Premier of Queensland
Ministry
State
Incumbent Campbell Newman
Style	The Honourable
Appointed by	Penelope Wensley as Governor of Queensland
First minister	Robert Herbert
Formation	10 December 1859
Term length	At the Governor's pleasure
Website	www.thepremier.qld.gov.au

The Premier of Queensland is the head of government in the state of Queensland, Australia.

By convention the Premier is the leader of the party with a majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Queensland.

The current Premier is Campbell Newman of the LNP, who was sworn in as Premier on 26 March 2012, following a massive win by his party in the 2012 state election.

Constitutional role[link]

Under section 42 of the Constitution of Queensland the Premier and other members of Cabinet are appointed by the Governor and are collectively responsible to Parliament. The text of the Constitution assigns to the Premier certain powers, such as the power to assign roles (s. 25) to Parliamentary Secretaries, and to appoint Ministers as acting Ministers (s. 45) for a period of 14 days.

In practice, under the conventions of the Westminster System followed in Queensland, the Premier's power is derived from two sources: command of a majority in the Legislative Assembly, and the Premier's role as chair of Cabinet, determining the appointment and roles of Ministers. Although ministerial appointments are the prerogative of the Governor of Queensland, in normal circumstances the Governor will make these appointments under the "advice" (in reality, direction) of the Premier.

Immediately following an election for the Legislative Assembly, the Governor will call on the leader of the party which commands a majority in the Legislative Assembly, and ask them to commission a government. A re-elected government will be resworn, with adjustments to the ministry as determined by the Premier.

Premier's office[link]

The Premier has an office in the Executive Annexe of Parliament House, Brisbane, which is normally used while Parliament is sitting. At other times the Premier's ministerial office is in the Executive Building a short distance down George Street.

List of Premiers of Queensland[link]

Before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. Before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and disorganised by modern standards.

Living former premiers[link]

As of March 2012^[update], six former premiers are alive, the oldest being Russell Cooper (1989, born 1941). The most recent premier to die was Joh Bjelke-Petersen (1968–1987), on 23 April 2005.

Graphical timeline[link]

<timeline> ImageSize = width:720 height:1500 PlotArea = left:0 right:0 bottom:65 top:10 Legend = columns:4 left:205 top:55 columnwidth:125 AlignBars = justify

DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1859 till:2012 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical

Colors=

 id:canvas value:gray(0.5)
 id:NON  value:gray(0.6)           legend:(Pre-party)
 id:LIB  value:rgb(0.03,0.12,0.67) legend:Liberal_Party
 id:LNP  value:rgb(0.07,0.33,0.94) legend:Liberal_National
 id:CON  value:dullyellow          legend:Conservative
 id:COM  value:orange              legend:Continuous_Ministry
 id:ALP  value:red                 legend:Labor_Party
 id:KID  value:blue                legend:Kidst,on
 id:QLI  value:skyblue             legend:Liberal
 id:CPN  value:green               legend:CPNP
 id:CNT  value:green               legend:Country/National
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 mark:(line,white) fontsize:S shift:(25,-5)

 width:33  shift:(-25,-5) align:right color:War fontsize:S textcolor:war

 from:1914  till:1918 text:"World War I"  shift:(25,7) align:left
 from:1939  till:1945 text:"World War II" shift:(25,0) align:left

