Helen Polley
Senator for Tasmania · Australian Labor Party
Pay
- Base salary
- $239,270
- Salary
- $239,270
- Electorate allowance, on top
- $39,700
Senators all receive the same electorate allowance.
Registrable interests
the whole registerAs declared on the Register of Senators’ Interests, in Helen’s own words. The register records what an interest is, not what it is worth, and does not separate a senator’s interests from their family’s.
Real estate
Real estate, and the purpose for which it is held.
- Launceston Canberra Launceston · residence
- Canberra · investment
- Launceston · investment
Shareholdings
Shareholdings in public and private companies.
- Mystate
Liabilities
The nature of any liability and the creditor concerned.
- 2 mortgages · Westpac
Bonds and debentures
The nature of any bonds, debentures and like investments.
- Superannuation · Australian Super CSC
Savings and investment accounts
Saving or investment accounts, their nature and the institution holding them.
- Mortgage credit card 3 work accounts joint account · Westpac
Other assets over $7,500
Any other asset valued over $7,500, excluding household and personal effects.
- Boat
- Caravan
- Jewellery
Other sources of income
The nature of any other substantial source of income.
- Rental income
Gifts
Gifts valued over the threshold set by the Senate resolution.
- Virgin Membership joined before being elected
- Qantas Membership joined before being elected
Sponsored travel or hospitality
Sponsored travel or hospitality received.
- Foxtel EO
- upgrade to Qantas Membership to Chairman Lounge & Virgin upgraded to Platinum
- 15-18 May 2025 Accommodation, meals and hospitality - Caravanning Industry National Conference, Benowa QLd- Guest Speaker
- +29/9/25 - 1/10/25 Accommodation, meals & hospitality - Caravanning Industry of Australia - Kununurra · 16 November 2025
- +airfares Melbourne to Dubai 16 September 2023 Return Dubai to Melbourne 22 September 2023 Accommodation 16 September 2023 - 22 September 2023 Meals 16 September 2023 - 22 September 2023 Embassy of the UAE · 16 August 2025
- +26 April 2026 - 3 May 2026 Flights, accommodation and hospitality in Taiwan Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Australia · 7 May 2026
Office holder of, or donor to, an organisation
Being an office holder of, or a regular or substantial donor to, any organisation or body.
- Tasmanian Labor Party
- Australian Labor Party
Other interests
Any other interest that could give rise to a conflict of interest.
- I have shares in a race horse
- −I no longer have a share in a horse. · 16 November 2025
Nothing declared under trusts and nominee companies, directorships, partnerships.
Voted consistently for
95% or more of their votes supported these positions.
- tobacco plain packaging
- increasing competition in bulk wheat export
- recognising local government in the Constitution
- carbon farming
- giving apprentices access to a $20,000 loan
- increasing support for community radio and TV
- making Australians working overseas repay their student debts
- revoking citizenship of dual nationals involved with terrorism offences by the minister
Voted consistently against
5% or fewer of their votes supported these positions.
- stem cell research
- increasing availability of abortion drugs
- increasing beef import standards
- deregulating undergraduate university fees
- charging postgraduate research students fees
- using natural resource wealth for the benefit of all Australians
- Senate electoral reform
- letting all MPs or Senators speak in Parliament (procedural)
Voted both ways
Positions where Helen’s votes fall on both sides. Each of these policies groups dozens of divisions across many years, including procedural motions and narrow amendments. Follow a link to see the votes.
- 50%increasing Aboriginal land rights
- 50%offshore processing for people seeking asylum in Australia
- 50%funding the national school chaplaincy program
- 50%greater public scrutiny of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations
- 50%stopping tax avoidance or aggressive tax minimisation
- 50%increasing funding for legal aid
Work expenses
all expenses$450,472 claimed over 4 quarters (Jul–Sep 2025 to Apr–Jun 2026), 0.94× the median for TAS.
- Office Facilities$127k
- Employee Travel$114k
- Scheduled Commercial Transport$60k
- Office Administration$48k
- Travel Allowance$44k
- Other Car Costs$42k
How to read this
- They Vote For You groups related divisions into plain-language "policies" and scores how often each member voted with that position. Those groupings are editorial judgements made by the OpenAustralia Foundation, not official parliamentary categories.
- An agreement score in the middle of the range means the member voted on both sides of that policy over time. That is normal: policies aggregate dozens of divisions across many years, including procedural motions and narrow amendments. We deliberately publish no "flip-flop" score, because when we measured it, almost every member qualified — it reflects how the scoring works, not anyone's conduct.
- Attendance excludes periods before a member was elected, but members may be absent for legitimate reasons including illness, parental leave, or official duties. A low rate is not by itself evidence of anything.
- Only members currently serving are included. A vote is recorded against the person, not the seat.
- Work expenses cover offices, staff, travel and communications. Claims are certified by the parliamentarian and administered by IPEA.
- Totals are not directly comparable between members. Electorate size drives travel costs, and ministers travel more than backbenchers. Members are therefore compared against the median for their own state or territory.
- Former parliamentarians — including former prime ministers, who retain certain entitlements — are reported separately and excluded from member comparisons.
- IPEA publishes quarterly and later issues adjustments for administrative errors. Figures for recent quarters may change slightly.
Full record for Helen Polley at They Vote For You, licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL). Retrieved 2026-07-31.