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Quick facts for kids The Honourable Anna Bligh AC
Bligh in 2020

37th Premier of Queensland
In office 13 September 2007 – 26 March 2012
Monarch	Elizabeth II
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
In office 21 February 2011 – 26 March 2012
Premier	Herself
Preceded by	New position
Succeeded by	Jeff Seeney
Leader of the Labor Party in Queensland
In office 13 September 2007 – 26 March 2012
Deputy	Paul Lucas (2007–2011) Andrew Fraser (2011–2012)
Preceded by	Peter Beattie
Succeeded by	Annastacia Palaszczuk
46th Treasurer of Queensland
In office 2 February 2006 – 13 September 2007
Premier	Peter Beattie
Preceded by	Peter Beattie
Succeeded by	Andrew Fraser
30th Deputy Premier of Queensland Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in Queensland
In office 28 July 2005 – 13 September 2007
Premier	Peter Beattie
Preceded by	Terry Mackenroth
Succeeded by	Paul Lucas
Minister for the Arts of Queensland
In office 12 February 2004 – 21 February 2011
Premier	Peter Beattie (2004–2007) Herself (2007–2011)
Preceded by	Matt Foley
Succeeded by	Rachel Nolan
Minister for Education of Queensland
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
In office 29 June 1998 – 22 February 2001
Premier	Peter Beattie
Preceded by	Naomi Wilson
Member of the Queensland Parliament for South Brisbane
In office 15 July 1995 – 30 March 2012
Preceded by	Anne Warner
Succeeded by	Jackie Trad
National President of the Labor Party
In office August 2010 – 1 July 2011
Preceded by	Michael Williamson
Succeeded by	Jenny McAllister

Personal details
Born	Anna Maria Bligh (1960-07-14) 14 July 1960 (age 65) Warwick, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Labor Party
Spouses	Greg Withers (1986–2015) Anthony Bertini (m. 2017)
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Queensland
Signature

Anna Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is an Australian leader who used to be a politician. She was the 37th Premier of Queensland, serving from 2007 to 2012. She was also the leader of the Labor Party in Queensland. Anna Bligh was the first woman to hold both of these important positions. Since 2017, she has been the CEO of the Australian Banking Association, which represents banks in Australia.

Anna Bligh was born in Warwick, Queensland, and later studied at the University of Queensland. Before she became a politician, she worked with different community groups. She was first elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly (the state parliament) in 1995 for the area of South Brisbane. In 1998, she became a minister in the government led by Peter Beattie. She then became Deputy Premier in 2005 and state Treasurer in 2006.

In 2007, Anna Bligh took over from Peter Beattie as Premier. She was Queensland's first female Premier and the third woman to lead a state government in Australia. She led her party to win the state election in 2009. However, in the 2012 election, her party lost by a lot, and she decided to retire from politics. From 2010 to 2011, Anna Bligh was also the National President of the Australian Labor Party.

Early Life and Education
Becoming a Member of Parliament
- Becoming Deputy Premier
Premier of Queensland
After Politics
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Education

Anna Bligh was born in Warwick, Queensland. She is a descendant of William Bligh, who was famous for the Mutiny on the Bounty and for being an early Governor of New South Wales. Anna grew up on the Gold Coast. Her parents separated when she was 13 years old. She went to Catholic schools until she was about 15 and even thought about becoming a nun.

In 1978, Anna Bligh started studying at the University of Queensland. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981. She became interested in politics during her first year at university. She saw a protest where people were being treated roughly by the police. This experience made her want to get involved. She joined student protests and worked with groups that supported women's rights. She also held a leadership role in the Student Union at her university.

After university, Anna Bligh worked for various community groups. These included child care services, neighborhood centers, and women's refuges. She also worked for trade unions and in the Queensland Public Service.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Bligh with members of the first Beattie Ministry in 1998

Anna Bligh was first elected to the Queensland Parliament in the 1995 state election. She won the seat of South Brisbane, which was a strong area for the Labor Party.

After the Labor government, led by Peter Beattie, was elected in 1998, Anna Bligh became a minister. Her first role was Minister for Families, Youth, Community Care, and Disability Services. In 2001, she made history by becoming Queensland's first female Education Minister. She also took on the Arts portfolio in 2004.

Becoming Deputy Premier

Anna Bligh, Nicholas Rudd, then federal Labor leader Kevin Rudd, and Grace Grace at Labour Day 2007

In July 2005, the Deputy Premier and Treasurer, Terry Mackenroth, retired. This led to changes in the government's leadership team. Anna Bligh was promoted to the important roles of Deputy Premier and Minister for Finance, State Development, Trade, and Innovation. This happened ten years after she was first elected to parliament.

