Sally Talbot

Dr. Sally Elizabeth Talbot (born 22 March 1953) 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.

In July 2024, Talbot announced her retirement from politics.

Biography
Talbot came from a family active in the British Labour Party where politics was actively discussed and engaged in. 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, however she said her life always turned back to her interest in politics.

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. 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.

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

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