Senator Deborah O’Neill

Class of 1978

Senator for NSW
Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services
Chair of Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation
Deputy Chair of Standing Committee of Privileges

St Patrick’s College was a place of growth in my creativity, values and faith. Little did I know when I showed up, aged 11, at the front gate in my uniform, hat and gloves that my six years at the top of that hill in Campbelltown would remain a vital part of who I am today. 

I am thankful for the lifelong friends I made and for the great teachers who developed in me a love of learning and faith.

My parents, working-class Irish migrants, had very limited education but made a great life for us in Australia. Without their efforts, I would never have had the Good Samaritan immersion experience. 

So many teachers left a positive mark on me. I am thankful to all of them. I know the value of a teacher who can unleash a journey of lifelong learning in a single lesson. 

I am thankful for:

Mrs Writer – the first teacher to introduce me to Shakespeare via Julius Caesar in Room 17.

Ms Milne – for the tools to deconstruct texts and think critically.

Mrs Yule – for introducing me to John Donne’s poetry in her iconic Scottish accent.

Mrs Sneddon and Mrs Malone – for all the music, musicals and trips to the Sydney Opera House.

Sister Magdalena – for her kind heart and demonstration of how to hold yourself to moral account without judging another.

Mrs Davies – for her fabulous teaching methodology and introducing me to ancient and medieval history.

Of course, it was an honour to be selected to the St Patrick’s College team for the popular TV quiz show, “It’s Academic”. And I was on the SRC in Years 7, 11 and 12. It was great preparation for the committees I now chair in Parliament. I recall one act of kindness by Mrs White, our school librarian, who knew of my love for knowledge and that being the eldest of a large family, it was difficult to find quiet places to study at home. On the weekend before the HSC, she gave me a key to the school library! 

These are just some of the opportunities at St Patrick’s that helped me develop into the woman I am today. Since school, I have continued my journey into education and community service, working as an English and humanities teacher in the Catholic school system from 1985 to 2000, and then lecturing in Education at the University of Newcastle until 2010.

I proudly ran for the Labor Party at the NSW election in 2003 but, unfortunately, did not succeed. In 2010 I ran for the Federal House of Representative Central Coast-based seat of Robertson in 2010 and won. After the election defeat of 2013, I moved to the Australian Senate. There I continue to represent the state of New South Wales. As a Senator, I work to implement the values of social justice and strive to help deliver legislation for the common good. It’s a different space to a classroom but I still use all the skills I developed at St Patrick’s College Campbelltown, and remain ever grateful for the opportunity to have studied there.