 width:29 color:black textcolor:black

 width:25
 
 from:1859  till:1866 color:NON  $right text:"1859-1866_Robert Herbert"
 from:1866  till:1866 color:NON  $left  text:"Arthur Macalister_1866" shift:(,-10) 
 from:1866  till:1867 color:NON  $right text:"1866-1867_Robert Herbert (second time)"
 from:1867  till:1868 color:NON  $left  text:"Robert Mackenzie_1867-1868" 
 from:1868  till:1870 color:NON  $right text:"1868-1870_Charles Lilley"
 from:1870  till:1874 color:NON  $left  text:"Arthur Palmer_1870-1874"
 from:1874  till:1876 color:NON  $right  text:"1874-1876_Arthur Macalister (second time)"
 from:1876  till:1877 color:NON  $left  text:"George Thorn_1876-1877"
 from:1877  till:1879 color:NON  $right text:"1877-1879_John Douglas"
 from:1879  till:1883 color:CON  $left text:"Thomas McIlwraith_1879-1883"
 from:1883  till:1888 color:LIB  $right text:"1883-1888_Samuel Griffith"
 from:1888  till:1888 color:CON  $left text:"(second time)_Thomas McIlwraith_1888" # shift:(-100,-5)
 from:1888  till:1890 color:CON  $right text:"1888-1890_Boyd Morehead"
 from:1890  till:1893 color:COM  $left text:"(second time) Samuel Griffith_1890-1893"
 from:1893  till:1893 color:COM  $right text:"1893_Sir Thomas McIlwraith (third time)"
 from:1893  till:1898 color:COM  $left text:"Hugh Nelson_1893-1898"
 from:1898  till:1898 color:COM  $right text:"1898_Thomas Joseph Byrnes"
 from:1898  till:1899 color:COM  $left text:"James Dickson_1898-1899"
 from:1899  till:1899 color:ALP  $right text:"1899_Anderson Dawson"
 from:1899  till:1903 color:COM  $left text:"Robert Philp_1899-1903" # shift:(-100,-5)
 from:1903  till:1906 color:QLI  $right text:"1903-1906_Arthur Morgan"
 from:1906  till:1907 color:ALP  $left text:"William Kidston_1906-1907"
 from:1907  till:1908 color:CON  $right text:"1907-1908_Robert Philp (second time)"
 from:1908  till:1911 color:QLI  $left text:"(second time) William Kidston_1908-1911"
 from:1911  till:1915 color:QLI  $right text:"1911-1915_Digby Denham"
 from:1915  till:1919 color:ALP  $left text:"Thomas Joseph Ryan_1915-1919"
 from:1919  till:1925 color:ALP  $right text:"1919-1925_Ted Theodore"
 from:1925  till:1925 color:ALP  $left text:"William Gillies_1925"
 from:1925  till:1929 color:ALP  $right text:"1925-1929_William McCormack"
 from:1929  till:1932 color:CPN  $left text:"Arthur Edward Moore_1929-1932"
 from:1932  till:1942 color:ALP  $right text:"1932-1942_William Forgan Smith"
 from:1942  till:1946 color:ALP  $left text:"Frank Cooper_1942-1946"
 from:1946  till:1952 color:ALP  $right text:"1946-1952_Ned Hanlon"
 from:1952  till:1957 color:ALP  $left text:"Vince Gair_1952-1957"
 from:1957  till:1968 color:CNT  $right text:"1957-1968_Francis Nicklin"
 from:1968  till:1968 color:CNT  $left text:"Jack Pizzey_1968"
 from:1968  till:1968 color:LIB  $right text:"1968_Gordon Chalk"
 from:1968  till:1987 color:CNT  $left text:"Joh Bjelke-Petersen_1968-1987"
 from:1987  till:1989 color:CNT  $right text:"1987-1989_Michael Ahern"
 from:1989  till:1989 color:CNT  $left text:"Russell Cooper_1989"
 from:1989  till:1996 color:ALP  $right text:"1989-1996_Wayne Goss"
 from:1996  till:1998 color:CNT  $left text:"Rob Borbidge_1996-1998"
 from:1998  till:2007 color:ALP  $right text:"1998-2007 Peter Beattie"
 from:2007  till:2012  color:ALP  $left text:"2007-2012 Anna Bligh"
 from:2012  till:end  color:LNP  $right text:"2012-present Campbell Newman"
   </timeline>

See also[link]

• List of Premiers of Queensland by time in office
• Government of Queensland
• Politics of Queensland

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Premiers of Queensland

v t e Government of Queensland Executive Monarchy Governor Executive Council Cabinet Premier Deputy Premier Treasurer Attorney-General Police Legislative Parliament Legislative Assembly Electoral districts MLAs Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Opposition Leader of the House Opposition Leader Leader of Opposition Business Judicial High Court Supreme Court District Court Magistrates' Court Other courts and tribunals

Queensland
Flag Coat of arms
Slogan or nickname: Sunshine State
Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful)
Other Australian states and territories
Capital	Brisbane
Demonym	Queenslander
Government	Constitutional monarchy
- Governor	Penelope Wensley
- Premier	Campbell Newman (LNP)
Australian State
- Established as Self-Governing Colony	6 June 1859
- Became State	1901
- Australia Act	3 March 1986
Area
- Total	1,852,642 km2 (2nd largest) 715,309 sq mi
- Land	1,730,648 km2 668,207 sq mi
- Water	121,994 km2 (6.58%) 47,102 sq mi
Population (June 2010)
- Population	4,580,700[1] (3rd)
- Density	2.61/km2 (5th) 6.8 /sq mi
Elevation
- Highest	Mount Bartle Frere +1,622 m (5,321 ft)
Gross State Product (2009–10)
- Product ($m)	$254,550[2] (3rd)
- Product per capita	$56,362 (4th)
Time zone	AEST UTC+10 does not observe DST
Federal representation
- House seats	30
- Senate seats	12
Abbreviations
- Postal	QLD
- ISO 3166-2	AU-QLD
Emblems
- Floral	Cooktown orchid (Dendrobium phalaenopsis)
- Animal	Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
- Bird	Brolga (Grus rubicunda)
- Fish	Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos)
- Gem	Sapphire
- Colours	Maroon
Web site	www.qld.gov.au

Coordinates: 23°0′S 143°0′E / 23°S 143°E / -23; 143 Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state of Australia, located in the northeast of the country. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, southwest and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. Queensland has a population of 4,580,700, concentrated along the coast and particularly in the state's South East. The state is the world's sixth largest subnational entity, with an area of 1,852,642 km2. The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane, Australia's third largest city. Referred to as the 'Sunshine State', Queensland is home to 10 of Australia's 30 largest cities and is the nation's third largest economy.

Queensland was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived at least 40,000 years ago.^[3] The first European to land in Queensland was Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1607. In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain. The colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip at Sydney; New South Wales at that time included all of what is now Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. Queensland was explored in subsequent decades until the establishment of a penal colony at Brisbane in 1824 by John Oxley. Penal transportation ceased in 1839 and free settlement permitted in 1842. Queensland was separated from New South Wales, forming a self-governing colony, on 6 June 1859, a date now celebrated state-wide as Queensland Day. Queensland achieved statehood with the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901.

