Susan McDonald facts for kids

Susan Eileen McDonald was born on February 7, 1970. She is an Australian politician. Since 2019, she has been a Senator for Queensland. This means she is one of the people who represent Queensland in Australia's national parliament.

Susan McDonald is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP). In the federal parliament, she works with the National Party. Before becoming a politician, she worked in businesses related to farming and food.

Early Life and Education

Susan McDonald was born in Brisbane, a big city in Queensland. Her family has a strong connection to farming and politics.

Her father, Don McDonald, was a leader of the National Party in the 1990s. Her family's company, MDH Pty Ltd, was started by her grandfather, Jim McDonald, in the 1940s. This company runs many large cattle stations (big farms for raising cattle) across Queensland. These farms covered a huge area, about 38,000 square kilometers, in 2013.

Her other grandfather, George Fisher, was an important person in the mining industry. Her aunt, Judy Gamin, was also a politician in Queensland.

Susan grew up on a cattle station called Devoncourt, near Cloncurry. She started school through the School of the Air, which teaches children in remote areas using radio. Later, she went to a boarding school in Brisbane. She then studied at the University of Queensland, earning degrees in business and economics.

Career Before Politics

Susan McDonald is a chartered accountant, which means she is an expert in managing money for businesses.

From 2014 to 2019, she was the managing director of Super Butcher. This company sells meat and was part of her family's business. In 2016, Super Butcher had five stores and employed 80 people.

She also joined the board of Beef Australia in 2016. This group helps promote the beef industry. In the same year, she joined the council of the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland.

Getting into Politics

Susan McDonald joined the National Party of Queensland when she was 19 years old. She worked as the state secretary for the party starting in 2003.

In 2008, the National Party merged with the Liberal Party in Queensland. This created the new Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP). Susan was one of the people who helped set up this new party. From 2012 to 2015, she worked as a chief of staff for Andrew Cripps, who was a minister in the Queensland government.

Becoming a Senator

In July 2018, Susan McDonald was chosen by the LNP to run for the Australian Senate. She was elected in the 2019 federal election. Her term as a Senator began on July 1, 2019.

As a Senator, she works on several committees. These committees look closely at different topics and laws. She is the chair of the rural and regional affairs and transport legislation committee. This means she leads the discussions on laws about farming, regional areas, and transportation.

In 2021, she was appointed as the Special Envoy for Northern Australia. This is a special role where she helps represent the interests of Northern Australia. After the 2022 federal election, her party moved into opposition. Susan McDonald was then given new responsibilities in the "shadow ministry." She became the Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia. This means she watches over these areas for the opposition party.

What She Believes In

Susan McDonald strongly supports developing inland Australia, especially for farming. She supports big water projects like the Bradfield Scheme and building the Hell's Gate Dam. She also wants to expand the existing Burdekin Dam. These projects aim to provide more water for farming in dry areas. She has also been described as "pro-coal," meaning she supports the coal mining industry.

She looks up to other politicians like Lawrence Springborg, Tim Fischer, and Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Personal Life

Susan McDonald is a single mother with three children. After she was elected to parliament, she moved to Townsville. Before that, she lived in Brisbane.

In March 2020, Susan McDonald was diagnosed with COVID-19. She was one of the first people in North Queensland to get the virus. She said it was a "mild case" and she wasn't sure how she caught it.