Anna Bligh

Anna Maria Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is a lobbyist and former Australian politician who served as the 37th Premier of Queensland, in office from 2007 to 2012 as leader of the Labor Party.

She was the first woman to hold either position.

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.

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.

Bligh entered the Queensland Legislative Assembly at the 1995 state election, winning the seat of South Brisbane.

Bligh was first elected to parliament at the 1995 election to the safe Labor seat of South Brisbane, succeeding Anne Warner.

She was promoted to the ministry in 1998, under Peter Beattie, and became deputy premier in 2005 and state treasurer in 2006.

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.

As Education Minister, Bligh introduced a number of reforms, including a universally available Prep year in every Queensland Primary school, which added a thirteenth year of education and brought Queensland schooling into line with other Australian States for the first time.

She lifted the entry age of schooling, while also transforming early childhood education which led to an increase in kindergarten programs from 28% of 3-4 year olds to 94%.

Bligh also oversaw the introduction of “Earning or Learning” laws, requiring all young people aged 15 to 17 to be enrolled in school or in full-time work – effectively lifting the school leaving age from 15 to 17 - the first such laws in Australia.

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 to focus on attempting to fix the state's troubled health system.

Bligh succeeded Beattie as premier in 2007 – Queensland's first female premier and Australia's third.

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.

She led Labor to victory at the 2009 state election, but at the 2012 election suffered a landslide defeat and announced her retirement from politics.

From 2010 to 2011, Bligh was National President of the Australian Labor Party.

Bligh was born in Warwick, Queensland.

She is a descendant of William Bligh, who is famous for the Mutiny on the Bounty and being the 4th Governor of New South Wales.

Bligh 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.

In 2017, she was appointed CEO of the Australian Banking Association.

Bligh was born in Warwick, Queensland, and studied at the University of Queensland.

Before entering politics she worked for various community organisations.