Queensland's Governor is Penelope Wensley, and the Premier is Campbell Newman of the Liberal National Party.

Etymology[link]

The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria,^[4] who on 6 June 1859 signed Letters Patent separating the colony from New South Wales. Queen Victoria, who went on to become Britain's longest reigning monarch, chose an eponymous name for the colony over Cooksland, which had been suggested by the influential local Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang in honour of navigator James Cook.^[5][6]

History[link]

The history of Queensland spans thousands of years, encompassing both a lengthy indigenous presence, as well as the eventful times of post-European settlement. Estimated to have been settled by Indigenous Australians approximately 40,000 years ago, the northeastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French navigators before being encountered by Captain James Cook in 1770. The Australian Labor Party has its origin as a formal organisation in Queensland and the town of Barcaldine is the symbolic birthplace of the party.^[7] The state has witnessed frontier warfare between European settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, as well as the employment of cheap Kanaka labour sourced from the South Pacific. June 2009 marked the 150th anniversary of its creation as a separate colony from New South Wales.^[8] A rare record of early settler life in north Queensland can be seen in a set of ten photographic glass plates taken in the 1860s by Richard Daintree, in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.^[9]

Geography[link]

Commonly-designated regions of Queensland

The Great Barrier Reef, which extends along Queensland's northern coastline

A coral garden in Osprey Reef

Queensland is bordered to the north by the Torres Strait with Boigu Island off the coast of New Guinea representing the absolute northern extreme of the territory. The triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea is the northernmost part of the state's mainland. West of the peninsula's tip, northern Queensland is bordered by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while the Coral Sea— an arm of the Pacific Ocean— borders Queensland to the east. To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138°E longitude, and to the southwest by the northeastern corner of South Australia.

In the south, there are three sections that comprise its border: the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River; the river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon; and 29°S latitude (including some minor historical encroachments below the 29th parallel) over to the South Australian border.

The state capital is Brisbane, located on the coast 100 kilometres (60 mi) by road north of the New South Wales border. The state is divided into several officially recognised regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include the Atherton Tablelands, the Granite Belt, and the Channel Country in the far southwest.

Queensland has many places of natural beauty, including: the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast having some of the state's most popular beaches; the Bunya Mountains and the Great Dividing Range with numerous lookouts, waterfalls and picnic areas; Carnarvon Gorge; Whitsunday Islands and Hinchinbrook Island.

The state contains six World Heritage listed preservation areas: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Fraser Island, Great Barrier Reef, Lamington National Park and the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

Climate[link]

Because of its size, there is significant variation in climate across the state. Low rainfall and hot summers are typical for the inland west, a monsoonal 'wet' season in the far north, and warm temperate conditions along the coastal strip. Inland and in southern ranges low minimum temperatures are experienced. The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by warm ocean waters, keeping the region free from extremes of temperature and providing moisture for rainfall.^[10]

There are five predominate climatic zones in Queensland,^[11] based on temperature and humidity:

• hot humid summer (far north and coastal)
• warm humid summer (coastal elevated hinterlands and coastal southeast)
• hot dry summer, mild winter (central west)
• hot dry summer, cold winter (southern west)
• temperate – warm summer, cold winter (inland southeast, e.g. Granite Belt)

However, most of the Queensland populace experience two weather seasons: a "winter" period of rather warm temperatures and minimal rainfall and a sultry summer period of hot, sticky temperatures and higher levels of rainfall.

The annual mean statistics^[12] for some Queensland centres is shown below:

The highest maximum temperature observed in the state is 49.5 °C (121 °F) at Birdsville on 24 December 1972 (The temperature of 53.1 °C (128 °F) at Cloncurry on 16 January 1889 is not considered reliable; the figure quoted from Birdsville is the next highest, so that record is considered as being official).

The lowest minimum temperature is −10.6 °C (13 °F) at Stanthorpe on 23 June 1961 and at The Hermitage on 12 July 1965.^[17]

Demographics[link]

State capital and most populous city, Brisbane, located in southeast Queensland.

Queensland has a less centralised population than other states, with significant populations in regional cities such as Townsville (above).

A smaller proportion of Queensland's population lives in the capital city than any other mainland state. As of June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.

• Christian: 70.9%:
  • Roman Catholic: 24.9%
  • Anglican: 22.3%
  • Uniting: 8.4%
  • Lutheran: 2.1%
  • Other: 13.2%
• Non-Christian: 2.3%
  • Buddhism: 1.1%
  • Islam: 0.4%
  • Hinduism: 0.3%
  • Judaism: 0.1%
  • Other: 0.4%
• No Religion: 14.8%
• Not Stated: 12.0%

On 9 December 2005, the population of Queensland officially reached 4 million. According to Queensland's Office of Economic and Statistical Research the estimated population of the state at the end of 2007 was 4,228,290 which is almost 20% of Australia's total. For many years until 2008, Queensland was the fastest growing state in Australia. At its peak growth in 2007, it was estimated that over 1,500 people moved to the state per week including 1,000 to the southern part of the state alone and the state recorded a TFR of 2.1, the highest since 1977.^[20] Queensland's growth rate has since been surpassed by Western Australia^[21]).

