Jacinta Collins

Jacinta Mary Ann Collins (born 4 September 1962), is an Australian Labor Party (ALP) member of the Australian Senate. She served from May 1995 to 2005, and again from May 2008, representing the state of Victoria.

Born in Melbourne, Victoria, and educated at Monash University and La Trobe University, Collins was Social Welfare Officer and Research Officer and then National Industrial Officer with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association before entering politics. She was appointed to the Senate to fill a casual vacancy caused by the death of Senator Olive Zakharov. She was parliamentary secretary to the shadow minister for industrial relations and employment, training and population from October 1998 to November 2001. She was the shadow minister for children and youth from July 2003 to October 2004.

Senator Collins was defeated at the 2004 election, losing her seat to Steve Fielding of the Family First party. In 2006 she was preselected for the number one spot on the Labor ticket in Victoria for the 2007 federal election, replacing Senator Robert Ray, who did not contest the election. She was elected, and her term was due to start on 1 July 2008 when Ray's term expired, but he resigned on 5 May 2008 and Collins was appointed to the casual vacancy and sworn into the Senate later that month.

Senator Collins was promoted to the Executive of the Gillard Government when she was sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations on 14 September 2010. In March 2012 she was appointed Manager of Government Business in the Senate following the retirement of Senator Arbib.