{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Ruth Webber | honorific_suffix = | image = | title = Senator for Western Australia | term_start = 1 July 2002 | term_end = 30 June 2008 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1965|3|24}} | birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | party = Australian Labor Party | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Ruth Stephanie Webber''' (born 24 March 1965) is an Australian politician. She was a Labor member of the Australian Senate from 2002 to 2008, representing the state of Western Australia.
==Early life== Webber was born in Melbourne on 24 March 1965.<ref name=aph>{{cite news|url=https://handbook.aph.gov.au/Parliamentarian/00AOT|title=Webber, Ruth Stephanie|work=Parliamentary Handbook|access-date=14 October 2024|publisher=Parliament of Australia}}</ref> Her grandfather Paul Green was the Victorian state president of the Australian Workers' Union.<ref name=maiden>{{cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F2002-08-20%2F0104%22|title=First speech|work=Hansard|first=Ruth|last=Webber|date=20 August 2002|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref>
Webber joined the ALP in 1984. She was assistant coordinator of the Women's Electoral Lobby from 1985 to 1986. She was first elected as a delegate to ALP state and national conferences in 1986. Prior to her own election to parliament, Webber worked as a staffer for state housing minister Jim McGinty from 1992 to 1993 and as an electorate officer for Senator Chris Evans from 1993 to 1997. She was subsequently assistant state secretary of the ALP in Western Australia from 1998 to 2001.<ref name=aph/>
==Senate== At the 2001 federal election, Webber was elected to the Senate in second position on the ALP's ticket in Western Australia, winning a six-year term beginning on 1 July 2002. She was a member of a number of Senate committees and also served as a deputy whip from 2004 to 2008.<ref name=aph/>
In November 2004, Webber was charged with wilfully misleading police and driving a vehicle on a suspended licence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-11-08/wa-politician-charged-with-misleading-police/581824|title=WA politician charged with misleading police, driving offences|publisher=ABC News|date=8 November 2004|access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> The charges related to an incident on the day of the 2004 election, where she was "caught speeding in her Commonwealth car in Perth's northern suburbs [...] while travelling between polling booths".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-10-15/senator-faces-charges-on-misleading-police/568900|title=Senator faces charges on misleading police|date=15 October 2004|access-date=14 October 2024|publisher=ABC News}}</ref> Webber was convicted of driving while suspended in March 2005 and fined $200, while the charge of misleading police was ultimately withdrawn.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/senator-fined-over-driving-20050304-gdzpoi.html|title=Senator fined over driving|date=4 March 2005|access-date=14 October 2024|newspaper=The Age}}</ref>
In October 2006, Webber was relegated to third position on the ALP's Senate ticket for the next federal election, with Louise Pratt taking the higher position on the ticket.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-10-04/labors-webber-loses-preselection-fight/1278092|title=Labor's Webber loses preselection fight|publisher=ABC News|date=4 October 2006|access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> The following month, she reportedly voted for Kevin Rudd over incumbent leader Kim Beazley in an ALP leadership spill.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/factions-left-behind-in-leadership-vote-20061205-ge3q03.html|title=Factions left behind in leadership vote|newspaper=The Age|date=5 December 2006|access-date=14 October 2024|first=Jewel|last=Topsfield}}</ref> Webber failed to win re-election at the 2007 federal election with her term concluding on 30 June 2008.<ref name=aph/> She was the last candidate to be eliminated, with Greens candidate Scott Ludlam winning the final seat.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senate Results: Distribution of Preferences Western Australia |url=https://results.aec.gov.au/13745/website/External/SenateStateDop-13745-WA.pdf |access-date=2021-11-05 |website=Australian Electoral Commission |language=en}}</ref>
===Positions=== In August 2006, Webber stated she would support a private member's bill to extend stem cell research in Australia and would co-sponsor a bill being prepared by Democrats senator Natasha Stott Despoja.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-08-16/patterson-to-introduce-stem-cell-bill/1240436|title=Patterson to introduce stem cell Bill|date=18 August 2006|access-date=14 October 2024|publisher=ABC News}}</ref>
Webber publicly criticised the 457 visa scheme in September 2006, stating businesses were abusing the scheme to bring in cheap foreign labour while local workers were unemployed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-08/senator-accuses-abattoir-of-misusing-457-visas/1258294|title=Senator accuses abattoir of misusing 457 visas|date=8 September 2006|publisher=ABC News|access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref>
==Later activities== In 2009, as part of a review of the Gold Pass scheme for former federal MPs, it was reported that Webber had received nearly $50,000 of free air travel between July and December 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/exmp-clocks-48516-of-travel-20090702-d6ld.html|title=Ex-MP clocks $48,516 of travel|first=Phillip|last=Hudson|newspaper=The Age|date=3 July 2009|access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> The following year, ''The West Australian'' reported that she was working as a lobbyist for Halden Burns and had taken "147 flights worth $116,662 between June 2008 and June 2010 but was forced to repay 20 flights worth $18,855 after a Finance Department audit of her taxpayer-funded travel".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/push-to-halt-ex-mp-flight-freebies-ng-ya-188701|title=Push to halt ex-MP flight freebies|newspaper=The West Australian|date=8 December 2010|access-date=14 October 2024|first1=Nick|last1=Butterly|first2=Andrew|last2=Probyn}}</ref>
In January 2015, Webber became chief executive officer of Down Syndrome Australia, at which time she was also deputy president of the Mental Illness Fellowship of Western Australia and a board member of Women's Health Works and Carers Western Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Osborne-Crowley|first=Lucia|date=2015-02-16|title=Ruth Webber appointed CEO of Down Syndrome Australia |url=https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/ruth-webber-appointed-ceo-of-down-syndrome-australia/ |access-date=2021-11-05 |website=Women's Agenda |language=en-AU}}</ref> She resigned as CEO in June 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 July 2016 |title=DSA CEO Resigns |url=http://www.downsyndrome.org.au/news/CEO_resignation.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218072451/http://www.downsyndrome.org.au/news/CEO_resignation.html |archive-date=2017-02-18 |url-status=dead |website=Down Syndrome Australia}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Webber, Ruth}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Labor Left politicians Category:Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia Category:Members of the Australian Senate Category:Women members of the Australian Senate Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:21st-century Australian women politicians