Member for Summer Hill, Jo Haylen MP, was today appointed to serve as part of new Labor leader Jodi McKay’s historic shadow cabinet, which is made up of 50% women for the very first time in NSW.

Ms Haylen will serve in the roles of Shadow Minister for Active Transport, Shadow Minister for Seniors and Volunteers, and Shadow Minister for the Cost of Living.

Ms Haylen is the first ever Shadow Minister for Active Transport, with responsibility for key cycling and walking infrastructure strategies across NSW, including regional rail trails.

As Minister for Seniors and Volunteers, Ms Haylen will work with stakeholders and community groups to better support seniors in our community, and to better elevate the role of volunteers, who make up the biggest single workforce in NSW.

As Minister for Cost of Living, Ms Haylen will fight for working families whose household budgets have been hit by the Government’s addiction to unfair tolls and the rising costs from privatisation, while their wages stay the same.

Quotes attributable to Jo Haylen, Member for Summer Hill

“50% of the Shadow Cabinet are women. Girls need to see it to be it and I’m so proud that my daughter and all girls across NSW will see a Government and a Parliament representative of the community.

“I’m just one of the many working mums out there who are juggling work and family and I’m proud to be a voice for them in this Shadow Cabinet.

“The Government’s rampant privatisation has failed NSW families. We need immediate solutions for families across NSW who feel like they’ve lost control of their household budgets with costs going up and up while wages stay the same.

“Living costs are out of control. I see it in my community every day. Whether its seniors afraid to turn on their heaters because of their electricity bills, parents struggling with higher and higher childcare fees, commuters dealing with rising transport costs and tolls, or workers struggling to make ends meet because of cuts to penalty rates, people are hurting and we have to do more.

“We help families when we beat congestion, including investing in public transport, dedicated safe cycleways and infrastructure for walking. That gets people out of their cars and that’s good news for everybody."