Economy[link]

Sugar canefields south of Childers

Queensland's economy has enjoyed a boom in the tourism and mining industries over the past 20 years. A sizeable influx of interstate and overseas migrants, large amounts of federal government investment, increased mining of vast mineral deposits and an expanding aerospace sector have contributed to the state's economic growth. The 2008–09 saw the expansion slow to just 0.8% the state's worst performance in 18 years.^[22]

Between 1992 and 2002, the growth in the Gross State Product of Queensland outperformed that of all the other states and territories. In that period Queensland's GSP grew 5.0% each year, while growth in Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose on average 3.9% each year. Queensland's contribution to the Australian GDP increased by 10.4% in that period, one of only three states to do so.^[23]

In 2003 Brisbane had the lowest cost of living of all Australia's capital cities. In late 2005 Brisbane was the third most expensive capital for housing after Sydney and Canberra and just ahead of Melbourne by $15,000.

Primary industries include: bananas, pineapples, peanuts, a wide variety of other tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, grain crops, wineries, cattle raising, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a mining industry including bauxite, coal, silver, lead, zinc, gold, and copper. Secondary industries are mostly further processing of the above-mentioned primary produce. For example, bauxite is shipped by sea from Weipa and converted to alumina at Gladstone.^[24] There is also copper refining and the refining of sugar cane to sugar at a number of mills along the eastern coastline. Major tertiary industries are the retail trade and tourism.

Tourism[link]

Tourism is Queensland's leading tertiary industry with millions of interstate and overseas visitors flocking to the Sunshine State each year. The industry generates $4.0 billion annually, accounting for 4.5% of Queensland's GSP.^[25] Queensland is a state of many landscapes that range from sunny tropical coastal areas, lush rainforests to dry inland areas.

The main tourist destinations of Queensland include, Brisbane, Cairns, Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest, Gold Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay and nearby Fraser Island, Townsville, Magnetic Island, North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, Sunshine Coast, Hamilton Island, Daydream Island and the Whitsundays known for Airlie Beach and Whitehaven Beach.

The Gold Coast of Queensland is also sometimes referred to as "Australia's Theme Park Capital", with five major amusement parks. These are Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild and WhiteWater World.

There are numerous wildlife parks in Queensland. On the Gold Coast there is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary at Currumbin and David Fleay Wildlife Park at Burleigh Heads. On the Sunshine Coast there is UnderWater World at Mooloolaba and Australia Zoo near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains, home of Steve Irwin until his death in 2006.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary at Fig Tree Pocket and Brisbane Forest Park at The Gap are located in Brisbane. North of Brisbane is Alma Park Zoo which is relocating to Logan City and Kumbartcho Wildlife Sanctuary which was originally called Bunya Park Wildlife Sanctuary.

Accommodation in Queensland caters for nearly 22% of the total expenditure, followed by restaurants/meals (15%), airfares (11%), fuel (11%) and shopping/gifts (11%).^[26]

Transport[link]

Cairns International Airport

Queensland is served by a number of National Highways and, particularly in South East Queensland, high quality motorways such as the M1. The Queensland government Department of Transport & Main Roads oversees the development and operation of main roads and public transport, including taxis and local aviation.

Principal rail services are provided by Queensland Rail and Pacific National, predominantly between the major towns along the coastal strip east of the Great Dividing Range.

Major seaports include the Port of Brisbane and subsidiary ports at Gladstone, Townsville and Bundaberg. There are large coal export facilities at Hay Point / Dalrymple Bay, Gladstone and Abbot Point. Sugar is another major export, with facilities at Lucinda and Mackay.

Brisbane Airport is the main international and domestic gateway serving the state. Gold Coast Airport, Cairns International Airport and Townsville Airport are the next most prominent airports, all with scheduled international flights. Other regional airports, with scheduled domestic flights, include Great Barrier Reef Airport, Hervey Bay Airport, Mackay Airport, Mount Isa Airport, Proserpine / Whitsunday Coast Airport, Rockhampton Airport, and Sunshine Coast Airport.

South East Queensland has an integrated public transport system operated by the TransLink Transit Authority, which provides services bus, rail and ferry services through contracted bus and ferry operators and Queensland Rail. The TransLink network operates a fare system which allows a single ticket to be used across all modes for the same price irrespective of the number of transfers made on the trip. Regional bus and long-distance rail services are also provided throughout the State. Local bus services are also available in most regional centres.

Governance[link]

The Parliament House in Brisbane.

Executive authority is vested in the Governor, who represents and is appointed by Elizabeth II on the advice of the Premier. The current governor is Ms. Penelope Wensley, AO. The head of government is the Premier, who is appointed by the Governor but must have the support of the Legislative Assembly. The current Premier is Campbell Newman of the Liberal National Party. Other ministers, forming the Executive Council, are appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Assembly on the Premier's recommendation.

The Queensland Parliament or the Legislative Assembly, is unicameral. It is the only Australian state with a unicameral legislature. A bicameral system existed until 1922, when the Legislative Council was abolished by the Labor members' "suicide squad" so called because they were appointed for the purpose of voting to abolish their own offices.^[27] The Parliament is housed in the 19th century Parliament House and 20th century Parliamentary Annexe in Brisbane. The state's politics are traditionally regarded as being conservative relative to other states.^{[28][29][30][31][32]}

The judicial system of Queensland consists of the Supreme Court and the District Court, established by the Queensland Constitution, and various other courts and tribunals established by ordinary Acts of the Queensland Parliament.

