Catryna Bilyk

Born in Tasmania, and having lived there for most of her life, Catryna Bilyk was elected as a Labor Senator for Tasmania in November 2007, taking her seat in the Senate on 1 July 2008. She was re-elected in September 2013 for a second six-year term. She is married to Robert and has two adult children.

Prior to being elected to the Senate, Catryna worked in a variety of positions and roles including administration, research and child care. She joined the Australian Services Union Tasmanian Branch as an Industrial Officer, later becoming the Branch Training Officer, and was responsible for setting up the first Union Jobskills Program, as well as representing the Union on many Industry Training Advisory Boards. She has also represented the ASU Tasmanian Branch as a delegate to Unions Tasmania and held the position of Senior Vice President of Unions Tasmania.

Catryna was employed by the Tasmanian Government as an Advisor/Electorate Officer with Tasmanian Government Ministers David Crean MLC, David Llewellyn MHA and Ken Bacon MHA.

She has been active in a variety of Australian Labor Party (ALP) roles at Branch, State and Federal levels, including local branch Secretary and President, State Administrative Committee member, Policy Committee member (State and Federal), Labor Women’s Network Convenor for Tasmania, National Secretary of the Labor Women’s Network, ALP National Executive Member and ALP National Vice President.

In her capacity as a Senator, Catryna has served on many Senate committees, including as Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety and later the Senate Select Committee on Cyber-Safety. She is currently a member of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee, Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation and References Committees, Senate Select Committee on the National Broadband Network and the Senate Selection of Bills Committee, as well as Deputy Chair of the Senate Publications Committee and the Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, and Chair of the Senators’ Interests Committee.

Catryna is currently the Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate, and the co-convenor of Parliamentarians Against Child Abuse and Neglect (PACAN), the Brain Tumour Awareness Group (BTAG), Parliamentary Friends of End of Life and the Australia-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group.