Sophie Scamps

Sophie Anna Rebecca Scamps (/skɒmps/ SKOMPS;[2] born 15 March 1971[3]) is an Australian independent politician, general practitioner, and former athlete. In the 2022 Australian federal election, she was elected as the Member for Mackellar in the Australian House of Representatives.

Sophie Scamps
MP FRACGP
Scamps in 2022
Member of the Australian Parliament for Mackellar
Assumed office
21 May 2022
Preceded byJason Falinski
Personal details
Born (1971-03-15) 15 March 1971[1]
Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyIndependent
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
UNSW
University of Oxford
Occupation
  • Politician
  • athlete
  • general practitioner
WebsiteOfficial website

Biography

Scamps grew up in Turramurra, New South Wales.[4] She attended Abbotsleigh school, noted for her achievements in athletics.[5] She qualified for the 1992 Summer Olympics as a middle-distance runner.[6]

Scamps studied Medicine at the University of Sydney graduating in 1995. Later, she received a Master of Public Health from University of New South Wales, and a master of Science with honours from the University of Oxford.[7]

She was a founder of the Our Blue Dot environmental movement, which campaigns for waste reduction and carbon neutrality.[8] In 2020, using the "kitchen table conversations" model created by former Indi independent Cathy McGowan, Scamps and four like-minded locals created the 'Voices of Mackellar' group.[9][10] The Voices of Mackellar is a non-partisan community group established to engage residents in the democratic process.[11]

Backed by Climate 200, as well as a large grass-roots local campaign, Scamps announced her candidacy as an independent in December 2021.[12] Scamps was one of the 23 independents who ran for the 2022 Australian federal election. Her campaign focused on the issues of climate, integrity and gender diversity.[13] Scamps noted that her candidacy was triggered when she received a survey from the incumbent Jason Falinski which omitted climate change as an issue important to Mackellar residents.[14]

Scamps lives in Avalon on Sydney's Northern Beaches, with her husband Adam Magro former Wallaby Rugby Player and three children and, for a time, a family of Ukrainian refugees.[15][16][17] Her own surname is Belgian and pronounced 'Scomps'.[18]

Media

Scamps has been in various Australian media, including The Sydney Morning Herald,[14] The Australian, The Guardian,[19] and Women's Agenda.[20] Her coverage has been focused on the need for action on climate change. She has been labelled as a part of the so-called 'teal wave', a movement of moderate independent candidates whose focus on climate change has challenged traditionally Coalition safe seats.

Running career

Scamps was a middle distance runner in her early life, and qualified for the Olympic games. She competed internationally for Australia, and was a member of the gold medal winning 4 x 400 m women's relay, at the World Junior Championships in 1990. The team set a new under 20 Australian Record, which is still standing.[21]

Her personal bests include:[22]

  • 400 m – 52.67s – Sydney, Australia (1991)
  • 800 m – 2:02:2 – Canberra
  • 4 × 400 m relay – 3:30:38 – Deveti Septemvri Stadium, Plodiv (1990)

References
  1. "Dr Sophie Scamps MP". Parliament of Australia.
  2. Scamps, Sophie (15 December 2021). "Dr Sophie Scamps - Independent for Mackellar". Retrieved 10 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  3. "Sophie SCAMPS | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  4. Coultan, Mark (23 January 2022). "Mackellar Independent Sophie Scamps Heeds Climate Change Concerns". Pittwater Online News. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  5. Gately, Mark (6 March 1986). "Sophie faces big test in Hobart". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 70.
  6. "Why GP decided to run in blue-ribbon seat". smh.com.au. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  7. "About Sophie Scamps". www.betterfutures.org.au. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  8. "Challenge for Mackellar". northernbeachesadvocate.com.au. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  9. "Why GP decided to run in a blue ribbon seat". sophiescamps.com.au. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  10. "Dr Sophie Scamps | GP & Co-Founder of Mackellar Rising". Better Futures. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  11. "Voices of Mackellar". voicesofmackellar.com.au. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  12. "Independent Candidates". climate200.com.au. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  13. Pillay, Div (20 January 2022). "Will the Independent women standing in 2022 listen and act for diverse voices?". Women's Agenda. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  14. Maley, Jacqueline (4 December 2021). "'He voted with Barnaby Joyce every time': Why GP decided to run in blue-ribbon seat". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  15. "Meet the husbands of two teal independents". Australian Financial Review. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  16. Yumpu.com. "Pittwater Life September 2020 Issue". yumpu.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  17. "Fleeing from the Ukraine, family in need finds new home with independent MP". The Canberra Times. 26 June 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  18. "The People at Narrabeen Family Medical - Dr Nicholas Bernard, Dr Vesna Kalajdzic, Dr Kate Hall, Dr Heidi Dawson, Dr Gabriella Legradi, Dr Sophie Scamps, Dr Sue Hartley, Dr Elicia Rodas, Dr Fiona Bernard".
  19. "Scott Morrison hints Federal ICAC could still be legislated before next election". the Guardian. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  20. Pillay, Div (20 January 2022). "Will the Independent women standing in 2022 listen and act for diverse voices?". Women's Agenda. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  21. "Athletics – Sophie Scamps (Australia)". www.the-sports.org. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  22. "Sophie SCAMPS | Profile | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
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