[2] She first won the seat at a state by-election held on 5 November 1994, following the retirement of former premier Lynn Arnold, serving for 16 years.
Born in Brisbane, White gained degrees in Engineering and Arts, from the University of Queensland, after which she worked as an engineering project manager in the transport and communications industries, then with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.
From 2002 to 2005, White has held Ministries including Education and Children's Services, Member of the Executive Council, Transport, Science and Information Economy, and Urban Development and Planning.
Post politics, White took up a senior executive role with ASX 50 global engineering services company, WorleyParsons.
In March 2017, White signed an open letter calling for the Government of South Australia to continue to investigate the "opportunity to develop an international used nuclear fuel management industry" identified by the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission in 2015–16.