Anne Ruston
Counted against the divisions held while they sat, not the whole parliament. Absence from a division is not abstention: pairing arrangements, leave and parliamentary duties are not distinguished in the official record. How these figures are computed.
Background
| Born | 10 Jun 1963, Renmark, South Australia |
|---|---|
| Entered parliament | 5 Sep 2012 |
| Parliaments | 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th |
| Qualification | Institution |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Business | University of Southern Queensland |
Occupations before parliament
| Role | Organisation | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Owner/operator | Ruston's Roses | 2003 – 2012 |
| Chief Executive | National Wine Centre | 1996 – 2002 |
| Senior Policy Adviser | Minister for Industrial Affairs, Tourism, Recreation, Sport and Racing (SA) | 1993 – 1996 |
| Electorate officer | 1987 – 1993 |
Positions held
| Role | Ministry | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (shadow) | Dutton Shadow Ministry; Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 25 Jan 2025 | current |
| Shadow Cabinet Minister | Dutton Shadow Ministry; Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 5 Jun 2022 | current |
| Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care | Dutton Shadow Ministry; Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 5 Jun 2022 | current |
| Temporary Chair of Committees | current | ||
| Shadow Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme | Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 28 May 2025 | 17 Feb 2026 |
| Shadow Minister for Sport | Dutton Shadow Ministry; Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 5 Jun 2022 | 17 Feb 2026 |
| Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate (shadow) | Dutton Shadow Ministry | 5 Jun 2022 | 25 Jan 2025 |
| Minister for Women's Safety | Morrison Ministry (2nd) | 30 Mar 2021 | 23 May 2022 |
| Minister for Families and Social Services | Morrison Ministry (2nd) | 29 May 2019 | 23 May 2022 |
| Cabinet Minister | Morrison Ministry (2nd) | 29 May 2019 | 23 May 2022 |
| Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific | Morrison Ministry; Morrison Ministry (2nd) | 28 Aug 2018 | 29 May 2019 |
| Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources | Turnbull Ministry; Turnbull Ministry (2nd); Morrison Ministry | 21 Sep 2015 | 28 Aug 2018 |
Committee service
| Committee | Role | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work and Care Senate Select | Member | 4 Aug 2022 | current |
| Procedure Senate Standing | Member | 1 Aug 2022 | current |
| Appropriations, Staffing and Security Senate Standing | Member | 2 Jul 2019 | current |
| Selection of Bills Senate Standing | Member | 2 Jul 2019 | current |
| Murray-Darling Basin Plan Senate Select | Member | 25 Jun 2015 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Joint Select | Member | 23 Jun 2015 | 25 Jun 2015 |
| Scrutiny of Government Budget Measures (formerly Abbott Government's Budget Cuts) Senate Select | Substitute member | 12 Dec 2014 | 12 Dec 2014 |
| Education and Employment: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 3 Mar 2015 |
| Education and Employment: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 3 Mar 2015 |
| House Senate Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Procedure Senate Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 14 Oct 2015 |
| Selection of Bills Senate Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Substitute member | 15 Apr 2014 | 16 Apr 2014 |
| Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Joint Select | Member | 2 Dec 2013 | 1 Jul 2014 |
| Electoral Matters Joint Standing | Member | 2 Dec 2013 | 1 Jul 2014 |
| National Broadband Network Senate Select | Member | 2 Dec 2013 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Environment and Communications: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Chair from 1 Jul 2014 to 12 Oct 2015 | 13 Nov 2013 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Privileges Senate Standing | Member | 13 Nov 2013 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Public Works Joint Statutory | Member | 13 Nov 2013 | 27 Mar 2014 |
| Scrutiny of Bills Senate Standing | Member | 13 Nov 2013 | 1 Jul 2014 |
| Senators' Interests Senate Standing | Member | 13 Nov 2013 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Substitute member | 23 Nov 2012 | 23 Nov 2012 |
| Human Rights Joint Statutory | Member | 29 Oct 2012 | 5 Aug 2013 |
| Public Accounts and Audit Joint Statutory | Member | 12 Sep 2012 | 1 Jul 2014 |
| Environment and Communications: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 11 Sep 2012 | 12 Oct 2015 |
Memberships as the Parliamentary Handbook records them; current means no end date is recorded.
Election history
| Election | Electorate | Party | First pref % | Swing | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 federal election | Senate, South Australia | Liberal | 27.57 | Elected 4th of 6 | |
| 2019 federal election | Senate, South Australia | Liberal | 37.81 | Elected 1st of 6 | |
| 2016 federal election | Senate, South Australia | Liberal | 32.58 | Elected 7th of 12 |
First-preference share of the formal vote at each event, matched by name within the member's state. A Senate row gives the whole group's share of the state's formal vote, since most Senate votes are cast for a group above the line.
Parliamentary expenses
| Category | Apr-Jun 2026 | Jan-Mar 2026 | Oct-Dec 2025 | Jul-Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Travel | $74,596 | $64,059 | $85,344 | $54,945 |
| Office Facilities | $23,534 | $20,080 | $37,588 | $42,797 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $15,170 | $19,048 | $32,491 | $23,948 |
| Travel Allowance | $13,884 | $9,742 | $20,626 | $6,262 |
| Office Administration | $11,382 | $6,618 | $6,193 | $10,342 |
| Other Car Costs | $2,195 | $6,579 | $5,322 | $8,336 |
| Unscheduled Commercial Transport | $990 | $1,171 | -$872 | $7,210 |
| Telecommunications | $1,986 | $2,045 | $2,152 | $1,302 |
| Family or Nominee Travel | $2,740 | $774 | $0 | $1,521 |
| Total | $146,475 | $130,116 | $188,843 | $156,662 |
Expenditure as the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority publishes it each quarter, in its own categories, rounded to the dollar. Travel distances, office locations and roles differ, so totals do not compare between members. IPEA's reports and notes.
Funding disclosures
| Election | Electorate | Donations | Donors | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 federal election | Senate, South Australia | Nil return | ||
| 2019 federal election | Senate, South Australia | Nil return | ||
| 2016 federal election | Senate, South Australia | Nil return | ||
Returns as lodged with the AEC: a candidate's return covers the gifts received and electoral expenditure for that election, a member's annual return the gifts received in the financial year. A nil return records no gifts or spending of the candidate's own. A party-endorsed candidate lodges one when the party or its campaign committee handled the campaign's money, and the party discloses it in its own returns. AEC Transparency Register.
Bills raised
| Bill | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Aged Care Amendment (Restoring Human Override for Aged Care Needs Assessments) Bill 2026 | Sponsor | Before Reps |
Sponsor marks the member's own bill; Introduced marks bills they moved, typically as the responsible minister.
Voting record 447 divisions
Photo: Gabinete Primeiru-Ministru: S.Exa. Taur Matan Ruak (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikidata, Parliamentary Handbook, AEC (CC BY 4.0), IPEA (CC BY 3.0 AU), AEC disclosures (CC BY 4.0), They Vote For You (ODbL). Errors? Request a correction.