Fran Bailey
| The Honourable Fran Bailey |
|
|---|---|
| Member of the Australian Parliament for McEwen |
|
| In office 24 March 1990 – 13 March 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Peter Cleeland |
| Succeeded by | Peter Cleeland |
| In office 2 March 1996 – 19 July 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Peter Cleeland |
| Succeeded by | Rob Mitchell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 May 1946 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland |
| Website | www.franbaileymp.com |
Frances Esther "Fran" Bailey (born 21 May 1946) is an Australian politician and Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 2010, representing the electorate of McEwen in Victoria.
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
She was born in Brisbane and attended All Hallows' School in that city. She later graduated from the University of Queensland and Kelvin Grove Teachers' College.
[edit] Career
Bailey worked as a secondary school teacher, retailer and cashmere goat breeder before entering politics. She was secretary of the Yarra Glen branch of the Liberal Party from 1984 to 1988 and President of the branch from 1988 to 1989. She also worked as the campaign director for the Victorian state seat of Evelyn at the 1988 election.
Bailey was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 1990 election. She was the first woman from any political party to represent a rural electorate in the House of Representatives, and the first female Liberal elected to a Victorian seat.[1]
She was promoted to Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs, and was heavily involved with the Liberals' 'Fightback!' campaign to re-enter power. She was defeated in the 1993 election. In 1996, she successfully contested the seat again. She served on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade from 1998 to 2002.
In 2001, Bailey was promoted to Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence. In July 2004 she was promoted to Minister for Employment Services and Assistant Minister for Defence. She became Minister for Small Business and Tourism in October 2004. In 2006, she flew to London with Lara Bingle to lobby the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre for the right to use the word "bloody" in advertisements promoting Australia (see So where the bloody hell are you?). In November, 2007 she was named in a report of the Australian Auditor General, in connection with Government use and control of funds associated with the controversial "Regional Partnerships Program".[2]
Her period as minister finished with the defeat of the Howard government at the 2007 election. That election resulted in McEwen becoming the most marginal seat in the country. Fran Bailey led throughout most of the initial count, only be initially found to have lost to former Labor state MP Rob Mitchell by six votes. Bailey subsequently requested and was granted a full recount, which resulted in a change in the lead and a twelve-vote victory for her. The result was challenged in the High Court of Australia in its capacity as the Court of Disputed Returns, and was referred to the Federal Court of Australia. Over seven months after the election and a review of 643 individual votes, the court altered the formal status of several dozen, eventually declaring Bailey the winner by 27 votes. Following the resolution of the long-running dispute, Bailey called for a total overhaul of the voting system.[3][4][5]
Bailey announced in October 2009 that she would retire at the next Australian federal election.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Liberal Party – profile of Fran Bailey
- ^ "ANAO 2007–08 Audit Report 14". http://www.anao.gov.au/download.cfm?item_id=40BC1C6C1560A6E8AAA43AAB96708E61&binary_id=40CC2B811560A6E8AABD1888AE16D9D3. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ Doherty, Ben (2008-07-03). "Court confirms Bailey win: The Age 3/7/2008". Melbourne: Theage.com.au. http://www.theage.com.au/national/court-confirms-bailey-win-20080702-30on.html. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ "Labor loses bid to win back McEwen: ABC 2/7/2008". Abc.net.au. 2008-07-02. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/02/2292520.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ "Mitchell v Bailey (No 2) 2008 FCA 692: Federal Court of Australia Decisions 2/7/2008". Austlii.edu.au. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/federal_ct/2008/692.html. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ "Fran Bailey announces retirement: ABC News 7/10/2009". Abc.net.au. 2009-10-07. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/07/2707402.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Search or browse Hansard for Fran Bailey at OpenAustralia.org
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Malcolm Brough |
Minister for Employment Services 2004 |
Succeeded by Peter Dutton as Minister for Workforce Participation |
| Preceded by Joe Hockey |
Minister for Small Business and Tourism 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by Craig Emerson as Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy |
| Succeeded by Martin Ferguson as Minister for Tourism |
||
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by Peter Cleeland |
Member for McEwen 1990–1993 |
Succeeded by Peter Cleeland |
| Preceded by Peter Cleeland |
Member for McEwen 1996–2010 |
Succeeded by Rob Mitchell |
