Meryl Swanson
MP for Paterson · Australian Labor Party
Attendance
84%
1,689 of 2,003 divisions
Voted against their party
0
Never crossed the floor
Policy areas voted on
118
scored by They Vote For You
Voted consistently for
95% or more of their votes supported these positions.
- increasing scrutiny of asylum seeker management
- increasing trade unions' powers in the workplace
- increasing protection of Australia's fresh water
- increasing restrictions on gambling
- increasing consumer protections
- increasing the diversity of media ownership
- decreasing the gender pay gap
- increasing transparency of big business by making information public
Voted consistently against
5% or fewer of their votes supported these positions.
- protecting whistleblowers
- increasing freedom of political communication
- live animal export
- privatising government-owned assets
- increasing accessibility of government data and documents
- increasing indexation of HECS-HELP debts
- putting welfare payments onto cashless debit cards (or indue cards) on a temporary basis as a trial
- the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
Voted both ways
Positions where Meryl’s votes fall on both sides. Each of these policies groups dozens of divisions across many years, including procedural motions and narrow amendments. Follow a link to see the votes.
- 50%more scrutiny of intelligence services & police
- 50%protecting threatened forest and bushland habitats
- 50%increasing investment in the coal industry
- 50%political intervention in research funding grants
- 50%banning mobiles and other devices in immigration detention
- 50%increasing workplace protections for women
Work expenses
all expenses$574,751 claimed over 4 quarters (Apr–Jun 2025 to Jan–Mar 2026), 0.95× the median for NSW.
- Office Administration$305k
- Office Facilities$149k
- Employee Travel$53k
- Other Car Costs$27k
- Travel Allowance$14k
- Scheduled Commercial Transport$12k
How to read this
- They Vote For You groups related divisions into plain-language "policies" and scores how often each member voted with that position. Those groupings are editorial judgements made by the OpenAustralia Foundation, not official parliamentary categories.
- An agreement score in the middle of the range means the member voted on both sides of that policy over time. That is normal: policies aggregate dozens of divisions across many years, including procedural motions and narrow amendments. We deliberately publish no "flip-flop" score, because when we measured it, almost every member qualified — it reflects how the scoring works, not anyone's conduct.
- Attendance excludes periods before a member was elected, but members may be absent for legitimate reasons including illness, parental leave, or official duties. A low rate is not by itself evidence of anything.
- Only members currently serving are included. A vote is recorded against the person, not the seat.
- Work expenses cover offices, staff, travel and communications. Claims are certified by the parliamentarian and administered by IPEA.
- Totals are not directly comparable between members. Electorate size drives travel costs, and ministers travel more than backbenchers. Members are therefore compared against the median for their own state or territory.
- Former parliamentarians — including former prime ministers, who retain certain entitlements — are reported separately and excluded from member comparisons.
- IPEA publishes quarterly and later issues adjustments for administrative errors. Figures for recent quarters may change slightly.
Full record for Meryl Swanson at They Vote For You, licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL). Retrieved 2026-07-22.