Joanna Lindgren facts for kids

Joanna Maria Lindgren was born on 5 November 1969. She is an Australian politician. She served as a Senator for Queensland from May 2015 to July 2016. This means she represented the state of Queensland in Australia's national Parliament.

Joanna Lindgren was chosen to become a Senator after another Senator, Brett Mason, resigned. She was part of the Liberal Party in the federal Parliament. She was the second Indigenous Australian woman to serve in the Senate, after Nova Peris. Later, Lindgren joined a different political group called the Australian Conservatives in 2018.

Early Life and Education

Joanna Lindgren was born in Brisbane, Australia. She went to high school at Brigidine College and St Peter Claver College. After high school, she studied at Griffith University. She earned a degree in arts and then a special diploma in education.

Before she became a politician, Joanna Lindgren worked as a high-school teacher in Brisbane. She also served in the Australian Army Reserve. This is a part-time military force.

Indigenous Heritage

Joanna Lindgren is an Aboriginal Australian. She has family roots from the Jagera and Mununjali groups. Her granduncle, Neville Bonner, was also a Senator for Queensland. He was the very first Indigenous Australian person to be in the Australian Parliament. This makes her family's connection to Australian politics quite special.

Political Career

Joanna Lindgren first tried to enter politics at the Queensland state election in 2012. She ran for a seat called Inala. This seat was usually won by the Labor Party. Even though she did not win, she gained a lot of support for her party, the Liberal National Party (LNP).

Becoming a Senator

In April 2015, a Senator named Brett Mason resigned. This created an empty spot, called a "casual vacancy." Joanna Lindgren was one of many people who wanted to fill this spot. She won the vote among her party members.

On 21 May 2015, the Queensland Parliament officially appointed Joanna Lindgren as a Senator. When she joined the federal Parliament, she chose to sit with the Liberal Party. Members of her party, the LNP, can choose to join either the Liberal Party or the Nationals in federal Parliament.

Later Elections

Joanna Lindgren served as a Senator until the federal election in 2016. At this election, she was not re-elected.

In 2018, she joined a new political group called the Australian Conservatives. She ran for the Senate again in the 2019 federal election as a candidate for this party. However, she was not successful in winning a seat.

Personal Life

Joanna Lindgren is married to Peter Anderson-Barr. Her husband is a policeman. He also briefly ran for a political seat in 2012, but he decided not to continue before the election.

See also

• List of Indigenous Australian politicians
• Members of the Australian Senate, 2014–2016