Meaghan Scanlon

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The Honourable
Meaghan Scanlon
MP
Meaghan Scanlon.jpg
Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development
Assumed office
12 December 2017
PremierAnnastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded byPosition established
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Gaven
Assumed office
25 November 2017
Preceded bySid Cramp
Personal details
Born1992/1993 (age 28–29)[1]
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Political partyLabor
EducationAquinas College
Alma mater
Occupation
Websitewww.meaghanscanlon.com

Meaghan Alana Jenkins Scanlon is an Australian politician and lawyer. She has been the Labor member for Gaven in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2017.[2]

Early life[]

Scanlon was born on the Gold Coast and grew up in the suburb of Nerang.[3] Her father came from England and settled in Australia at an early age and her mother is from Moe, Victoria.[4] She attended Guardian Angels Primary School and Aquinas College throughout her schooling years.[5] At the age of 13, she tragically lost her father to melanoma and began helping her mother care more for her brother with Down syndrome.[6] Following high school graduation, Scanlon completed a Bachelor of Laws at Griffith University's Gold Coast campus and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the Queensland University of Technology.[7] She briefly worked in Brisbane before deciding to pursue a career in politics at the age of 23.

Political career[]

Scanlon ran as the Labor candidate for the seat of Fadden in the 2016 Australian federal election but was defeated by Stuart Robert. She then turned her attention to the 2017 Queensland state election where she ran for the central Gold Coast seat of Gaven and defeated Sid Cramp to become the youngest female elected to the Queensland Parliament at the age of 24.[8] She served as the Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development, was considered by some to be the unofficial minister for the Gold Coast at the time due to Gaven having been the only Gold Coast-based seat held by the Queensland Labor Government.[9] Following the Queensland Labor Government winning the State election on the 31 October 2020, and Scanlon herself again winning the seat of Gaven, Scanlon was chosen for the Queensland Labor's third term cabinet to be Minister for Environment, the Great Barrier Reef, Science and Youth Affairs.[10]

Personal life[]

In September 2018, Scanlon and fellow MP Mark Bailey confirmed that they had been in a relationship since 2016.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ "Meet Queensland's Youngest Ever Female MP". Buzzfeed. 6 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Gaven". Queensland Election 2017. ABC.
  3. ^ "Meaghan Scanlon Profile". Queensland Labor. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  4. ^ Scanlon, Meaghan (20 March 2018). Maiden Speech to Parliament (PDF) (Speech). Parliament House, Brisbane: Queensland Parliament. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Scanlon's love of politics began early". Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon's reveals her family battle and motivations". Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Meaghan Scanlon MP Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  8. ^ "How Labor's Meaghan Scanlon became state's youngest female MP". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Labor MP Meaghan Scanlon to hold Gold Coast's Gaven seat after Tourism Minister Kate Jones retires". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces Cabinet line-up for her historic third term". ABC News. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  11. ^ Weston, Paul (8 September 2018). "Gold Coast politician couple Meaghan Scanlon and Mark Bailey in relationship". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by Member for Gaven
2017–present 		Incumbent
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