She moved to Sydney in 2001, and studied politics and international relations at the University of New South Wales, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in 2016.

Mitchell later moved back to Gunnedah, where she worked as an electorate officer for former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson.

[6] She was preselected for the eleventh position on the Coalition Legislative Council ticket for the 2011 state election in April 2010; while normally unwinnable, the near-record size of the Coalition's victory saw her emerge victorious for the last seat in an extremely close race with right-wing independent Pauline Hanson.

4, which undertook an inquiry into medicinal cannabis, resulting in a report unanimously in favour of the provision of medicinal cannabis for the terminally ill. Mitchell was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Health and Western NSW on 24 April 2015.

[4] Following the 2019 state election Mitchell was appointed as the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning in the second Berejiklian ministry, with effect from 2 April 2019.