Gladys Berejiklian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gladys Berejiklian
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| 45th Premier of New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 23 January 2017 – 5 October 2021 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | David Hurley Margaret Beazley |
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| Deputy | John Barilaro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Mike Baird | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dominic Perrottet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Willoughby | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 22 March 2003 – 30 December 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Collins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tim James | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 22 September 1970 Manly, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Political party | Liberal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Residences | Northbridge, Sydney, New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Sydney University of New South Wales |
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Gladys Berejiklian (born 22 September 1970) is an Australian businesswoman and former politician. She was the 45th Premier of New South Wales and the leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales. She held these roles from 2017 to 2021.
Berejiklian is now an executive at the telecommunications company Optus. She became a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 2003. She represented the area of electoral district of Willoughby.
Before becoming Premier, she served as Treasurer and Minister for Transport. She was also the deputy leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party. She became Premier after Mike Baird resigned in January 2017.
Berejiklian was re-elected in 2019. During her second term, she led New South Wales's efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2021, she resigned as Premier and as a member of parliament. This happened after an investigation began into her actions as a public official.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gladys Berejiklian was born in Manly Hospital, Sydney. She is the oldest of three daughters. Her parents are of Armenian background. Her grandparents were orphaned during the Armenian genocide in 1915.
Berejiklian spoke only Armenian until she was five years old. Then she started learning English. She can still speak Armenian fluently. She has stayed involved with the Armenian-Australian community. She even served on the Armenian National Committee of Australia.
She went to North Ryde High School in North Ryde. This was a public school for both boys and girls. She was also a member of Girl Guides. She still supports the organisation today.
Berejiklian studied at the University of Sydney. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992. She also got a graduate diploma in international studies in 1996. Later, she completed a Masters in Commerce from the University of New South Wales in 2001.
Political Beginnings (2003–2017)
Berejiklian joined the Liberal Party in 1993. She was the president of the New South Wales Young Liberals from 1997 to 1998. She was the third woman to hold this position.
She also worked for other politicians, including Peter Collins. Before becoming a full-time politician, she worked at the Commonwealth Bank. There, she was a general manager for youth retail banking.
Entering Parliament (2003)
Berejiklian was chosen by the Liberal Party to run for the seat of Willoughby in 2003. The previous representative, Peter Collins, was retiring. Willoughby has always been a strong Liberal Party area.
She won the election by a small number of votes. This was a close contest. However, in the next election, she won easily. This showed that Willoughby was still a very safe seat for the Liberal Party.
Roles in Opposition (2005–2011)
In 2005, Berejiklian became a part of the Liberal Party's main team. She was named Shadow Minister for Mental Health. In 2006, she became the Shadow Minister for Transport. This meant she was the party's spokesperson on transport issues while they were not in government.
Minister for Transport (2011–2014)
After the Liberal Party won the state election in 2011, Berejiklian became the Minister for Transport. She started this role on 3 April 2011.
She made big changes to the railway system in 2013. Old brands like CityRail were replaced by Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink.
Some important projects she oversaw included:
- Extending the Inner West Light Rail line.
- Introducing the Opal card, a new way to pay for public transport.
- Starting construction of the Sydney Metro Northwest, a new train line.
- Closing part of the Newcastle railway line to build the Newcastle Light Rail.
Treasurer of New South Wales (2014–2017)
In 2014, Mike Baird became the new Premier. Berejiklian was elected as his deputy. She also became the Minister for the Hunter region.
After the 2015 state election, Berejiklian was appointed Treasurer. This meant she was in charge of the state's money. She also became the Minister for Industrial Relations.
As Treasurer, she helped New South Wales have a budget surplus. This meant the state had more money than it spent. It was the first time in over 20 years that New South Wales was declared debt-free. She also oversaw the partial sale of the state's electricity network.
Premier of New South Wales (2017–2021)
First Term as Premier
When Mike Baird resigned in January 2017, Berejiklian announced she wanted to become the next Premier. Baird supported her, saying she would be "an outstanding Premier."
Other politicians who might have challenged her decided to support her instead. So, Berejiklian became the leader of the Liberal Party without anyone running against her. She was sworn in as Premier on 23 January 2017. She was the second woman to become Premier of New South Wales.
In October 2018, Berejiklian allowed advertisements for a horse race called The Everest to be shown on the Sydney Opera House. Many people in the community did not like this decision. A survey showed that 80% of people were against it.
Second Term as Premier
Berejiklian led the Liberal-National Coalition into the 2019 state election. The election was very close. The Coalition won, but with a smaller majority.
Berejiklian became the third woman in Australia to lead a party to victory in a state election. She was also the first non-Labor woman to do so.
In October 2020, an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) began. Berejiklian admitted she had a close personal relationship with a former politician, Daryl Maguire. He had been investigated earlier for seeking improper payments.
As a result, a vote of no-confidence was held in parliament. Berejiklian survived the vote. This meant she kept her position as Premier.
Berejiklian faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales in 2021. Some people believed her decisions affected the spread of the virus. In June 2021, she resisted calls for a lockdown in Sydney. This led to a large number of cases of the Delta variant.
Later, the government released a list of essential businesses that could stay open during lockdowns. There was some confusion about which businesses were considered essential. Berejiklian also faced criticism when she stopped holding daily press briefings about COVID-19 cases.
Resignation from Politics
On 1 October 2021, the ICAC announced a new investigation into Berejiklian. Following this announcement, Berejiklian said she would resign as Premier and as a member of parliament.
Many of her supporters started petitions to keep her as Premier. One petition received over 70,000 signatures. Berejiklian stayed on as Premier until a new leader was chosen. Her Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, was elected as the new Premier on 5 October 2021.
She officially resigned from parliament on 30 December 2021. A special election was held for her seat of Willoughby in February 2022. Liberal Member Tim James won the seat.
In December 2021, there was talk that Berejiklian might run in the 2022 federal election. However, she confirmed she would instead work in the private sector. She said she looked forward to "a much less public life."
Life After Politics (2022–Present)
In February 2022, Berejiklian joined the telecommunications company Optus. She was appointed to a new role as Managing Director, Enterprise, Business and Institutional.
Political Views
Gladys Berejiklian was part of the moderate group within the Liberal Party. She also supports the idea of Australia becoming a republic. This means Australia would have its own head of state instead of the British monarch.
Personal Life
Berejiklian often attends events at the Armenian Apostolic Church. Since June 2021, she has been dating lawyer Arthur Moses. He represented her during a corruption hearing related to her former boyfriend.
Berejiklian is a fan of the NRL club, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
Images for kids
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Gladys Berejiklian
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Berejiklian (second from left) as Minister for Transport in July 2014
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Berejiklian in 2019
