Perin grew up in Canberra but now lives near Deniliquin - between the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers in the key irrigation areas of the Murray-Darling Basin - raising her two daughters with husband John.

Perin’s path to politics has been varied and she brings a range of experiences to her role; she ran her own hospitality company on the safari trail in Botswana, trained as a journalist and served Australia as an Army reservist. Eventually her experience and background in media led Perin into political advisory roles and later, work with irrigation groups on policy and advocacy. She even tried her hand at being a screen extra appearing in crowd scenes across a range of TV and Film productions including Two Hands, The Matrix, Water Rats and Home and Away.

Married to a farmer and living in rural NSW, Perin is passionate about regional arts and the social and economic contribution a strong screen and arts sector plays in the regions. She also understands how important it is for our regional communities to have a strong voice in parliament to advocate for regional development and investment to improve the lives of our rural, regional and remote communities.

Perin was elected to the Senate in 2019 commencing on 1 July that year. She served for three years as the Nationals’ Whip in the Senate. On 30 May 2022 Perin was elected Deputy Leader of The Nationals in Federal Parliament. On 5 June 2022 she was appointed Shadow Minister for Water and Shadow Minister for Emergency Management.