"I am passionate about making life better for our community."
Joy Burch MLA, Member for Brindabella
Minister for Community Services
Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Minister for Ageing
Minister for Women
Minister for Gaming and Racing
Minister for the Arts
Joy is passionate about making life better for our community and draws on a wide range of professional experiences.
Joy trained as a nurse and has graduate and post graduate qualifications.
She managed her own childcare business, managed community health and support services, and worked in policy roles in both the government and non government sectors.
Prior to her election to the Legislative Assembly in 2008, Joy was CEO of a national organisation working with the university sector for improved health through research, workforce training.
Joy has a strong commitment to accessible and affordable health care; access high quality education services; and well planned and sustained growth across the Brindabella area.
The sum of Joy's experiences has given her a well rounded insight into the importance of effective, socially progressive governments. Joy lives with her husband and three sons in Tuggeranong.
Past positions
- Executive Director. National secretariat, coordinating and consultancy unit for the University Departments of Rural Health. National consultancies include review of national allied health services program, national audit health student clinical placement demand and supply, review Indigenous health workforce strategy; editing team and publisher of a text Book of Australian Rural Health used in training our future health workforce; oversee international peer reviewed journal.
- Federal Department Executive. Progressed the Indigenous Health Workforce reform agenda.
- Executive Director, Northern Territory Remote Health Workforce Agency. Established new NGO in the Northern Territory supporting general practice services, including in remote Indigenous communities; increased the number of GP services in remote areas by 30%.
- CEO Victorian regional health and community support service. including community nursing, palliative care, aged care services, allied health services, aged and disability respite accommodation, family counseling, supported accommodation, neighborhood house, playgroup, telecentres. Reengineered services into a comprehensive integrated primary health care services. Established a fly in service bringing specialists and other services into the region. The first of its kind in Victoria and it is still running.
- Owner and operator Child Care Centre. Established and operated a childcare centre in Southern New South Wales.
- TAFE. Course coordinator/lecturer for childcare workers and Home and Community Care workers.
