Bridget McKenzie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bridget McKenzie
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McKenzie in 2019
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| Leader of the Nationals in the Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 2 July 2019 |
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| Deputy | Matt Canavan (2019–2022) Perin Davey (2022–2025) |
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| Leader | David Littleproud | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nigel Scullion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Leader of the National Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 7 December 2017 – 2 February 2020 |
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| Leader | Barnaby Joyce Michael McCormack |
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| Preceded by | Fiona Nash | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | David Littleproud | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Senator for Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 1 July 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Julian McGauran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Bridget Grace McKenzie
27 December 1969 Alexandra, Victoria, Australia |
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| Political party | National | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Deakin University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bridget Grace McKenzie (born 27 December 1969) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the National Party. She has been a Senator for Victoria since 2011. A Senator is a person elected to represent their state in the Australian Parliament.
Bridget McKenzie has held important jobs as a minister in the Australian government. She was part of the governments led by Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison. Since 2019, she has also been the leader of the National Party in the Senate.
McKenzie grew up in Benalla, Victoria. Before becoming a politician, she worked as a schoolteacher and a university lecturer. She was first elected to the Senate in 2010. From 2011 to 2013, she served as a whip. A whip helps make sure members of their party vote together.
In 2017, she became the Deputy Leader of the Nationals. This meant she joined the Cabinet, which is a group of senior ministers who make big decisions for the country. She held several important roles, including Minister for Rural Health, Sport, Regional Communications, Regional Services, and Agriculture.
In 2020, she resigned from her ministerial roles and as Deputy Leader. This happened after a report about how money was given out for community sports projects. She returned to the Cabinet in 2021. She became the Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience. She was also the Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications, and Regional Education. She held these jobs until May 2022.
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Early Life and Education
Bridget McKenzie was born on 27 December 1969 in Alexandra, Victoria. She spent her early years in Benalla. Her mother was a primary school teacher, and her father was a dairyman.
She went to Benalla East Primary School and Benalla High School. Later, she moved to Tintern Grammar in Melbourne to finish high school. There, she was a house captain and swimming captain.
After starting her family, McKenzie went to Deakin University. She studied applied science and teaching. She was the president of the Deakin University Student Association in 2003. McKenzie then taught physical education and mathematics at Yarram Secondary College in Gippsland. She also lectured in education at Monash University.
Her Political Journey
Bridget McKenzie joined the National Party when she was 18. She was a junior vice-president for the Victorian branch of the party from 2006 to 2009.
She first tried to enter parliament in 2004. She ran for the House of Representatives in the Division of McMillan, but was not successful. In the 2010 election, McKenzie was elected to the Senate. Her term as a Senator began on 1 July 2011.
From September 2013 to June 2014, McKenzie was her party's Senate whip. In December 2017, she became the Deputy Leader of the Nationals. She replaced Fiona Nash. As part of an agreement with the Liberal Party, McKenzie was then given a place in the Cabinet. She became the Minister for Sport, Minister for Rural Health, and Minister for Regional Communications.
When Scott Morrison became Prime Minister in August 2018, McKenzie was appointed Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government. She also continued to be the Minister for Sport. After the Coalition won the 2019 election, she became the Minister for Agriculture. She was the first woman to hold this position.
McKenzie enjoys shooting.
Working as Agriculture Minister
As the Minister for Agriculture, Bridget McKenzie worked to protect Australia's pork industry. This was important because of a serious disease called African Swine Fever. In December 2019, she announced $66.6 million to help Australia fight against this virus.
This plan included adding more biosecurity officers. These officers check passengers and mail to stop diseases from entering Australia. They also used new detector dogs and special X-ray machines. Biosecurity officers were also given the power to give out fines on the spot at airports.
In September 2019, new laws were passed to protect farms. These laws made it illegal to encourage trespassing, property damage, or theft on farms. McKenzie said these laws sent a clear message. She stated that people who use farmers' information to cause trouble on farms are criminals. The National Farmers Federation, which represents farmers, supported these new laws.