In 2001 Queensland adopted a new codified constitution, repealing most of the assorted Acts of Parliament that had previously made up the constitution. The new constitution took effect on 6 June 2002, the anniversary of the formation of the colony of Queensland by the signing of Letters Patent by Queen Victoria in 1859.

Local government[link]

Local government is the mechanism by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1993–2007. Queensland is divided into 73 local government areas which may be called Cities, Towns, Shires or Regions.^[33]

Each area has a council which is responsible for providing a range of public services and utilities, and derives its income from both rates and charges on resident ratepayers, and grants and subsidies from the State and Commonwealth governments.^[34]

Universities[link]

Bond University in Robina

The state's first university, the University of Queensland was established in 1909. It was moved to St Lucia in 1945, where it remains today. The University of Queensland ranks amongst the top 100 universities in several global rankings.

James Cook University was setup in 1970 to become the first tertiary education institution in North Queensland. Griffith University was established in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan in 1971. Bond University was established in 1987 as a not-for-profit university, the first of its type in Queensland and is located at Robina on the Gold Coast. In the Brisbane central business district at Gardens Point the Queensland University of Technology was opened in 1989.

In the following decades the Central Queensland University, University of Southern Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast were established. The Australian Catholic University also operates a campus in Brisbane.

Sports[link]

The Brisbane Broncos are one of the most successful teams in the National Rugby League competition

The Queensland Bulls take part in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments

The state of Queensland is represented in all of Australia's national sporting competitions and is also host to a number of domestic and international sporting events. The most popular winter and summer team sports are Rugby league, Rugby union and cricket, respectively. Rugby league football's annual State of Origin series is a major event in the Queensland sporting calendar, with the Queensland Maroons in 2011 winning a record sixth series in a row. The Brisbane Broncos are the state's most successful team of any sport, having won 3 premierships in the NRL rugby league era and 6 in total during their 23 year existence.

Queensland's dominance is not restricted to rugby league. The early part of this decade saw the AFL's Brisbane Lions claim a hat-trick of premierships between 2001–2003 inclusive, and coming so close to a record-equalling fourth, whilst recently Brisbane Roar FC won its first A-League title in March 2011, the culmination of a season of long dominance in which it has not lost since September last year. Just four years after being branded "the joke of rugby", the Queensland Reds won its first Super Rugby title in July 2011. The Queensland Firebirds were also an outstanding team in 2011, going undefeated in the Netball ANZ Championship to win the Grand Final.

Swimming is also a popular sport in Queensland, with a majority of Australian team members and international medalists hailing from the state. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Queensland swimmers won all six of Australia's gold medals, all swimmers on Australia's three female (finals) relays teams were from Queensland, two of which won gold.

Major professional teams include:

• Australian Football: Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns
• Basketball: Townsville Crocodiles, Cairns Taipans and the Gold Coast Blaze
• Cricket: Queensland Bulls, Brisbane Heat
• Football (soccer): Brisbane Roar, North Queensland Fury (no longer in the A-League) and Gold Coast United
• Netball: Queensland Firebirds
• Rugby League:
  • Representative: Queensland Maroons
  • Clubs: Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and the North Queensland Cowboys
  • State Competition: Queensland Cup
• Rugby Union: Queensland Reds

Events include:

• Gold Coast Indy 300
• State of Origin
• Queensland 400
• Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro

See also[link]

	Geography portal
	Oceania portal
	Commonwealth realms portal
	Australia portal
	Queensland portal

• Queensland Council of Unions
• Queensland Day
• Queensland Expatriate Awards
• Queensland State Archives
• 2010–2011 Queensland floods
• United Nations Association of Australia (Queensland) Community Award

Lists:

• Governor of Queensland
• Premier of Queensland
• List of highways in Queensland
• List of schools in Queensland
• Protected areas of Queensland
• Category:People from Queensland

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Queensland

• Government of Queensland
• Queensland State Archives
• [1]

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The Honourable Anna Bligh
37th Premier of Queensland Elections: 2009, 2012
In office 13 September 2007 – 26 March 2012
Governor	Quentin Bryce Penelope Wensley
Deputy	Paul Lucas (2007–2011) Andrew Fraser (2011–2012)
Preceded by	Peter Beattie
Succeeded by	Campbell Newman
Minister for Reconstruction of Queensland
In office 21 February 2011 – 26 March 2012
Premier	Herself
Preceded by	New position
Succeeded by	Jeff Seeney
Leader of the Australian Labor Party in Queensland
In office 13 September 2007 – 26 March 2012
Preceded by	Peter Beattie
Succeeded by	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Deputy Premier of Queensland
In office 28 July 2005 – 13 September 2007
Premier	Peter Beattie
Preceded by	Terry Mackenroth
Succeeded by	Paul Lucas
Treasurer of Queensland
In office 2 February 2006 – 13 September 2007
Premier	Peter Beattie
Preceded by	Peter Beattie
Succeeded by	Andrew Fraser
Minister for the Arts of Queensland
In office 12 February 2004 – 21 February 2011
Premier	Peter Beattie (2004–2007) Herself (2007–2011)
Preceded by	Matt Foley
Succeeded by	Rachel Nolan
Minister for Education of Queensland
In office 22 February 2001 – 28 July 2005
Premier	Peter Beattie
Preceded by	Dean Wells
Succeeded by	Rod Welford
Minister for Families, Community Services, Disability Services and Youth of Queensland
In office 29 June 1998 – 22 February 2001
Premier	Peter Beattie
Preceded by	Naomi Wilson
Member of the Queensland Parliament for South Brisbane
In office 15 July 1995 – 30 March 2012
Preceded by	Anne Warner
Succeeded by	Jackie Trad
Personal details
Born	(1960-07-14) 14 July 1960 (age 51) Warwick, Queensland
Political party	Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Greg Withers
Alma mater	University of Queensland

