Sarah Mitchell

Sarah Mitchell (née Johnston) (born 10 May 1982) is an Australian politician. She has been a The Nationals member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since March 2011.

Mitchell was born in Gunnedah, and moved to Grafton as a child. She moved back to Gunnedah while in high school, graduating from Gunnedah High School in 1999. She moved to Sydney in 2001, and studied politics and international relations at the University of New South Wales. Mitchell later moved back to Gunnedah, where she worked as an electorate officer for former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson. She continued working for Mark Coulton, Anderson's successor as local MP, upon Anderson's 2007 retirement.^[1]

She was later elected president of the federal Young Nationals and chairman of the state Young Nationals, positions which she held until her election to parliament.^[2] She was preselected for the eleventh position on the Coalition Legislative Council ticket for the 2011 state election in April 2010; while normally unwinnable, the near-record size of the Coalition's victory saw her emerge victorious for the last seat in an extremely close race with far-right independent Pauline Hanson.^[3][4] She married Anthony Mitchell in April 2011, and took her husband's name; she had been elected two weeks before under her maiden name of Johnston.^[5][6]

She has served on several standing and select committees, and currently sits on the General Purpose Standing Committee No. 3. During her first years in Parliament, Sarah chaired the General Purpose Standing Committee No. 4, which undertook an inquiry into medicinal cannabis, resulting in a report unanimously in favour of the provision of medicinal cannabis for the terminally ill.

Sarah is currently the Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Health and Western NSW, and was appointed to this portfolio on 24 April 2015.

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