Anna Bligh
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The Honourable Anna Bligh AC |
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|---|---|
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| 37th Premier of Queensland Elections: 2009, 2012 |
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In office 13 September 2007 – 26 March 2012 |
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| 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 | |
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In office 21 February 2011 – 26 March 2012 |
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| Premier | Herself |
| Preceded by | New position |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Seeney |
| Leader of the Australian Labor Party in Queensland | |
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In office 13 September 2007 – 26 March 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Beattie |
| Succeeded by | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
| Deputy Premier of Queensland | |
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In office 28 July 2005 – 13 September 2007 |
|
| Premier | Peter Beattie |
| Preceded by | Terry Mackenroth |
| Succeeded by | Paul Lucas |
| 46th Treasurer of Queensland | |
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In office 2 February 2006 – 13 September 2007 |
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| Premier | Peter Beattie |
| Preceded by | Peter Beattie |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Fraser |
| Minister for the Arts of Queensland | |
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In office 12 February 2004 – 21 February 2011 |
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| Premier |
Peter Beattie (2004–2007) Herself (2007–2011) |
| Preceded by | Matt Foley |
| Succeeded by | Rachel Nolan |
| Minister for Education of Queensland | |
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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 | |
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In office 29 June 1998 – 22 February 2001 |
|
| Premier | Peter Beattie |
| Preceded by | Naomi Wilson |
| Member of the Queensland Parliament for South Brisbane |
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In office 15 July 1995 – 30 March 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Anne Warner |
| Succeeded by | Jackie Trad |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
14 July 1960 Warwick, Queensland |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Greg Withers |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland |
Anna Maria Bligh AC (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. She was appointed CEO of YWCA New South Wales in 2014. In 2017 Bligh was appointed as Australian Bankers' Association CEO.
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.
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.
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