Anna Maria Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is an Australian politician and the 37th Premier of Queensland from 2007 to 2012. Bligh was an Australian Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland seat of South Brisbane from 1995 to 2012.

Bligh was the first woman to be appointed Premier of Queensland, the third female Premier of an Australian state, and the sixth female head of government of an Australian state or territory. She led Labor to victory in the 2009 Queensland state election, becoming the first woman elected in her own right as a state premier in Australia.

Bligh attempted to win a second full term as Premier in the 2012 state election. However, her party suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in Queensland history, winning only seven seats. In the wake of the loss, Bligh announced her immediate resignation as leader of the Queensland Labor Party. She also announced that she would resign from parliament and retire from politics, effective 30 March 2012.

Early life[link]

Bligh was born in Warwick, Queensland. She grew up on the Gold Coast. Her parents separated when she was 13. She attended Catholic schools until Year 9 and considered becoming a nun. One of her aunts became a nun and another had entered a convent. However the church's attitude towards divorced people (her mother was no longer permitted to take Communion) reportedly estranged her and her mother from the church.^[1]

Studying at the University of Queensland from 1978, Bligh gained a Bachelor of Arts. Bligh traces her politicisation to her first year at University, observing a right-to-march rally in King George Square where people were being hit over the head by the police. Bligh's first involvement in activism was student protests against the Vice-Chancellor Brian Wilson's controversial administrative restructuring within the university. She then went on to be involved in the Women's Rights Collective which campaigned for legalised abortion against the anti-abortion policies of the Bjelke-Petersen government. Bligh's next role was as Women's Vice-President of the Student Union. She then ran an election ticket called EAT (Education Action Team) in an unsuccessful bid to oust the faction in charge, headed by the future Goss government identity David Barbagallo. Law student Paul Lucas, Bligh's future Deputy Premier, was a part of Barbagallo's team. Her 1982 team included the former Minister for Education, Training and the Arts Rod Welford. Anne Warner, who was a future Minister in the Goss Government, was an office holder at the time in the Union. Warner soon become one of Bligh's key political mentors.^[1]

She subsequently worked in a number of community organisations, including child care services, neighbourhood centres, women's refuges and trade unions as well as in the Queensland Public Service.

Bligh was the secretary of the Labor Party's Fairfield branch in 1987.^[2]

Parliament[link]

Bligh was first elected to parliament at the 1995 election to the safe Labor seat of South Brisbane, succeeding her former university compatriot, Anne Walker. A member of the Socialist Left faction of the Labor Party, she was promoted to the ministry following the election of the Beattie government in 1998 as Minister for Families, Youth and Community Care and Disability Services. In 2001, Bligh became Queensland's first female Education Minister. She assumed additional responsibility for the Arts portfolio in 2004.

Deputy Premier[link]

Anna Bligh, Nicholas Rudd, then Labor leader Kevin Rudd, and Grace Grace (state Labor MP for Brisbane Central) at Labour Day 2007

In July 2005, the retirement of the Deputy Premier and Treasurer Terry Mackenroth forced a cabinet reshuffle, which saw Bligh promoted to the office of Deputy Premier and Minister for Finance, State Development, Trade and Innovation. Bligh's appointment as Deputy Premier coincided with her election to parliament ten years earlier. In early February 2006, Bligh also gained the Treasury portfolio after Beattie relinquished the responsibility in order to focus on attempting to fix the state's troubled health system.^{[citation needed]}

Premier[link]

Bligh had long been touted as a likely successor to the long-running Premier Peter Beattie, and he publicly endorsed her as his replacement when he announced his retirement from politics on 10 September 2007.^[3]

She was subsequently nominated unopposed by the Labor caucus, in a deal that saw Paul Lucas from the Right faction succeed her as Deputy Premier. She became the leader of the Labor Party on 12 September. After Beattie formally resigned on 13 September 2007, Bligh was sworn in by the then Governor Quentin Bryce. Bligh led Labor to victory in the 2009 state election. Bligh lost eight seats from the large majority she'd inherited from Beattie, and also suffered an eight-percent swing on the two-party vote. Nonetheless, due largely to taking 34 out of 40 seats in Brisbane, Labor still won 51 seats out of 89, enough for a comfortable majority. The election marked the Queensland ALP's eighth consecutive election win; the party has been in government for all but two years since 1989.

