Governor Quentin Alice Louise Bryce 

Anna Maria Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is an Australian politician and the current Premier of Queensland. She has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 1995, representing the electorate of South Brisbane. List of Premiers of Queensland Before the 1890s there was no formal party system in Queensland. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952), Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half. ... The division of South Brisbane is a Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral division in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Warwick is a town in Queensland, Australia, lying 130 km south-west of Brisbane. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... List of Premiers of Queensland Before the 1890s there was no formal party system in Queensland. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Legislative Assembly. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... The division of South Brisbane is a Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral division in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ...

She is Queensland's first and Australia's third female State premier, and the sixth female head of government of any Australian State or Territory.

Personal

Bligh is married to Greg Withers, a senior public servant, with whom she has two sons.

In November 2006 the Gold Coast Bulletin used genealogical websites to establish that Anna Bligh is the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of William Bligh, who was the fourth Governor of the colony of New South Wales (which at the time included the area that was to become Queensland). William Bligh is best known internationally as the captain of the HMAV Bounty when it was overthrown by mutineers in 1789. When presented with the Bulletin's evidence, she said that she was "pleasantly surprised". Additionally the investigation revealed that her great-great-great-grandfather, Richard Bligh, was a barrister who served in the House of Lords.^[1] The Gold Coast Bulletin is the principal daily newspaper of Australias Gold Coast region. ... 1814 portrait of William Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh FRS RN (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the British Royal Navy and colonial administrator. ... the flag of the Governor of New South Wales The Governor of New South Wales is the representative in the Australian state of New South Wales of Australias head of state, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. ... “NSW” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Mutiny on the Bounty (disambiguation). ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ...

Before Parliament

Bligh grew up on the Gold Coast. Her parents separated when she was 13 after her father Bill took to drink and gambling. She attended Catholic schools until Year 9 and strongly considered becoming a nun. One of her aunts became a nun and another had entered a convent. However the church's attitude to divorces (for example, her mother was no longer permitted to take Communion) estranged her and her mother from the church.^[2] “Gold Coast” redirects here. ...

Studying at the University of Queensland from 1978, Bligh gained a Bachelor of Arts in social sciences. 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 against the pro-life policies of the Bjelke-Petersen government. She also protested for respect for women and against Playboy magazine. 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 a bid to oust the faction in charge, headed by the future Goss government identity David Barbagallo. It was one of her earliest lessons in realpolitik: the numbers had been locked up by the Right faction. Law student Paul Lucas, Bligh's future Deputy Premier, was a part of Barbagallo's team. Her 1982 team included the current Minister for Education 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.^[2] The University of Queensland (UQ) is the longest-established university in the state of Queensland, Australia, a member of Australias Group of Eight, and the Sandstone Universities. ... A B.A. issused as a certificate Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ... This article is about the social movement. ... Sir Johannes Joh Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG (13 January 1911 – 23 April 2005), New Zealand-born Australian politician, was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of the state of Queensland. ... Playboy is an adult entertainment magazine, or pornography magazine, founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner, which has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Wayne Keith Goss (b. ... Realpolitik (German: real (realistic, practical or actual) and Politik (politics)) is a term that is synonomous to Machiavellianism and is used to describe politics based on strictly practical rather than ideological notions, and practiced without any sentimental illusions. Realpolitik is usually used pejoratively as a term to imply politics imposed... // PAUL LUCAS Paul Lucas (born June 10, 1982) is the former editor-in-chief of professional wrestling website radicalwrestling. ... Rod Welford is a politician. ... Anne Marie Warner (born 5 December 1945), Australian state politician, was born in Lucknow, India, and was a social welfare union organiser before entering politics. ...

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 as a Senior Policy Officer for the Department of Employment, Vocational Education, Training and Industrial Relations.

Bligh was the secretary of the Labor Party's Fairfield branch in 1987.^[1]

Early parliamentary career (1995-2005)

Anna Bligh was first elected to parliament at the 1995 election to the safe Labor seat of South Brisbane. 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. Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 15 July 1995 to elect the 89 members of the states Legislative Assembly. ... Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952), Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

Deputy Premier (2005-2007)

Anna Bligh, Nicholas Rudd, federal Labor leader Kevin Rudd, and Grace Grace (Labor candidate for Brisbane Central) at Labour Day 2007

In July 2005, the retirement of the Deputy Premier and Treasurer Terry Mackenroth and the resignation of the Speaker Ray Hollis 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 fixing the state's troubled health system. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 537 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 687 pixel, file size: 383 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Kevin Rudd (left) with his older son[1] on Labor Day March and Rally, 07/05/07, Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 537 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 687 pixel, file size: 383 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Kevin Rudd (left) with his older son[1] on Labor Day March and Rally, 07/05/07, Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ... Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957), is the leader of the federal Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Parliament. ... The district of Brisbane Central is an electoral division in the state of Queensland, Australia. ... Labour Day Parade in Toronto in the early 1900s A Labour Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ... The Honorable Terence Michael Terry Mackenroth former Queensland ALP politician who served in a number of ministerial roles, including Deputy Premier and Treasurer during his almost 18 years in parliament. ... It has been suggested that Speakers of the House be merged into this article or section. ... The term treasury was first used in classical times to describe the votive buildings erected to house gifts to the gods, such as the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi or the many buildings put up in Olympia, Greece by competing city-states, to impress each other during the Ancient Olympic Games. ...

Premier

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 imminent retirement from politics on 10 September 2007. 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 Thursday 13 September 2007, Bligh was sworn in by the Governor Quentin Bryce. Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952), Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half. ... Quentin Bryce, AC, is a lawyer, by training and currently the Governor of Queensland, Australia. ...

References

The Gold Coast Bulletin is the principal daily newspaper of Australias Gold Coast region. ...

External links

• Official Website
• Premier's Biography
• Parliamentary Biography

v • d • 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