Meet Rebecca Stephens — Albany’s first female MP born to serve the city she loves

With a passion for her community ignited by her parents and moulded by her political mentor, Albany’s first female MP Rebecca Stephens is ready to represent the city she loves in State Parliament. A Labor landslide swamped the State on Saturday night, with the party on track to secure 52 of 59 Lower House seats. Despite her part in the Labor win, Ms Stephens, 38, said she was “just your general local girl” from Albany. During her years at Spencer Park Primary and Albany Senior High School, she was a regular face at sporting club sausage sizzles and fundraisers alongside parents Robin and Celia Waugh. Her father is a living legend of Royals Football Club and her mother a past-president of Albany Surf Life Saving Club. That was where her passion for community service was born. “I’ve always watched my parents volunteering and being part of committees, which has really grounded and driven me to give back,” she said. “Even my son on Saturday went and volunteered at disabled surfing because he has now found the joy of volunteering as well.” As a teenager, Ms Stephens said she was not afraid of hard work, taking her first job at Beachside Cafe when she was 14. “I suppose they would call me a doer — busy, always doing things and always helping other people,” she said. “My parents separated when I was 10, so I suppose I had to grow up pretty quickly. I would be the one at home cooking dinner while mum was working full-time. “When my friends were all going off to leavers I was walking down York Street looking for a job.” By 20, she was on the board of the Albany Surf Life Saving Club and was on the executive committee of the Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry. At 23, she worked at the Department of Sport and Recreation before starting an award-winning hair salon with her cousin. Like many country kids, Ms Stephens travelled, lived overseas and studied in Perth before coming home to raise a family. She has two children with husband Darcy. Her first taste of local government was when she worked as Mayor Dennis Wellington’s personal assistant, which prompted her to launch her campaign for a seat on the City of Albany council, which she won in 2017. “I suppose things line up in life and if I didn’t get that job then I wouldn’t have got on council, then I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing now,” she said. As an MP, Ms Stephens will resign from the council. She will step away from her day job as regional manager of WorklinkWA, which she said would be a tough farewell. “I ended up in the not-for-profit sector at Worklink, which is just an amazing organisation,” she said. “All of the skills that I have learnt along the way, I suppose really support my role there — dealing with disengaged youth, educational programs and career service advice. It is a role I will really miss.” When she heard Albany MP and former Olympian Peter Watson was looking to step down more than a year ago, she had no doubt she needed to throw her hat into the ring. She went to his office to ask “Watto” for advice, and 10 minutes after leaving, she received a phone call asking her to come back. The rest is history. “Having been on council, I got a taste of what it was like to help the community,” she said. “I just thought I didn’t want someone else in Albany that wasn’t maybe as qualified, or connected or embedded in the community to put their hand up and it not to be me. “Peter really gave me that endorsement and said ‘you have all the same sort of values that I have and I know you will look after the community’. “I really believe in the value of fairness, everyone having a fair go, and making sure no one is left behind and there is opportunity for everyone.” Ms Stephens has had the support of her children Maggie, 8, and Fergus, 10, and her partner on a marathon campaign. “The kids have been involved in this whole journey,” she said. “Some of the questions from people are — how are you going to do this with kids? I could give you a dollar for every time I’ve been asked that.” After visiting her daughter’s school a few weeks ago, Ms Stephens said she was proud to be able to show them what was possible. “I went and spoke to their class and there’s these girls, there were probably six of them, who just said the most beautiful articulate questions,” she said. “It’s just so nice for these young girls to see a face and to know — that’s Maggie and Fergus’ Mum.” As one of dozens of Labor MPs in an historically lopsided Lower House, Ms Stephens said her priority would be delivering the commitments, big and small, made along the campaign trail. “But then getting around and talking to other organisations,” she said. “There are obviously some key issues in homelessness, housing and mental health and all those things, so it is really bringing those groups together and seeing what we can do to advocate. “I am looking forward to working with Natasha Monks, the new chief executive officer at the Great Southern Development Commission. “I think there is such a change going on, and it is just a really exciting time for Albany.”