Premier of Queensland

Anna Bligh was seen as a strong candidate to take over from the long-serving Premier Peter Beattie. When Peter Beattie announced his retirement in September 2007, he publicly supported her as his replacement.

The Labor Party members then chose her as their leader without anyone else running against her. She officially became the leader of the Labor Party on 12 September 2007. After Peter Beattie resigned, Anna Bligh was sworn in as Premier by the Governor of Queensland, Quentin Bryce, on 13 September 2007.

Anna Bligh led the Labor Party to victory in the 2009 state election. Even though her party lost some seats, they still won enough to form a comfortable majority government. By winning this election, Anna Bligh became Australia's first female Premier to be elected by the public. The previous female premiers in other states had taken office after a male premier resigned and were then defeated in the next election.

From 2010 to 2011, Anna Bligh also served as the National President of the Australian Labor Party.

Leading During the Queensland Floods

Anna Bligh's leadership became widely known in 2011. She led the state's response and recovery efforts during terrible natural disasters. These included huge floods that covered 78% of Queensland, including the capital city of Brisbane. After the floods, a very strong cyclone also hit the state.

During a media conference at the peak of the crisis, Anna Bligh gave an emotional speech. She encouraged everyone in Queensland, saying, "We are Queenslanders. We're the people that they breed tough, north of the border."

She then led a major program to rebuild the state. This included setting up a special Reconstruction Authority with a budget of $6 billion to help rebuild.

Economic Changes and Achievements

As Treasurer and Premier, Anna Bligh was in charge of Queensland's state budget, which was almost $50 billion. Some of her key achievements and changes included:

Building Infrastructure: She oversaw Australia's largest program for building new infrastructure. This included new roads, public transport, and a $9 billion "Water grid." This water grid connected water storage areas and created new water sources, like a recycled water scheme and a desalination plant. These projects helped to protect Queensland's major cities from droughts.
Utilities Reform: She made big changes to how essential services like water and electricity were managed.
Research and Innovation: She invested in research, science, and innovation. This helped Queensland move from an economy mostly based on resources to one that also focused on knowledge and creativity.
Arts and Culture: She made significant new investments in the Arts. This included building a new Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and other cultural buildings. These investments helped to increase cultural tourism.
Commonwealth Games Bid: Anna Bligh successfully led the bid for the Gold Coast to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Selling Government Assets

Anna Bligh announced plans to sell parts of five government-owned businesses. These included parts of the state's toll road system, the Port of Brisbane, forestry plantations, a coal terminal, and coal-carrying rail lines. Passenger train services remained owned by the government.

The money from these sales, estimated at $15 billion, was used to help balance Queensland's state budget. This decision was met with some disagreement from within her own political party and from trade unions. However, Anna Bligh defended her plan, saying it was necessary to reduce the government's debt and allow for more growth.

The 2012 Election

Bligh with Kevin Rudd and British Foreign Secretary William Hague at a 2011 barbecue to raise funds for Queensland flood victims.

Anna Bligh's handling of the 2010–2011 Queensland floods was widely praised. Before the floods, her party was behind in the polls. However, after her strong leadership during the crisis, public support for her and the Labor Party increased a lot.

The opposition party then chose Campbell Newman, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, as their new leader. He had also become well-known during the floods. However, Campbell Newman was not a member of parliament at the time.

On 25 January 2012, Anna Bligh announced that the state election would be held on 24 March. This was the first time in Queensland's history that voters knew the election date so far in advance. She wanted people to see the final report from the flood inquiry before they voted.

During the election campaign, Anna Bligh faced criticism about the sale of government assets. Many people felt she had not been clear about these plans before the previous election. As the election day approached, it became clear that the Labor Party was likely to lose.

On 24 March 2012, the Labor Party suffered a huge defeat in the election. They went from having 51 seats in parliament down to only seven. This was one of the biggest losses for a sitting government in Australian history.

The day after the election, Anna Bligh announced that she was retiring from politics. She resigned as Premier and state Labor leader, with her resignation taking effect on 30 March 2012. She was later succeeded as state Labor leader by Annastacia Palaszczuk.

After Politics

In 2014, Anna Bligh became the CEO of YWCA New South Wales. This is a non-profit organization that works to end domestic violence and create a safer world for women and children.

In 2017, she was appointed CEO of the Australian Banking Association. This role involves representing the banking industry in Australia.

Personal Life

On 8 June 2013, Anna Bligh shared that she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer.

Her memoir, a book about her life called "Through The Wall", was published in April 2015.

In 2017, Anna Bligh received a high honor called the Companion of the Order of Australia. This award recognized her excellent service to the Queensland Parliament, especially as Premier. It also acknowledged her work in developing infrastructure, reforming education, advocating for women in public life, and her contributions to the non-profit sector.