National

Maria Kovacic sworn in as NSW's newest senator

By AAP Newswire

Jun 13, 2023

Liberal Senator for NSW Maria Kovacic (left) has replaced the late Jim Molan in the upper house. -AAP Image

Former NSW Liberal party president and small business owner Maria Kovacic has been sworn in as the state's newest senator.

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Senator Kovacic was sworn in to the upper house on Tuesday, replacing the late Jim Molan, who died in January following a battle with cancer.

The new senator comes into federal politics after having been president of the NSW Liberal Party but resigned to contest the vacancy.

In 2022, she made an unsuccessful tilt at entering federal parliament, running for the western Sydney marginal seat of Parramatta, but suffered a 1.1 per cent swing against her.

Prior to politics, Senator Kovacic ran a mortgage and finance business for more than a decade, co-founded the organisation Western Sydney Women and was a member of the NRLW's advisory committee.

She told AAP last week she planned to hit the ground running in parliament, with the Senate set to debate crucial pieces of legislation during her first days including the Indigenous voice and the Housing Australia Future Fund.

"It would be an extension of what I've done for 20 years," she told AAP.

"Everything I've been doing has been a part of community advancement ... and being able to deliver a platform not just for western Sydney but for all of NSW."