Penny Sharpe

The Honourable Penny Sharpe MLC
Penny Sharpe in October 2023
Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 March 2023
Premier	Chris Minns
Deputy	John Graham
Preceded by	Damien Tudehope
Minister for the Environment Minister for Heritage Minister for Climate Change
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 March 2023
Premier	Chris Minns
Preceded by	James Griffin (as Minister for Environment and Heritage)
Minister for Energy
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 March 2023
Premier	Chris Minns
Preceded by	Matt Kean
Opposition roles Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council In office 8 June 2021 – 28 March 2023 Deputy John Graham Preceded by Adam Searle Succeeded by Damien Tudehope Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council In office 2 July 2019 – 14 May 2021 Leader Jodi McKay Preceded by Walt Secord Succeeded by John Graham Leader of the Opposition in New South Wales Acting In office 25 March 2019 – 29 June 2019 Premier Gladys Berejiklian Preceded by Michael Daley Succeeded by Jodi McKay Deputy Leader of the Opposition in New South Wales In office 10 November 2018 – 29 June 2019 Leader Michael Daley Preceded by Michael Daley Succeeded by Yasmin Catley
Party positions Leader of the New South Wales Labor Party Acting In office 25 March 2019 – 29 June 2019 Preceded by Michael Daley Succeeded by Jodi McKay Deputy Leader of the New South Wales Labor Party In office 10 November 2018 – 25 March 2019 Leader Michael Daley Preceded by Michael Daley Succeeded by Yasmin Catley
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2015
In office 11 October 2005 – 5 March 2015
Preceded by	Carmel Tebbutt
Councillor of Marrickville Council for West Ward
In office 23 March 2004 – 13 September 2008
Personal details
Born	(1970-10-22) 22 October 1970 (age 54) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Political party	Labor
Spouse	Jo Tilly
Children	3
Alma mater	University of New South Wales
Website	www.pennysharpe.com

Penelope Gail Sharpe (born 22 October 1970) is an Australian politician. She has served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2005, representing the Labor Party. Since March 2023, Sharpe is the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council and the Vice-President of the Executive Council since Labor's election victory in March 2023, having previously served as leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council between 2021 and 2023.

In the Labor Party leadership contest in November 2018, Sharpe was elected Deputy Leader under Michael Daley. After Daley's resignation in the aftermath of the March 2019 state election, Sharpe became interim Leader, serving until the June leadership election, which she did not contest. She was succeeded as leader by Jodi McKay and as deputy leader by Yasmin Catley.^[1][2]

Sharpe was briefly absent from the Legislative Council in 2015 when she resigned to contest the Legislative Assembly seat of Newtown at the 2015 state election. Newtown was a new seat partially replacing Carmel Tebbutt's abolished seat of Marrickville, which had been left open by Tebbutt's retirement. Sharpe was defeated in Newtown by Greens candidate Jenny Leong, and was subsequently re-appointed to the Legislative Council to fill her own vacancy.

Sharpe, a mother of three, was the first open lesbian to serve in the New South Wales parliament.^[3] Sharpe is aligned with the Labor Left faction.^[4]