Wells was born in Brisbane, Queensland, on 11 August 1985.[2] Her father, an accountant, was born in Melbourne and her mother, an administrator, was born in New Zealand.[3] As a result, Wells held New Zealand citizenship by descent until February 2018, when she renounced it to stand for parliament.[1]
Wells attended Robertson State School and Moreton Bay College, where she was school captain.[3] After graduating she took a gap year in France, living in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and studying French. She also worked part-time at the residential aged-care facility where her mother worked. Wells went on to study arts and law at Griffith University, where she was active in Young Labor.[4] She later completed a graduate diploma in legal practice from the Australian National University.[5] She had initially intended to enter the diplomatic service, hoping to use her French-language skills, but after meeting Bill Shorten at a Labor campaign event in 2006 decided to pursue a career in politics.[4]
Career
Prior to entering politics, Wells worked as an adviser to the federal government for five years. She was admitted to practise law in 2012 and joined Maurice Blackburn in 2014 as a compensation lawyer. She worked on a number of cases related to immigration detention.[5]
Wells served on the "Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000-year-old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia", which delivered its report “Never Again” in December 2020.[9]
During her first term Wells received negative media attention from the Australian for placing junior members of her staff on recurring month-long casual contracts despite being a critic of casualisation of the work force.[10][11]
Albanese government (2022–present)
Wells went into the May 2022 federal election on a margin of 0.6 per cent in Lilley but emerged with a first preference swing toward Labor of 6.48 per cent. The election of a Federal Labor government precipitated her elevation to the ministry. Wells is a member of Queensland's Labor Right and the party's rules on affirmative action meant Blair MP Shayne Neumann was relegated to the backbench after serving on the shadow frontbench according to media reporting.[12][13] On 31 May Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced his ministry. Wells was named Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Sport.[14] In June 2023, Wells established a new task force looking into the creation of a taxpayer levy or other funding solutions to raise more money for aged care facilities. The system costs tax payers over $30 billion a year.[15]
As communications minister, Wells was tasked with implementing the government's ban on social media for children under the age of 16.[18] In July 2025, she published the Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Rules 2025 which specifies exactly which types of social media platforms will be banned for users under the age of 16 unless they take steps to verify their age.[19] Wells included YouTube in the list of proscribed platforms, although it had previously been excluded from the ban by her predecessor Michelle Rowland.[18] She has described the ban as "saving Generation Alpha, who will grow up in Australia before ever going online or ever going onto social media".[20]
Entitlements controversy
In December 2025, Wells was the subject of significant media attention over her use of parliamentary travel entitlements.[21][22] Initial scrutiny focused on a trip she made to New York City to promote the government's social media ban, which cost nearly $95,000 for three return flights due to a last-minute booking.[23] It was subsequently reported that she had used "family reunion" entitlements to pay for her husband and children to fly to the Thredbo ski resort and attend various sporting events, including several AFL Grand Finals, the Australian Grand Prix and the Boxing Day Test.[24] Wells was also reimbursed for a trip to Adelaide which coincided with a friend's birthday and for a €1,000 dinner in Paris for four people during the 2024 Summer Olympics.[25] Her claims were reportedly within Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority guidelines but were perceived as conflicting with the government's focus on cost of living measures.[26]
Wells is reported to have used the government car for personal use, having paid a chauffeur nearly $1000 to wait while she attended the Australian Open.[27]
Personal life
Wells already had one daughter when she entered parliament. She gave birth to twin sons in 2020.[28][29]
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