Steph is committed to fighting for our community and is not afraid to rock the boat if it means ensuring our region gets the services we deserve. Her vision for the Cootamundra electorate is not unlike her approach to life – one that protects and preserves but also builds and grows our assets and people.
Since 2017, Steph Cooke has served the people of the Cootamundra electorate in the NSW Legislative Assembly after winning the October by-election following the retirement of long-serving MP Katrina Hodgkinson.
Coming from humble beginnings, raised as a Temora local, Steph from a young age has always been heavily involved in communities around the region including through sport, business, and volunteering.
As Steph entered adulthood, she took the opportunity to establish a successful career in Sydney which included stints in marketing, customer relations and branding which saw her take up an executive leadership role at just 21.
A yearning for community spirit and the unbeatable experience of rural living lured Steph back to the country where she ran a successful floristry business with outlets in Cootamundra, Temora and Young which, in 2012, was recognised as NSW Florist of the Year.
Steph’s local knowledge combined with her passion for politics has driven her to be in every town, on every issue, in what she describes as ‘the seat of small communities’. Describing herself as a fighter, Steph aims to leave no stone unturned in getting the best possible outcomes for the communities in the Cootamundra electorate.
In 2023 Steph was appointed the Shadow Minister for Water and the Shadow Minister for Crown Lands, both areas are highly relevant to the region and both important portfolios to communities right across the state.
Steph has served in several roles since entering NSW Parliament including Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience, Minister for Flood Recovery, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier and the Nationals Whip.
Steph has also been a member of several NSW Parliament committees including the Legislative Assembly Committee on Investment, Joint Select Committee on Protecting Local Water Utilities from Privatisation, Industry and Regional Development, the Standing Orders and Procedure Committee, Legislative Assembly Committee on Community Services, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, the Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control and the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety of which she was Deputy Chair.
Steph was re-elected as the Member for Cootamundra at the 2023 State election.
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