In December 2019, McKenzie also announced Australia's first national rules for the dairy industry. These rules were called the Mandatory Dairy Industry Code of Conduct. They made sure that everyone in the dairy industry, like farmers and milk processors, treated each other fairly. The rules stopped unfair practices, like processors changing agreements without warning. They also created a way to solve problems if disagreements happened. Farmers and consumer groups generally welcomed these new rules.
Regional Development Initiatives
In March 2019, Bridget McKenzie gave a speech from her hometown of Wodonga. At that time, she was the Minister for Regional Services, Sport, Local Government, and Decentralisation. She announced a special plan for Albury-Wodonga.
This plan was the first of its kind. It involved the federal government, the governments of New South Wales and Victoria, and the local councils of Albury and Wodonga. The goal was to work together to remove barriers between the two cities. This would help them grow and become more productive.
The governments and councils signed an agreement for this plan in July 2020. McKenzie used this occasion to highlight the opportunities in regional Australia. She said that regional areas have great potential for national economic growth.
Sports Grants Program
In January 2020, a report was released about a $100 million sports grant program. Bridget McKenzie was in charge of this program before the 2019 federal election. The report found that the way the grants were given out was not fair. It said that the process was not based on proper assessments or good advice.
A large amount of the money went to sports clubs in areas where the Coalition party needed more votes. For example, one rugby club received a large grant for new change rooms. This was despite the club not having a women's team for some time. Other clubs with links to Coalition politicians also received grants. Sometimes, the money was presented by the Liberal candidate for the area, not the local member of parliament.
McKenzie defended her decisions. She said that all projects that received money were eligible. She also stated that no rules were broken. However, many people called for her to resign from her job. The Leader of the Opposition, Anthony Albanese, said that her actions were wrong.
In 1993, a similar situation happened with another Sports Minister, Ros Kelly. She resigned because of how sports grants were handled.
On 22 January 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked for advice about McKenzie's actions. This was after it was revealed she gave a grant to a shooting club she was a member of, without saying so. On 2 February, a report found that McKenzie had broken the rules for ministers. Because of this, she resigned as Minister for Agriculture and Deputy Leader of her party. She continued to be the leader of the Nationals in the Senate.
Return to Government
In July 2021, there was a change in leadership for the National Party. Barnaby Joyce became the party leader and Deputy Prime Minister. After this, Bridget McKenzie returned to the Cabinet.
She was appointed as Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience. She also became the Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications, and Regional Education. She held these important roles until the Coalition government lost the 2022 federal election in May 2022.
In Opposition
After the Coalition lost the election, Bridget McKenzie became the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, and Regional Development. This means she is part of the opposition party. She works to question the government's plans in these areas.
McKenzie also serves on important Senate committees. These committees look at things like government spending and how the Senate works. She has spoken about why the Coalition government lost the 2022 election. She believes that how the former Prime Minister treated the CEO of Australia Post was a key moment. McKenzie is now working to help the Coalition party improve its relationship with professional women. This is part of a plan to help the party win the next election.
After the 2025 election, McKenzie kept her role as the National Party's Senate leader. She supported the National Party leader David Littleproud's decision for the party to leave the Coalition in May 2025. This happened after they could not agree on the terms of their alliance.
Qantas Inquiry
On 5 September 2023, McKenzie became the Chair of a special committee. This committee was called the Select Committee on Commonwealth Bilateral Air Service Agreements. It was also known as the Qantas Inquiry. The Senate started this inquiry after the Transport Minister decided not to let Qatar Airways have more flights to Australia.
This decision caused concern because airfare prices were very high, especially for flights to Europe. Experts said that the high prices were due to more people wanting to fly than there were flights available. They believed that more flights from Qatar Airways could have helped lower these prices.
Personal Life
Bridget McKenzie has four children.
In 2020, McKenzie published a book about a former Country Party leader named John McEwen.
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