Maria Vamvakinou

Maria Vamvakinou (born 4 January 1959) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2025, representing the Division of Calwell in Victoria.

Early life

Vamvakinou was born in Lefkada, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. She arrived in Australia with her family in 1963 at the age of four, settling in Melbourne. She renounced her Greek citizenship in 2000 prior to standing for parliament. Vamvakinou was educated at public schools in Carlton and Brunswick before going on to attend Princes Hill High School. She went on to complete a diploma in education and worked as a high school teacher from 1982 to 1987, She was the first woman born in Greece to serve in the federal parliament, and was re-elected on seven further occasions up to the 2022 federal election. As of November 2023, she was co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine.

On 9 June 2024, Vamvakinou announced that she would not re-contest her seat at the 2025 election. She endorsed her former adviser, Basem Abdo, a fellow member of the ALP Socialist Left faction, to replace her.