Meet the leaders: Clare O’Neil MP

Clare O’Neil is the Minister for Housing and she has six pets, including a lizard called Snickers. In this profile she reveals the best piece of feedback she’s ever received. 

What are you reading and/or listening to at the moment?
I’m reading A Long Walk to Water which is one of my eldest sons’ Grade 6 books. They’re learning about migration. It’s an amazing story and a great one to teach our gorgeous Aussie babies how lucky they were to be born here. 

Who do you most admire and why?
My Mum and Dad. Both were born with nothing – with a heap of real disadvantages – and both did incredible things for Australia: creating great Australian companies, and publishing between them more than a thousand books about our country. 

Is exercise a must or a grind and how do you fit it into your lifestyle?
I’ve got three kids, six pets, a beautiful husband, aging parents and an absolutely massive job which takes me away from home a third of the time. If I can carve out an hour a week just for me to go to the gym or do Pilates, I’m pretty bloody thrilled about it. 

What is the best piece of feedback you’ve received?
Stop caring what other people think. I’m a bit of a work in progress on that one. 

What keeps you awake at night?
Young people – especially children – who have had a rough start in life, and don’t have stable housing or are homeless. 

Was there ever a time when you felt stuck in your career and if so how did you work through it?
I’m perpetually impatient in everything I do, and I’ve had really deep lows in politics and in other things I’ve done. The first thing is to get some advice and ask for help. And then, you need a plan and you have to be active … move jobs, get yourself more training, take more risks, push in your workplace. And, if you keep pushing, it will change.

How are you using AI in your life?
Constantly. If I can’t work out what to make for dinner with a fridge full of weird ingredients, if Snickers (our lizard) stops moving for too long and I don’t understand why, if I’m wanting recommendations for a new British murder mystery, I ask ChatGPT. 

What if anything would you like to see change for women in the workplace?
More women at the very top of the tree. We’ve gotten to a good place with women generally able to occupy space at work, but there’s still a lot of discomfort out there about women being CEOs, and state and national leaders. 

What would you like your political legacy to be?
I want to help improve the life chances of millions of Australians, especially Australian children.