Helen Sham-Ho


Helen Wai-Har Sham-Ho OAM is a former Australian politician.

Early life and education

Of Bao'an Hakka ancestry, Sham-Ho was born in Hong Kong. She migrated to Australia in 1961.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Social Work from the University of Sydney, graduating in 1967, and earned an LL.B. at Macquarie University.
Her first marriage produced two daughters; her second marriage was to Robert Ho on 15 December 1987. In 1982 she had joined the Epping Branch of the Liberal Party.
In 1988, she was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council for the Liberal Party. She was the first Chinese to be elected to an Australian parliament. She continued as a Liberal MLC until 1998, when she resigned from the party to sit as an independent. She retired before the 2003 election.
In 1992 she became one of the eminent Australians
serving on the original Foundation Council of
Australians for Constitutional Monarchy.
Since her retirement she has been involved in various fund-raising activities in her local community. Sham-Ho is a long-time advocate of Chinese unification and has been involved with various events linked to the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department.