Jan McLucas

[2] McLucas then worked as an electorate officer for Steve Bredhauer, her husband at the time and the state member for Cook, from 1991 until 1994, before being elected as a councillor for the City of Cairns, on which she served from 1995 to 1999.

Following the announcement of the retirement of Margaret Reynolds, McLucas was preselected as the number one candidate on Queensland Labor's ticket for the Australian Senate in the 1998 federal election.

In May 2009, journalists from The Australian and opponents in the Liberal Party claimed that Senator McLucas had effectively been living full-time with her partner in Canberra for several years, and only occasionally visited her officially listed residence in Cairns.

Prime Minister Rudd refused calls from some in the media to sack her, while the Senator insisted she had claimed travel allowance consistent with the official guidelines.

[9] After the Labor Party's defeat at the 2013 election, McLucas was appointed Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Housing and Homelessness under new Leader Bill Shorten.