Family background
McKenzie was born in Melbourne Australia,educated at Lauriston Girls School in Armadale and attended the University of Melbourne,where she undertook Law and Arts,focusing on French,German and Spanish language studies in her arts degree. [3]
McKenzie was raised by her mother,Ann Shanahan,who practised as a cardio-thoracic surgeon and lawyer,through most of her professional life. [4]
At the age of 15,Zoe undertook an exchange to France,attending school and living with a French family in a small village near Valence. [4]
At University,she worked as a research assistant to Professor Greg Craven and Professor Cheryl Saunders,at the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies and as a part time junior adviser to Attorney General Jan Wade,in the Kennett Government. [5]
Career
McKenzie undertook articles with Corrs Chambers Westgarth and practised in industrial relations law before joining the private office of Federal Attorney General Daryl Williams AM QC,with responsibility for constitutional law,criminal justice and reform of the marriage celebrant scheme. [6]
McKenzie then joined Freehill Hollingdale and Page (later Freehills,now Herbert Smith Freehills) in industrial relations and employment law becoming a Senior Associate with the firm in 2003. [7]
In 2004 she returned to policy work,first becoming an adviser to federal Education,Science and Training Minister Brendan Nelson,with responsibility for vocational education,and later higher education,then working in senior policy and chief of staff roles in the Communications and Arts portfolio. [8] [9]
Upon its election in late 2010,McKenzie worked as a political staffer for the Baillieu Coalition Government with responsibility for education and culture policy issues, [8] before returning to Federal Government on the election of Tony Abbott in 2013,as Chief of Staff to the Minister for Trade and Investment,Andrew Robb. [10]
McKenzie joined the board of the Australia Council for the Arts in 2016,and the NBN Ltd in 2018,resigning from these roles in late 2021 to contest pre-selection for the seat of Flinders. [11] She has also sat on the Committee for Mornington Peninsula. [12]
