Vale Virginia Judge

Virginia Judge, former Strathfield Councillor (1995-2004), Mayor of Strathfield (2000-2003) and State Member for Strathfield (2003-2011) has died. In her nearly two decades of political involvement, she made significant contributions to the municipality and regional area of Strathfield across her wide areas of interest including but not limited to the arts, environment, community development, heritage and health.

Born in Cooma, New South Wales, Virginia Judge was the daughter of Cecily and Henry Judge. She trained and worked as both a primary and secondary school teacher in NSW and the ACT, later serving as a project officer for a non‑government organisation and volunteering overseas as a teacher with Australian Volunteers Abroad. Before entering politics, she also worked in the real estate sector.

Virginia was first elected to Strathfield Council in 1995 as an independent councillor. She became well known for her strong grassroots engagement, regularly consulting residents and advocating on their behalf. In 2000, she was pre‑selected by the Australian Labor Party to lead a team of candidates that achieved significant electoral success. She was elected Mayor of Strathfield in July 2000, serving until March 2003.

As Mayor, Virginia pursued major reforms to improve transparency, efficiency, and public participation in local government. She restructured council administration, reduced bureaucracy, and introduced initiatives such as site inspection committees and regular “Meet the Mayor” sessions, earning her the nickname “the Milk Crate Mayor.” Her leadership focused on cleaner streets, improved ranger services, expanded community communication, and support for volunteers.

Virginia championed environmental leadership, introducing initiatives such as mandatory rainwater tanks in new developments, solar lighting in apartment buildings, enhanced recycling services, and green waste collection. She was also a strong advocate for heritage conservation, establishing advisory committees, incentives, awards programs, and supporting major restoration projects. Under her mayoralty, Strathfield celebrated the Centenary of Federation in 2001 with significant civic and cultural events.

In 2003, Virginia Judge was elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly as the Member for Strathfield. She was re‑elected in 2007 and served until 2011. During her parliamentary career, she held ministerial and parliamentary secretary roles, including Minister for Fair Trading, Minister for Citizenship, and Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts. Across all roles, she remained guided by her support for inclusive and social cohesive communities, health, arts and environmental responsibility.

The portrait photograph is from NSW Parliament https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/formermembers/Pages/former-member-details.aspx?pk=2174