Amanda was born in 1978 in Adelaide, where she attended Unley High School.

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Psychology from Flinders University and a Master in Clinical Psychology from the University of Adelaide. Prior to entering politics, Amanda first worked as a union representative in 2000, before becoming a practising psychologist in 2005. She also concurrently worked as a health and safety trainer for the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). Amanda served as President of Federal Young Labor in 2000. At the 2006 South Australia state election, Amanda unsuccessfully contested the seat of Fisher for Labor.

At the 2007 federal election, Amanda was elected as the Federal Labor Member for Kingston, having defeated the incumbent Liberal MP Kym Richardson. Kingston encompasses Adelaide’s southern suburbs. Amanda has been re-elected at every election since. In 2013, she served as Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water. In opposition, she held the shadow portfolios of veterans’ affairs, defence personnel, early childhood education and youth. In the first Albanese ministry she served as the Minister for Social Services, and Minister for the NDIS.

Amanda is currently the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

Her main policy areas of interest are focused on protecting workers’ rights, improving mental health care, and investing in early childhood education. Amanda is a defender of the “fair go”, advocating for industrial relations laws that ensure workers are treated with equality. She is committed to a public health system that prioritises psychological well-being and universal care, believing that a person’s financial position should never determine their access to life-saving treatment. Additionally, she has led reforms to “reinvigorate enterprise bargaining,” which has helped wages for millions of workers grow faster than the cost of living. She also champions “prevention over treatment” in healthcare and is a strong advocate for high-quality early childhood education to set children up for a successful future. She is aligns in the Labor Right faction.

Amanda lives in Hallett Cove with her husband Tim and their two young sons.