Cash graduated from Curtin University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts with a triple major in public relations, politics, and journalism.[6] She also holds an Honours Degree in Law from the University of London and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Western Australia.[7] After graduating from Curtin she spent three years backpacking overseas, travelling mostly through Israel, Egypt and Turkey.[4]
Cash joined the Liberal Party in 1988.[4] She was an executive member of the Curtin University Young Liberals from 1988 to 1990 and then the Western Australian Young Liberal Movement where she held numerous positions including State Vice-President. She was a long-time member of the Liberal Party of Western Australia's State Council and was the President of the Moore Division. She has also served on the Party's state executive.[citation needed]
Prior to her political career, Cash was a solicitor with the law firm Freehills where she worked from 1999 to 2008. She practised in all areas of employment and industrial law including industrial relations, employee relations, occupational health and safety, equal opportunity, executive employment and unfair dismissal.[8]
Political career
Cash won preselection for the Liberal Party Senate ticket in 2007 and went on to be elected to the Federal Parliament at the 2007 federal election. She contested the election as the number three candidate of the Liberal Senate ticket in Western Australia.
Since joining Federal Parliament, Cash has served on numerous Senate Committees and held the role of Temporary Chair of Committees from February to September 2010. In September 2010, while in opposition, Cash was elevated to the roles of Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Status of Women and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration. During this period, Cash was also appointed Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.
In October 2017, the Australian Workers' Union offices were raided by the Australian Federal Police, and media were tipped off prior to the event. Cash advised the Senate Estimates that a staffer of hers found out about the raid from "a media source" and then spread the word to more journalists, having previously denied to an Estimates hearing on the previous day that her office had any involvement.[11][12] The staffer in question resigned.[13] Cash was ordered to turn over documents in her department relating to the raid.[14] Cash's legal fees for her response to a federal court subpoena were paid for through taxpayer funding.[15] The raids were eventually held to be valid by the Full Federal Court in November 2020.[16]
Cash has been criticised for refusing to release a report into an 18-year-old who died while on a Work for the Dole assignment in April 2016. At the time, Cash promised to release the report within a month, as of April 2018 the final report was not completed, and an internal report to Cash completed in September 2016 had not been released.[19]
On 29 March 2021, it was announced that Cash would be appointed as Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations in a cabinet reshuffle replacing Christian Porter, following advice from the solicitor-general that Porter could not remain Attorney General while taking legal action against the ABC and their reporting on allegations of historic sexual assault.[23][24] She was sworn in the following day.[25]
Cash would become caught up in the controversy of the 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations. Having employed Ms Higgins’ after she left Linda Reynolds’ office, Cash has been accused of aiding the coverup, following allegations she was aware of incident and may have mistreated the young staffer.[26] Cash rejects claims she knew of rape allegation while the ex-staffer worked for her, calling for the five hour recording of her conversations with Higgins be released to the National Anti Corruption Commission in order for "the public to listen to themselves that five hour recording."[27]
In October 2023, Cash spoke on an unsuccessful motion to overturn ACT legislative rights to decriminalise possession laws for some drugs, claiming that tourists will come down the Hume Highway for the “ACT party lifestyle” and can do “about 15 lines” in the ACT because of its laws.[28] Cash’s comments were widely ridiculed and followed comments from her ACT Liberal counterparts that the federal government shouldn’t interfere with ACT’s laws.[29]
In May 2024 , Cash accused Labor senator Fatima Payman of supporting terrorists and tried to force Penny Wong to say whether Payman had been reprimanded for her comments in supporting Palestine during which Payman accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinian in Gaza during Hamas-Israel war, and Payman use of the phrase 'from the river to the sea Palestine will be free' .[30][31]
Cash is married to Richard Price, a barrister. They met while working together at the same law firm. Price is the brother of late political journalist Matt Price.[4]
Cash was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 25, which progressed into psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. She was unable to have children due to the associated medication, and "also never wanted to risk passing on a chronic illness to another person".[4]
^Turnbull, Malcolm (19 December 2017). "Ministerial Arrangements" (Press release). Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018. Senator Michaelia Cash will become Minister for Jobs and Innovation, charged with harnessing the policies of the government to create more jobs and job opportunities. Senator Cash will be a key part of the Government's economic team working to deliver on our commitment of more jobs, more investment, and stronger economic growth.
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