Bridget McKenzie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bridget McKenzie
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McKenzie in 2019
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| Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience | |
| In office 2 July 2021 – 23 May 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | David Littleproud |
| Succeeded by | Murray Watt |
| Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education | |
| In office 2 July 2021 – 23 May 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Mark Coulton |
| Succeeded by | Abolished |
| Deputy Leader of the National Party | |
| In office 7 December 2017 – 2 February 2020 |
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| Leader | Barnaby Joyce Michael McCormack |
| Preceded by | Fiona Nash |
| Succeeded by | David Littleproud |
| Minister for Agriculture | |
| In office 29 May 2019 – 2 February 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | David Littleproud |
| Succeeded by | David Littleproud |
| Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government | |
| In office 28 August 2018 – 29 May 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Minister | Michael McCormack |
| Preceded by | John McVeigh |
| Succeeded by | Mark Coulton |
| Minister for Sports | |
| In office 20 December 2017 – 29 May 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Greg Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Richard Colbeck |
| Minister for Rural Health Minister for Regional Communications |
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| In office 20 December 2017 – 28 August 2018 |
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| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Fiona Nash |
| Succeeded by | (abolished) |
| Senator for Victoria | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Julian McGauran |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bridget McKenzie
27 December 1969 Alexandra, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | National |
| Alma mater | Deakin University |
Bridget 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.
McKenzie has held important jobs in the Australian government. She was a minister in both the Turnbull and Morrison governments. She also led her party in the Senate from 2019. Before politics, she worked as a schoolteacher and university lecturer.
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Early Life and Education
Bridget McKenzie was born on 27 December 1969. Her birthplace was Alexandra, Victoria. She grew up in Benalla, Victoria. Her mother was a primary school teacher. Her father worked as a dairyman.
She went to Benalla East Primary School. Then she attended Benalla High School. Later, she moved to Melbourne to finish high school at Tintern Grammar. There, she was a house captain and swimming captain.
After starting her own family, McKenzie went to Deakin University. She studied applied science and teaching. She was the president of the Deakin University Student Association in 2003. Later, she taught physical education and maths. She also lectured at Monash University.
Political Career
Bridget McKenzie joined the National Party when she was 18. She was elected to the Senate in 2010. Her term as a Senator for Victoria began on 1 July 2011.
From 2013 to 2014, she was her party's Senate whip. This role helps manage party members in parliament. In December 2017, she became the Deputy Leader of the Nationals. This happened after another Senator, Fiona Nash, left parliament due to a rule about citizenship.
When she became Deputy Leader, she also joined the Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of senior ministers. She held several important roles. These included Minister for Rural Health, Sport, and Regional Communications.
When Scott Morrison became Prime Minister in 2018, McKenzie continued as a minister. She was the Minister for Regional Services, Local Government, and Decentralisation. She also kept her role as Minister for Sport. After the 2019 election, she became the Minister for Agriculture. She was the first woman to hold this job.
Protecting Australia's Agriculture
As Agriculture Minister, McKenzie worked to protect Australia's farms. She helped protect the pork industry from a serious disease. This disease is called African Swine Fever. In December 2019, she announced $66.6 million to help stop the virus. This money helped hire more biosecurity officers. It also added more detector dogs and X-ray machines at airports. These measures helped check for the virus.
She also helped pass a new law in 2019. This law made it harder for people to trespass on farms. It also made it illegal to steal animals from farms. McKenzie said this law protects farmers. It sends a clear message that invading farms is a crime. Farmers and their families should be safe.
In December 2019, McKenzie announced a new code for the dairy industry. This code helps dairy farmers. It makes sure that milk processors deal fairly with farmers. It stops unfair changes to agreements. It also helps solve problems between farmers and processors. This code was welcomed by many farmer groups.
Helping Regional Areas
In March 2019, McKenzie spoke about regional Australia. She announced a special plan for Albury-Wodonga. This plan was called a "Regional Deal." It was the first deal of its kind. It involved governments from two states, New South Wales and Victoria. It also included the local councils of Albury and Wodonga.
The goal was to make it easier for the two cities to grow. It aimed to remove some rules that made things difficult. This would help the region become more productive. McKenzie said regional Australia has great potential. She believes it can help the country's economy grow.
Sports Grants Program
In early 2020, there were questions about a sports grant program. This program gave $100 million for sports projects. Bridget McKenzie was in charge of it. A report found that the way grants were given out was not always fair.
Some people felt that too much money went to areas that were important for the government's re-election. For example, one club got a lot of money for new change rooms. But they had not had a women's team for a while. Another club got money for a project that was already paid for.
Many people asked McKenzie to resign. They said the way the grants were given out was wrong. McKenzie said that all projects that got money were allowed to receive it. She said no rules were broken. However, she later resigned from her government roles. This was due to the concerns raised about the program.
Return to Government and Opposition
In July 2021, Bridget McKenzie returned to the Cabinet. This happened after a change in her party's leadership. 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. At that time, her party lost the federal election.
After the election, McKenzie became a Shadow Minister. She is now the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, and Regional Development. This means she works to question the government's actions in these areas.
In 2023, she became the head of a special committee. This committee looked into airline agreements. It was called the "Qantas Inquiry." People were concerned about high flight prices. The committee investigated why prices were so high. It also looked at why some airlines were not allowed to fly more planes to Australia.
Personal Life
Bridget McKenzie has four children. She also wrote a book in 2020. It is a biography about a former political leader named John McEwen.
Images for kids
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McKenzie in 2019
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McKenzie in November 2014
