depending on division area. The individual rate has not yet been matched to a verified area record.

Tribunal determination · sections 7–8

Checked 28 Oct 2026. Additional offices not matched above remain unverified. A base-only figure is not a verified total salary. Actual expense claims are separate records.

Salary rules Business resources and entitlements Reported parliamentary expenses House interests register

A salary rate, expense entitlement, reported office cost and declared asset are different records. Uncollected information is not a zero value.

Declared assets & interests

Property, investments, trusts and other declared interests are recorded separately from parliamentary salary and office spending.

Declaration details not yet transcribed

Use the official register and look for Meryl Swanson, Paterson. This links to the chamber’s register, not an individually matched statement.

Open House Register of Members’ Interests

No declaration totals or asset values are inferred. An unavailable entry does not mean no interests.

Explore the assets & interests guide

Public websites & social accounts

Open Parliamentary Handbook

Social accounts and contact channels will appear here once ownership is checked against source links.

Sources & portrait credit

Service, qualifications, occupations and appointments: Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary Handbook. Snapshot as of 28 Oct 2026.

Portrait: State of New South Wales (Department of Education). Original image · CC BY 4.0.

Thumbnail resolution; displayed with a cropped frame. Identity matched using the official Parliament identifier.