Ms Mary Porter AM
Mary is president of Hunter Restorative Community Inc.
Mary trained as a Registered Nurse and Midwife in Wollongong NSW and worked as a remote area Nursing Sister in Indigenous Communities for 12 years. She moved to the ACT in 1977, becoming a founding member of Tuggeranong Community Service (a regional community service in one of the ACT’s town centre regions, now known as “Communities at Work”), a founding member of the ACT Volunteering Association in 1986, employed by that organisation, now Volunteering ACT, as CEO She was instrumental in establishing the ACT Volunteers in Policing Program.
Mary helped establish Volunteering Australia and served President and as national representative to the International Association of Volunteer Effort, IAVE. She was appointed as Member of the order of Australia, AM, in 2003, for services to Volunteering in Australia. Also, in 2003 nominated for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the ACT’s Social and Community category. In 2004 she was appointed as an Honorary Ambassador for the ACT and awarded a Centenary medal.
Mary sat on several boards and committees whilst in Canberra, formerly President of ACTCOSS and member of the Board of ACOSS.
In 2004 Mary was elected to ACT Legislative Assembly as the Member for Ginninderra, re-elected in 2008 and 2012, retiring in 2016. During her time as an MLA, she served as the Deputy Speaker, Chair of the Standing Committee on Education, Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee of Public Accounts, Member of the Standing Committee on Justice, and Community Safety. She was also a member of the Select Committee on Regional Development. Mary also chaired and sat in various Select Committees on Estimates, with the most recent being as Deputy Chair of the 2014/15 committee.
Mary worked with the then ACT Attorney to successfully introduce Restorative Practice in the ACT Justice system, with the Education sector to introduce this practice into ACT schools and whole of government to establish Canberra as a Restorative City. She consulted with the University of Canberra in relation to post graduate studies and research in Restorative Practice.
She successful introduced legislation to regulate the Retirement Villages Industry in the ACT and Policy change in Sport and Domestic Animal Welfare. She undertook work to promote positive conversation on End-of-Life Issues in the Assembly and in the community.
In 2016 Mary moved with her husband to Murrays Beach, an environmentally friendly Community Title estate on Lake Macquarie, where they currently reside. She served as Chair of the Murrays Beach first Executive Committee for 3 years.
Collaborating with members of the Law and Business faculty of the University of Newcastle and Vocal, she was a founding member of Newcastle Restorative City project, now incorporated as the Hunter Restorative Community, HRC.
Mary is patron of PAPA, Pets and Positive Ageing. She is a published poet, a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.