Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the House of Representatives for Dawson, Queensland, 1996. Re-elected 1998, 2001 and 2004. Defeated at general elections 2007.

Parliamentary positions

• Member of the Speaker's Panel from 20.10.1997 to 8.10.2001.

Ministerial appointments

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade from 7.10.2003 to 26.10.2004.
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services from 7.10.2003 to 26.10.2004.
• Minister for Veterans' Affairs from 26.10.2004 to 27.1.2006.
• Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence from 16.11.2004 to 27.1.2006.
• Parliamentary Secretary for Trade from 27.1.2006 to 29.9.2006.
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services from 29.9.2006 to 3.12.2007.

Committee service

• House of Representatives Standing: Family and Community Affairs served from 27.6.1996 to 7.9.2000; Primary Industries and Regional Services served from 8.12.1998 to 30.8.1999; Employment and Workplace Relations served as Chair from 20.3.2002 to 4.11.2003; Publications served from 20.3.2002 to 1.12.2003
• Joint Standing: Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade served from 8.12.1998 to 8.10.2001; Treaties served from 8.12.1998 to 8.10.2001
• Joint Statutory: Corporations and Securities served from 18.6.1996 to 31.8.1998

Conferences, delegations and visits

• Bilateral visits to Sweden and Estonia, October 1999.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Samoa, December 2002.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Indonesia, March 2003.
• Official visits to UK, March 2005.
• Official visits to Turkey and United Arab Emirates, April 2005.
• Official visits to Borneo, June 2005.
• Official visits to Hawaii, August-September 2005.
• Official visits to Vietnam, May-June 2006.
• Official visits to Fiji, June 2006.

Parliamentary party positions

• The Nationals. Served: 11.10.2003 to 24.11.2007
• National Party of Australia. Served: 02.03.1996 to 11.10.2003

Party positions

• Member of the National Party from 1983.

Personal

• Born: 21.3.1954, Rockhampton, Australia
• Gender: Female
• Marital Status: Married

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• BE (University of Queensland).
• Sales engineer from 1978 to 1981.
• Business proprietor from 1981 to 1988.
• Cattle producer from 1987 to 1996.
• Cane farmer from 1994 to 1996.

Electorate

• Name: Dawson
• Location: central Queensland coast; it includes the city of Mackay and the towns of Airlie Beach, Ayr, Bowen, Home Hill, Proserpine, Walkerston and the Whitsunday Islands and the Lindeman Islands.
• Area: 18,052 Sq km
• Electors enrolled: 87,394 (at 24.11.2007)
• Industries: small crops, prawn and fish farms, sugar growing and refining, beef cattle, coal mining related industries, abattoirs and tourism.
• Includes: Dawson includes the Queensland Legislative Assembly electorates of Mackay, and parts of Burdekin, Mirani and Whitsunday.