Suzanne Patricia Orr (born 6 February 1982) is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since October 2016,representing the electorate of Yerrabi. She worked as an urban planner before her election.[1]
Orr was born in Canberra into an Anglican family and grew up in the Belconnen suburb of Giralang. While growing up her family fostered more than 200 children. The experience made her aware from a young age that government has a big role in helping when people need extra support. She worked in the hospitality and tourism industries. Orr completed university as a mature age student and along with her cousins,became part of the first generation in her father's family to be university educated. After completing a master's degree,she began a career as an urban planner and also worked for the Australian Public Service. In 2015 Orr moved to the Gungahlin suburb of Franklin.
Political career
Orr joined the Australian Labor Party in 2013. She organised a successful campaign within the ACT ALP branch along with 350.org to encourage the ACT Government to divest from fossil fuel companies soon after being involved in the party.
In the 2016 ACT election,Orr was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly as the ACT Labor Member for Yerrabi. On 26 August 2019,she was appointed as the Minister for Community Services and Facilities,Minister for Disability,Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety and Minister for Government Services and Procurement in the Second Barr Ministry after a reshuffle.[2][3]
In the 2020 ACT Election,Orr was re-elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly as the ACT Labor Member for Yerrabi. Orr moved onto the backbench after a change in numbers in the 2020 ACT Election and the reshuffle that formed the Third Barr Ministry on 4 November 2020.[4] Orr is currently the Government Whip and Deputy Chair of both the Economy and Gender and Economic Equality Committee and the Planning,Transport and City Services Committee.
Carers Recognition Act
In December 2021,Orr passed her Carers Recognition Act 2021,[5] an Act that formally recognises,promotes and values the role unpaid carers have within our community. The Act puts in place measures requiring entities and organisations to consider and adapt business practices to support the care relationship that exists between carers and the people they care for. Up until this point,the ACT was the only jurisdiction in Australia to not have an Act recognising carers and their contribution to the community. Over 50,000 carers benefitted from this legislation across the ACT.
Orr stated that her Carers Recognition Act was needed as carers are some of the most selfless people in the community. The work of carers is often unrecognised and carers themselves often do not receive the support they need to carry out their caring responsibilities or receive the support they need to look after themselves. Better recognition of carers and their needs will improve support to carers which will in turn improve the health and wellbeing of carers in our community.
Ending Period Poverty in the ACT
In June 2023,Orr passed her Period Products and Facilities (Access) Act[6] which requires the ACT Government to provide period products free of charge at designated and accessible places across the ACT. The Act ensures period products are freely available at places like schools,libraries and other suitable locations across Canberra. The Act also requires the ACT Government to ensure information on menstrual hygiene is publicly available,which is vital for a diverse cultural community like Canberra,where there are varying views on menstruation often being a ‘taboo’topic.
This legislation was the first of its kind with the ACT being the first jurisdiction in Australia to pass this nation leading reform. Orr accredited the Act in helping to address period stigma that is prevalent in society. Periods are a naturally bodily function yet carry a lot of stigma,which makes people feel like they can't talk about periods freely and openly.
The Act was inspired after a friend and fellow party member Pradeep Sornaraj,raised the issue of period poverty and stigma within the Gungahlin community.
Disability Inclusion
Orr plans to introduce a Disability Inclusion Bill[7] to the ACT before the end of 2023,to promote inclusion of people with disability in the ACT community. The Bill recognises and applies the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to the ACT,and establishes principles to protect and promote the rights of people with disability to realise their inclusion in the ACT community in full.
The Bill establishes a framework for creating disability inclusion strategies across government in priority areas of participation,such as health,education,employment,justice,and social inclusion,to be developed in consultation with people with disability and key stakeholders. The Bill will put the onus on those priority areas of participation to proactively remove existing barriers to full participation,equity,and inclusion,rather than have people with disability consistently seek accommodations at an individual level.
This legislation moves the ACT towards a social model of understanding and addressing disability,a profound and important shift in the way inequity is addressed in the ACT community.
Environment
Orr has a passion for looking after the environment and has advocated for a number of environmentally friendly initiatives for the ACT including;planting more trees around the Yerrabi electorate,trialling reusable coffee cup zones around Canberra,planting trees throughout Mabo Boulevard in Bonner,and organising community rubbish clean-up events.
Orr helped to secure the Green Caffeen reusable coffee cup program in the ACT,that has seen a considerable uptake from coffee shops and cafes all around Canberra. Orr was a big advocate in helping push the ACT Government to ban single-use plastics including;plastic cutlery,polystyrene takeaway food and beverage containers and plastic straws.
Community members at Budjan Galindji Grassland Nature Reserve
Notably,working with the Friends of Grasslands,Orr secured the commitment to have the Budjan Galindji Grassland Nature Reserve[8] (formally North Mitchell Grasslands) protected and listed as a nature reserve and incorporated into the Canberra Nature Park. The 20-hectre site had largely been overlooked until advocacy from Orr and Friends of Grasslands. Following the creation of the reserve a landscape plan has been developed and remediation works are ongoing.
Budjan Galindji protects critically endangered temperate grassland,a population of endangered Golden Sun Moth,populations of vulnerable stripped legless lizards and Perunga Grasshopper and is one of only 3 known populations of the Ginninderra Peppercress. A seed bank has also been established on the site to grow native plant stock to rewild the reserve and other sites in the region.
Giralang Shops
As an ex-Giralang resident,Orr helped to campaign for action on behalf of the Giralang community for the Giralang shops development to be completed. This initiative was in response to the previous developer,Nikias Diamond failing to complete construction of the shops for over 20 years.
In 2021,Orr sponsored a community petition,seeking an update from the developer on the development of the shops. Following the petition,the Committee for Transport Canberra and City Services held an inquiry into Nikias Diamond. In October 2022,Nikias Diamond announced that the site and current Development Application had been sold to TP Dynamics. The committee handed up its final report and found “that the barriers to development outlined by the previous developer,Giralang Property Group,have not been significant for the new developer who has been able to resolve these issues within 6 months of taking ownership of the site”.
Local Initiatives
Orr as the Member for Yerrabi,has aided the ACT Government in delivering a number of election commitments including;local park upgrades across Yerrabi,Casey Community Recreational Park,Franklin Dog Park,secured funding for the Gungahlin Community Centre.
Orr is also passionate about active travel and improving traffic and the intersections around the Gungahlin Town Centre. As an urban planner,Orr continues to work with the ACT Government on ways that congestion and traffic follow can be improved around the Gungahlin Town Centre.
Personal life
Orr with marriage equality supporters.
Orr is a qualified Urban Planner and is passionate about making cities the best they can be for the people that live in them,while at the same time minimising the impact urban lifestyles have on the environment.
She has admitted to smoking cannabis in her youth.[11]
In her spare time Orr loves balcony gardening,swimming,and practicing yoga. After a lifetime of being a dog person Orr adopted a cat,Portia Pie,in 2015 from the RSPCA. Portia regularly guest stars on Orr’s social media. [citation needed]
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