Celia Hammond (politician)


Celia Monica Hammond is an Australian politician and former academic who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election. She is a member of the Liberal Party and represents the Division of Curtin in Western Australia. She previously served as the vice-chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia from 2008 to 2019.

Early life

Hammond was born in Northam, Western Australia, and moved to the Perth suburb of City Beach at the age of 10. She studied law at the University of Western Australia, graduating in 1991. Her father Kevin Hammond was the Chief Judge of the District Court of Western Australia.

Career

Hammond was admitted as a legal practitioner in 1992. She lectured at the University of Western Australia from 1994 to 1998, before accepting a position as a senior lecturer at the University of Notre Dame Australia's newly established Fremantle School of Law. She was subsequently promoted to professor and head of the law school, before being appointed vice-chancellor in 2008. She resigned the post in February 2019 to enter politics, although she had planned to retire later in the year.

Politics

In March 2019, Hammond won Liberal preselection for the Division of Curtin, following the retirement of the sitting member Julie Bishop. She is considered to be more conservative than her predecessor. She retained the seat for the Liberals with a reduced majority.