Senator
Susan McDonald
Shadow Minister for Resources
Assumed office
5 June 2022
LeaderPeter Dutton
Preceded byMadeleine King
Shadow Minister for Northern Australia
Assumed office
5 June 2022
LeaderPeter Dutton
Preceded byMurray Watt
Senator for Queensland
Assumed office
1 July 2019
Personal details
Born
Susan Eileen McDonald

(1970-02-07) 7 February 1970
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political partyNational (federal)
LNP (state)
OccupationAccountant
Businesswoman

Susan Eileen McDonald[1] (born 7 February 1970) is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for Queensland since 2019. She is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) and sits with the National Party in federal parliament. She has a background in agribusiness.

Early life

McDonald was born in Brisbane.[2] Her father Don McDonald served as state and federal president of the National Party during the 1990s.[3][4] The family company MDH Pty Ltd was established by her grandfather Jim McDonald in the 1940s and runs numerous cattle stations across Queensland, spanning over 38,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi) as of 2013.[5]

McDonald grew up on Devoncourt Station, located in the locality of Kuridala outside of Cloncurry. She began her schooling through the School of the Air based in Mount Isa before boarding at Stuartholme School in Brisbane.[6] She later completed the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Economics from the University of Queensland.[2]

Career

McDonald is a chartered accountant.[7] From 2014 to 2019 she served as managing director of Super Butcher, a subsidiary of her family business MDH which had five stores and employed 80 people as of 2016.[6] She was appointed to the board of Beef Australia in 2016.[7] She joined the council of the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland in the same year.[8]

Politics

McDonald joined the National Party of Queensland at the age of 19.[6] She served a term as state secretary beginning in 2003.[3] When the party merged with the state Liberal Party in 2008, she became a founding trustee of the new Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP).[6] She served as chief of staff to Andrew Cripps, the Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines from 2012 to 2015.[9]

Senate

In July 2018 McDonald won LNP preselection for the Senate.[3] She was elected to parliament at the 2019 federal election, to a term beginning on 1 July 2019, and sits in the Nationals partyroom. She serves on several Senate committees and is the chair of the rural and regional affairs and transport legislation committee.[2]

McDonald reportedly voted for Barnaby Joyce in the 2021 Nationals leadership spill, despite having previously supported Michael McCormack.[10] She was subsequently appointed as the Morrison government's Special Envoy for Northern Australia, a non-ministerial position.[11]

During her time in 2021 the senate, McDonald supported an inquiry into Vegan Food label.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

Following the Coalition's defeat at the 2022 federal election, McDonald was appointed to new opposition leader Peter Dutton's shadow ministry, with responsibility for the resources and Northern Australia portfolios.[2]

Political views

McDonald advocates the agricultural development of inland Australia. She has endorsed the assumptions of the Bradfield Scheme and supports the construction of the Hell's Gate Dam on the upper Burdekin River as well as the expansion of the existing Burdekin Dam.[3][18] In March 2019 The Australian described her as "avowedly pro-coal".[6]

McDonald has nominated Lawrence Springborg, Tim Fischer and Joh Bjelke-Petersen as political role models.[3]

Personal life

McDonald is a single mother to three children. She moved to Townsville after her election to parliament, having previously lived in the Brisbane suburb of Clayfield.[6]

McDonald was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March 2020. She was only the third North Queenslander to contract the virus.[19] She described it as a "mild case" and said she was unsure how she became infected.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Qualification checklist" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Senator Susan McDonald". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Super Butcher Susan McDonald headed for the Senate". Queensland Country Life. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  4. ↑ "Organisational Leaders". The Nationals. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. ↑ "Prospering in cattle country". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Walker, Jamie; Peel, Charlie (15 March 2019). "Seeking to bridge the great coal divide". The Australian. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Super appointment for Beef Australia board". Queensland Country Life. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Phelps, Mark (1 November 2016). "Susan McDonald joins Ekka council". Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "About Susan McDonald". SusanMcDonald.com.au. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  10. ↑ Barker, Eric (22 June 2021). "Barnaby Joyce can deliver for regional Australia, says North Queensland senator Susan McDonald". ABC News. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  11. ↑ Harden, Ben (28 June 2021). "North Queensland Senator Susan McDonald appointed Special Envoy for Northern Australia". North Queensland Register. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Keep them separated: Why vegans and meat producers both want plant-based foods kept somewhere else". ABC News. 20 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "VEGAN FOOD PACKAGING FOCUS OF INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS – Senator Susan McDonald". 24 February 2022.
  14. ↑ "Senator Susan McDonald calls out vegan food label 'lies'". 19 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "'Put the meat back into meat' says senator launching inquiry into 'vegan meat'". 16 June 2021.
  16. ↑ https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/eat/beef-farmers-outraged-over-misleading-packaging-on-vegetarian-products/news-story/dd02fe7d92a55e7cc94fdbc028548e18
  17. ↑ https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/vegan-labelling-showdown-as-inquiry-is-announced/news-story/d7ab7ec7bdefed2fbef2648e6d1b3954
  18. ↑ Phelps, Mark (15 February 2019). "Why Australia need Bradfield, or at least its inspiration". Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  19. ↑ Johnston, Jessica (16 March 2020). "Senator Susan McDonald diagnosed with coronavirus". North Queensland Register. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  20. ↑ Withey, Andree (5 April 2020). "Queensland coronavirus patients speak about the road to recovery after testing positive". Retrieved 26 August 2020.
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