Dr Olivia Ball is an Australian human rights advocate and politician. She is serving as a member of the City of Melbourne council in Victoria, Australia.

Qualifications

Ball has a Masters in human rights from London University[1] and a PhD in international human rights law awarded by the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash University.[2]

Career

In her early career Ball worked as a psychologist before becoming a human rights researcher and activist.[3] Together with Paul Gready she co-authored "The No-Nonsense Guide to Human Rights".[4] She co-founded Remedy Australia with Nick Toonen[5] and has worked in the drug outreach program at Fitzroy Legal Service.[6]

Politics

Ball has been a member of the Australian Greens Victoria since 2001.[6] She was involved in several campaigns before being elected to the council of the City of Melbourne in the 2020 election.[7]

2016 Federal Election

Ball contested the electorate of Maribyrnong in the 2016 Australian Federal election, losing to incumbent and then leader of the ALP, Bill Shorten.[2]

2016 City of Melbourne Mayoral Election

Ball contested the 2016 Mayoral Election in the City of Melbourne.[3] She was the sole female lord mayoral candidate and attracted the support of former Lord Mayors Lecki Ord and Winsome McCaughey.[8] She was the runner-up to incumbent Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.

2020 City of Melbourne Council Election

Ball stood in the City of Melbourne Council Election in 2020 as the Victorian Greens' second candidate,[9] winning office along with lead candidate Rohan Leppert.[7] In November 2023 Ball was preselected as the lead candidate for the City of Melbourne Council Election due to be held in October 2024.

Advocacy

Ball opposes the practise of arbitrary detention in Australia and argues that it "falls to us to press our government to do the right thing."[10] She has criticised income tax cuts whilst "our elderly are dying in need of adequate care" and that we "must expect more of our government."[11]

She supports a medically supervised injecting service in the City of Melbourne[12] and advocates for increased naloxone availability across the city as a harm reduction measure.[13]

Personal life

Ball was born in East Melbourne and lives in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton.[6] She is the daughter of Australian actress Monica Maughan.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Green, Antony. "Federal Election 2016". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  2. 1 2 Davey, Melissa (2016-05-01). "Asylum seekers: Greens use Labor's 'key weakness' to attack Shorten's stronghold". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  3. 1 2 Lucas, Clay (2016-07-18). "Greens name human rights advocate Olivia Ball as Lord Mayor candidate". The Age. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  4. ↑ Ball, Olivia; Gready, Paul (2007). The No-Nonsense Guide to Human Rights. New Internationalist. ISBN 978-1904456452.
  5. ↑ "Founding Directors Remedy Australia". Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  6. 1 2 3 Car, Sean (2021-05-18). "Olivia gets the ball rolling on council". North West City News. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  7. 1 2 Durkin, Patrick (2020-11-04). "Sally Capp re-elected Melbourne mayor". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  8. ↑ Lucas, Clay (2016-09-20). "With Robert Doyle set for four more years, female mayors lament backward steps". The Age. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  9. ↑ Eddie, Rachel (2020-09-27). "The candidates competing for the keys to Melbourne Town Hall". The Age. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  10. ↑ Ball, Olivia (2015-04-07). "How we've failed as a nation on arbitrary detention". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  11. ↑ Ball, Olivia (2019-08-02). "We can have the aged care we need: opinion". Australian Ageing Agenda. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  12. ↑ Booker, Chloe (2021-05-25). "After furious debate, Melbourne council votes to support safe-injecting room in CBD". The Age. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  13. ↑ Abbott, Lachlan (2023-11-22). "Vending machines for clean syringes and opioid treatment proposed by Melbourne City". The Age. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  14. ↑ Munro, Kelsey (2010-01-09). "Monica Maughan, veteran of stage and screen, dies". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
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