About Ayor Makur Chout

Hon. Ayor Makur Chuot MLC, Member for North Metropolitan Region, is the first African-Australian woman elected to the Parliament of Western Australian.

On the 24th of May 2021, Ayor proudly became the first person of South Sudanese descent to sit in any Parliament in Australia.

Born in an Ethiopian refugee camp, Ayor returned to South Sudan with her parents at the age of two. Soon after, her father tragically died in the war for independence.

Ayor, her mother and siblings fled the turmoil for the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya where they lived for a decade. They arrived in Perth as refugees in 2005, when she was fifteen.

After the initial culture shock, she settled into the northern suburbs, studied English as a fourth language and at seventeen, graduated from Aranmore Catholic College.

At nineteen, while studying at TAFE and raising her first child, she was approached by a modelling agency which led to a successful international modelling career.

Ayor walked the catwalks of New York City and London; modelled in South Africa, New Zealand, Cayman Island and throughout Australia. She was the Face of Perth 2010 and Miss South Sudan Australia 2010.

During this time she completed a diploma in business management. In 2013, she stepped away from modelling, and realised one of her dreams: to open a South Sudanese restaurant and share her love of food and culture.

Juggling family and work life, Ayor went on to study a business degree at Edith Cowan University. After graduating, she worked in accounting at the university, and at Emmanuel Christian Community School.

Ayor set up her own community fashion events and created a show called 'Face of South Sudan' to celebrate diversity and the beauty and resilience of women of colour.

In 2017 she established her own modelling agency to mentor and promote models from diverse backgrounds and advanced diversity in Australia's fashion industry.

At one of her events she met with former Labor MP, Janine Freeman, who recognised Ayor's dedication to community and encouraged her to run for the upper house.

Ayor values representation greatly and took up the challenge to become a new voice in WA Parliament. Just before being sworn in, she gave birth to her second son. Today, Ayor is a proud mum of three children.

Ayor is passionate about multiculturalism, women's interests, families and youth. She is committed to improving opportunities for refugees and migrants in the workforce having overcome many barriers herself.

Every day, she is working towards positive outcomes for the North Metropolitan Region in the key areas of jobs, education, health, infrastructure, and local projects.