Janice Munt

Janice Ruth Munt (born 3 November 1955) is an Australian politician who represented the Labor Party in the Electoral district of Mordialloc from 2002 to 2010.

Early life

Munt was born in Melbourne, Victoria and educated at Highett High School. Before entering politics she worked variously as a company director, shop assistant, hair dresser's assistant, waitress, cook, clerk, employee of the Federal Department of Education, and customer service agent and was a volunteer with homeless, school, kindergarten, environmental, health and women’s organisations.

Political career

A member of the Labor Party, Munt ran for the Electoral district of Sandringham at the 1999 Victorian state election, earning a small swing in her favour.

She contested the neighbouring Electoral district of Mordialloc at the 2002 Victorian state election, defeating incumbent Liberal MP Geoff Leigh with a 7 percent swing in her favour.

Re-elected in 2006, Munt was targeted by anti-abortion organisations during her election campaign in 2010, having voted for abortion reform in parliament during 2008 and was narrowly defeated in the 2010 Victorian state election.

Munt was later a senior advisor to the Minister for Women and Prevention of Family Violence (2014–16), board chair of Central Bayside Community Health Services, and chair of the Better Health Network.