User:Sharifslamet/Kathleen Maltzahn

Kathleen Maltzahn (born 19 September 1966), is an Australian politician, and member of the Victorian Greens Party. She is best known for her work as an author, women’s rights and anti-trafficking campaigner, and Greens councillor for the City of Yarra from 2004 to 2008. She is currently the Greens candidate for the State Electoral District of Richmond for the 2010 Victorian State Election.

Background
Kathleen Maltzahn was born in Morwell, Victoria, and moved with her family to the Northern Melbourne suburb of Preston, age two.

Maltzahn attended high school in Melbourne’s inner-east, and completed her Higher School Certificate (HSC) in 1984. She commenced study at the University of Melbourne the following year, and completed her Bachelor of Arts in 1988, returning in 1996 to undertake a postgraduate diploma in women's studies.

Maltzahn currently resides in the inner-city suburb of North Fitzroy.

Women’s Rights and Anti-Trafficking Work
From 1989 to 1990, and 1992-1995, Maltzahn worked in the Philippines on initiatives aimed at combating violence against women in the Filipino sex industry, working directly with Filipino sex workers. After returning to Australia, she undertook and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Women’s Studies in 1996.

In 1998, Maltzahn founded Project Respect, an organisation committed to challenging violence against women in the sex industry. Under her leadership, Project Respect successfully spearheaded a national campaign on trafficking for prostitution that led the Federal Government to change sexual slavery legislation, end the mandatory deportation of trafficking victims and introduce a $20 million package on trafficking.

In 2008, Maltzahn authored Traffic, the first book length account about the trafficking of women as prostitutes in Australia for the illegal sex industry, published by University of New South Wales Press.

Maltzahn was also the executive director of Women’s Health in the North – an organization in Melbourne’s Northern metropolitan region for the prevention of violence against women, and the promotion of sexual health and female reproductive rights – from which she resigned in 2010 to campaign full-time as a Greens candidate for the Victorian Legislative Assembly in the seat of Richmond at the upcoming 2010 Victorian State Election.

Political Career
Councillor for the City of Yarra (2004-2008)

Kathleen served as a Greens councillor on the City of Yarra council from 2004 to 2008. During her tenure, she chaired council’s Disability Advisory Committee, Bicycle Advisory Committee, chaired the Finance and Human Services Committee, and instigated and chaired council’s Male Sexual Violence Prevention Policy Working Group.

2010 Victorian State Election Candidacy

On July 3 2009, Kathleen Maltzahn was preselected as the Victorian Greens candidate for the state Legislative Assembly in the inner-Melbourne seat of Richmond.

In regards to her preselection, Maltzahn said: “people get climate change. They want the government to make real change.” Maltzahn remarked upon the increasing number of Greens members being elected to various levels of government across the country as evidence that winning the seat of Richmond is a real possibility.

The Electoral District of Richmond is the second most winnable Victorian state seat for the Greens, after the District of Melbourne. In order to unseat incumbent Labor MP, Richard Wynne, Maltzahn requires a swing to the Greens of only 3.64%. Given the consistently strong, and growing, support for the Greens in the opinion polls since the 2006 Victorian State Election, Maltzahn’s chances of wresting the seat from the ALP appear to be very strong.

Maltzahn is running on a policy platform of increased availability of childcare services, increased public education spending, improved public transport, support for culture and the arts, housing affordability, ending old-growth logging, sustainable urban growth and planning, and strong climate change action.