In winning the election, Bligh became Australia's first popularly elected female premier.^[4] The two previous female premiers, Carmen Lawrence (Western Australia 1990-93) and Joan Kirner (Victoria 1990-92), became premiers following the resignation of male premiers (as Bligh did), but both were defeated at the following respective state elections. However, Bligh is not Australia's first popularly elected female head of government. Rosemary Follett and Kate Carnell were both popularly elected as Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, and Clare Martin was elected as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.^[4]

In 2009, Bligh was elected to the three person presidential team of the Australian Labor Party, to serve until July 2012. She served as National President of the Australian Labor Party for the 2010–11 financial year.^[5]

Privatisation[link]

Bligh has announced the privatisation of five government owned corporations:

• Queensland Motorways Limited (Operating the Gateway Bridge and Logan Motorway tolling systems)
• The Port of Brisbane Authority
• Forestry Plantations Queensland
• Abbot Point Coal Terminal
• Coal carrying rail lines, currently owned by Queensland Rail (QR Passenger services will remain nationalised).

More than 3,000 workers will be offered voluntary redundancies, just three months after the privatisation of QR National.

Queensland Motorways Limited and Forestry Plantations Queensland are not being sold, but rather being leased for an estimated 50 year lease. Since this announcement, the Queensland Government announced plans to sell Queensland Rail to the public.

Revenues from privatisation were estimated at approximately $15 billion dollars, to go towards balancing QLD's state budget.^[6]

The sale of these assets aimed at removing significant overheads from the Queensland Government's debt portfolio, allowing further growth of the Governments capital assets, as well as aiding the government to return to its AAA credit rating. Bligh has faced resistance from both within her party and the trade union movement, but has defended her privatisation plan as 'not negotiable'.^[7]

The 2009 Annual State Conference of the Australian Labor Party - Queensland Branch, passed a motion, moved by Treasurer Andrew Fraser MP, seconded by Parliamentary Secretary for Healthy Living Murray Watt MP, supporting the sale of the assets, recognising that the sale will allow the Queensland Government to grow its asset portfolio, as well as retire debt.

Daylight Saving[link]

In October 2006, then Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, commissioned research to seek if Daylight Saving should be re-introduced into Queensland on a trial basis.^[8] On 1 October 2007 Bligh ruled out holding a new referendum, despite this government-commissioned report indicating that 59% of Queensland residents and 69% of South East Queenslanders support daylight saving.^[9]

On 14 April 2010 Independent member for the Electoral district of Nicklin, Peter Wellington, introduced the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Referendum Bill 2010 into Queensland Parliament, calling for a referendum to be held at the next State election on the introduction of daylight saving for South East Queensland only, while the remainder of the state maintains standard time.^[10] In response to this Bill, Bligh announced a community consultation process, which resulted in over 74,000 respondents participating, 64 percent of whom voted in favour of a trial and 63% were in favour of holding a referendum.^[11]

On 7 June 2010, after reviewing the favourable consultation results, Bligh announced that her Government would not support the Bill, because regional Queenslanders were overwhelmingly opposed to daylight saving.^[12] The Bill was defeated in Queensland Parliament on 15 June 2011.^[13]

Queensland floods[link]

Bligh's management of and performance during the 2010–2011 Queensland floods was widely approved. Labor had been well behind the LNP, led by John-Paul Langbroek, for most of the time since the fall of 2010. However, the following Newspoll saw a record turnaround in Bligh and Labor's fortunes. Labor rose from a two-party deficit of 41-59 to a lead of 52-48, with Bligh's personal satisfaction-dissatisfaction standing going from a negative 24-67 to a positive 49-43.^[14] Bligh's recovery in the polls was a factor behind Langbroek being forced to stand down in favour of Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman.^[15] Newman had become a national figure during the floods, and polling showed he was the only non-Labor politician who even came close to matching Bligh's popularity during that time.^[16]

However, Newman was not a member of parliament, and a by-election could not be arranged to allow him to get a seat in the chamber. For this reason, Jeff Seeney was elected as interim parliamentary leader of the LNP while Newman led the LNP's election team and simultaneously contested the Labor-held seat of Ashgrove.^[17] Bligh harshly criticised Newman's move, saying it was irresponsible for Newman to "cut and run" from his post as Lord Mayor while Queensland was still rebuilding.^[16] She also hinted that she might call an election a year before it was due. She had previously promised not to call an election for 2011 in order to focus on recovery, but was concerned that the unorthodox leadership arrangement on the opposition side could make the cooperation necessary for the recovery effort impossible.^[18]

2012 election[link]

On 25 January, Bligh announced an election for 24 March. It was the first time in Queensland history that the voters knew the election date in advance of the parliament being dissolved. Bligh made this decision after learning that the Commission of Inquiry into the 2010-11 Queensland floods would not release its final report until 16 March, rather than the middle of February as originally planned. She wanted Queenslanders to see the report before they went to the polls.^[19]

Bligh asked Governor Penny Wensley to dissolve parliament on 19 February, formally beginning the 35-day campaign.^[20] She began the race as an underdog; the LNP had regained a substantial lead in polling since Newman took the leadership.

