Sally Talbot

Dr. Sally Elizabeth Talbot (born 22 March 1953)^[1] is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Council since 2005, representing the region of South West. She is aligned to the left faction; and been an active member of Emily's List.

Whilst she held the position of Shadow Minister for ten portfolios from 2007 - 2013, since the McGowan and subsequently Cook governments came to power, she has not been appointed a Minister.^[2]

In July 2024, Talbot announced her retirement from politics.^[3]

Talbot came from a family active in the British Labour Party where politics was actively discussed and engaged in.^[4] At 16 she finished her secondary schooling and attended the Royal College of Music in London, specialising in the cello. She spent the next 15 years working as a musician,^[5] however she said her life always turned back to her interest in politics.^[6]

While attending Murdoch University in Perth in 1983, she joined the staff as a federal member of parliament, her first formal job in politics. In 2001 she became the Assistant Secretary of the Labor Party, a position she held until 2005. It was in this role that she discovered the importance of engaging ordinary citizens in politics to create a better community, thus it was important to have active and healthy political parties.^[6] She left her staff role with the party to become a member of parliament, and later as the first President of the Western Australian branch of the Labor Party to be elected by popular ballot in 2008.^[5]

Her doctorate in philosophy from Murdoch University was published, "Partial Reason: Critical and Constructive Transformations of Ethics and Epistemology".

Talbot was in a relationship with Wendy Fatin, a retired federal politician;^[6] a son David was born into their relationship in 1988.^[7] She has since married Jon Ford, a former Minister in the Gallop and Carpenter governments^[8] and they live in Denmark, Western Australia.

• WA Parliament bio