Career
In the 1996 federal election she contested the newly created seat of Namadgi against the Liberal Member for Canberra, Brendan Smyth. Notionally, the seat was very safe for Labor. As originally drawn it had a notional Labor majority of 10.9 percent.
However, due to the heavy swing nationwide against the Keating government, Ellis was only assured of victory when she received a large flow of Green preferences on the third count.
Ellis become one of the few Labor candidates to defeat a Liberal during the landslide election that brought the Howard government to power. Namadgi was abolished after only one cycle, and Ellis transferred to Canberra, holding it with little difficulty.
Ellis was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and was a public servant, electorate adviser and ministerial adviser before entering politics. She served as Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors and Shadow Minister for Disabilities until the 2004 election, after which she retired from the shadow ministry.
She was re-elected in November 2007—with an increased majority—in the election that returned Labor to power federally under new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Ellis did not recontest her seat of Canberra at the 2010 federal election.