Bligh was dogged throughout the campaign by the perception that she'd misled voters about the asset sales. With Labor sinking in the polls, Bligh conceded in a 13 March interview with the Brisbane Times that in all likelihood, Labor would not be reelected.^[21] The final Newspoll of the campaign appeared to confirm this, showing Labor's support had sunk to only 39.2 percent.^[22]

At the 24 March election, Labor suffered one of the largest electoral wipeouts in Australian history, and the worst defeat that a sitting government in Queensland has ever suffered, double the previous record-holder of the 1989 election. Labor was reduced from 51 seats to seven, suffering a swing of over 15 percent. This was largely because of a near-total meltdown in Brisbane, which had been Labor's power base for over two decades. The party lost all but three of its seats in the capital, in some cases suffering swings of over 10 percent. Bligh herself suffered a nine percent swing in South Brisbane, and she only overcame her LNP challenger on Green preferences. Ten members of her cabinet were defeated. It was only the sixth time since 1915 that Queenslanders have thrown a sitting government from office in an election.

The next day, Bligh announced she was retiring from politics. She had intended to stay in parliament, but said that the severity of Labor's defeat made her realise the party could not "develop an effective opposition" with her even as a backbencher. She resigned as Queensland Labor leader and premier that day, and handed her resignation to Wensley the same afternoon, to take effect from 30 March 2012.^[23][24] Bligh had intended that the timing of her resignation would allow a by-election to be held on 28 April 2012, the same day as local government elections.^[24] Later reports suggested that she may not be able to resign from Parliament until the writ of election for South Brisbane was returned, meaning that a by-election would be too late to coincide with the Brisbane City Council election.^[25]But on 2 April, she was declared the winner,^[26] and a writ was subsequently issued for the by-election.^[27]

Personal[link]

Bligh is married to Greg Withers, a senior public servant, with whom she has two sons, Joe and Oliver, both of whom attended Brisbane State High School.^[28]

Bligh is a descendant of Cornishman William Bligh who is famous for the Mutiny on the Bounty and being the 4th Governor of New South Wales.^[29] The name Bligh comes from the Cornish language word Blyth meaning Wolf.^[30]

Bligh appeared as a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef Australia.^[31] She was eliminated in her first heat, losing to the eventual winner of the series, swimmer Eamon Sullivan.^[32]

See also[link]

• Queensland state election, 2012
• Bligh Ministry

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anna Bligh

• Official Website
• Campaign Website
• Parliamentary Biography
• Anna Bligh's response to the 2008 Apology

v t e Premiers of Queensland Herbert Macalister Mackenzie Lilley Palmer Thorn Douglas McIlwraith Griffith Morehead Nelson Byrnes Dickson Dawson Philp Morgan Kidston Denham Ryan Theodore Gillies McCormack Moore Forgan Smith F. Cooper Hanlon Gair Nicklin Pizzey Chalk Bjelke-Petersen Ahern R. Cooper Goss Borbidge Beattie Bligh Newman

The Honourable Jarrod Bleijie MP
Attorney-General of Queensland and Minister for Justice
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 April 2012
Premier	Campbell Newman
Preceded by	Paul Lucas
Member of the Queensland Parliament for Kawana
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 March 2009
Preceded by	Steve Dickson
Personal details
Born	(1982-01-25) 25 January 1982 (age 30) Griffith, New South Wales
Political party	Liberal National Party
Profession	lawyer

Jarrod Pieter Bleijie ( /ˈbleɪjiː/; born 25 January 1982) is an Australian politician and Liberal National member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. Bleijie was elected as the member for Kawana at the 2009 state election, and is the third member since the seat's inception at the 2001 state election. On 3 April 2012 he was appointed Attorney-General of Queensland.

Early life and family[link]

Jarrod Bleijie was born in Griffith, New South Wales, the second son of Pieter and Christine (née Cooper). He moved with his family to Caloundra, Queensland in 1989. Bleijie attended Griffith Primary School, Caloundra State School, and Caloundra State High School, where he graduated in 2000 as school captain. He studied politics at the University of the Sunshine Coast before transferring to Brisbane to complete a Bachelor of Laws at Queensland University of Technology. He graduated in 2006.

While studying law, Bleijie was employed as an Articled Clerk at the Maroochydore law firm of J J Riba & Company. Following his graduation, he was employed as a solicitor at the Sunshine Coast law firm Sajen Legal. During his legal career, Bleijie specialised in commercial law and management rights.^[1]

Bleijie married Sally (Lennox) on 20 December 2002. Jarrod and Sally have two daughters and one son.

Parliamentary career[link]

Jarrod Bleijie was elected to the Parliament of Queensland in 2009, representing the Sunshine Coast electorate of Kawana.

Jarrod Bleijie was promoted to the Shadow Ministry as Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Justice and Corrective Services, by then Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek in November 2010. Following a leadership change in March 2012, with former Brisbane City Lord Mayor Campbell Newman taking over LNP leadership from outside the parliament, Jarrod Bleijie was reappointed Shadow Attorney-General, maintaining his Justice responsibilities and also taking on Fair Trading.

Bleijie re-contested and won the state seat of Kawana with a two-party preferred swing of 19.9 percent, holding the seat by a 26.8 percent margin. He now has one of the safest seats in the Queensland Parliament.^[2]

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice[link]

Following a landside victory for the Newman-led Liberal National Party, in March 2012, Campbell Newman appointed Bleijie to Cabinet as Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.^[3]

External links[link]

• Bleijie's Website

References[link]