Ruth Webber

At the 2001 federal election, Webber was elected to the Senate in second position on the ALP's ticket in Western Australia, winning a six-year term beginning on 1 July 2002. She was a member of a number of Senate committees and also served as a deputy whip from 2004 to 2008.^[1]

In November 2004, Webber was charged with wilfully misleading police and driving a vehicle on a suspended licence.^[3] The charges related to an incident on the day of the 2004 election, where she was "caught speeding in her Commonwealth car in Perth's northern suburbs [...] while travelling between polling booths".^[4] Webber was convicted of driving while suspended in March 2005 and fined $200, while the charge of misleading police was ultimately withdrawn.^[5]

In October 2006, Webber was relegated to third position on the ALP's Senate ticket for the next federal election, with Louise Pratt taking the higher position on the ticket.^[6] The following month, she reportedly voted for Kevin Rudd over incumbent leader Kim Beazley in an ALP leadership spill.^[7] Webber failed to win re-election at the 2007 federal election with her term concluding on 30 June 2008.^[1] She was the last candidate to be eliminated, with Greens candidate Scott Ludlam winning the final seat.^[8]

In August 2006, Webber stated she would support a private member's bill to extend stem cell research in Australia and would co-sponsor a bill being prepared by Democrats senator Natasha Stott Despoja.^[9]

Webber publicly criticised the 457 visa scheme in September 2006, stating businesses were abusing the scheme to bring in cheap foreign labour while local workers were unemployed.^[10]

In 2009, as part of a review of the Gold Pass scheme for former federal MPs, it was reported that Webber had received nearly $50,000 of free air travel between July and December 2008.^[11] The following year, The West Australian reported that she was working as a lobbyist for Halden Burns and had taken "147 flights worth $116,662 between June 2008 and June 2010 but was forced to repay 20 flights worth $18,855 after a Finance Department audit of her taxpayer-funded travel".^[12]

In January 2015, Webber became chief executive officer of Down Syndrome Australia, at which time she was also deputy president of the Mental Illness Fellowship of Western Australia and a board member of Women's Health Works and Carers Western Australia.^[13] She resigned as CEO in June 2016.^[14]