Jarrod Bleijie

Jarrod Bleijie was born on 25 January 1982 in Griffith, New South Wales.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2014/march/1393592400/andrew-mcmillen/jarrod-bleijie-takes-bikies|access-date=20 November 2024|title=Jarrod Bleijie takes on the bikies|author=Andrew McMillen|magazine=The Monthly|date=March 2014}} His father is Pieter Bleijie and his mother, Christine (Cooper) Bleijie. They moved to Caloundra, Queensland, in 1989. He attended Griffith Primary School, Caloundra State School, and Caloundra State High School, where he graduated in 2000 as school captain. He studied politics at the University of the Sunshine Coast before transferring to Brisbane to complete a Bachelor of Laws at Queensland University of Technology. He graduated in 2007.

While studying law, Bleijie was employed as an articled clerk initially at the Maroochydore law firm of JJ Riba & Company and then at the Sunshine Coast, Queensland law firm Sajen Legal. Following his graduation, he was employed as a solicitor at Sajen Legal. During his legal career, Bleijie specialised in commercial law and management rights.Richard Szabo, "Is this Queensland's next AG?", Brisbane Legal, 1 November 2011, p. 1.

He was elected to the Parliament of Queensland in 2009, representing the Sunshine Coast electorate of Kawana.

He was promoted to the shadow ministry as Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Justice and Corrective Services by then Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek in November 2010. Following a leadership change in March 2011, with former Lord Mayor of Brisbane Campbell Newman taking over the leadership of the LNP from outside the parliament, he was reappointed Shadow Attorney-General, maintaining his Justice responsibilities. He re-contested and won the state seat of Kawana with a two-party preferred swing of 19.9 points, holding the seat by a 26.8-point margin. As of 2012, he had one of the safest seats in the Queensland Parliament.{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/qld/2012/guide/kawa.htm |title=Kawana |access-date=30 March 2012 |date=29 March 2012 |publisher=ABC News }}

Following a landslide victory for the Newman-led Liberal National Party, in which Labor secured only 7 of 89 seats, in March 2012 newly elected premier Campbell Newman appointed Bleijie to cabinet as Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.{{Cite news |url=http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=78933 |title=Premier announces new Ministry |access-date=30 March 2012 |date=20 March 2012 |publisher=Department of Premier and Cabinet |archive-date=6 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806105231/http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=78933 |url-status=dead }}

As Attorney-General, Bleijie introduced an amendment that renamed Queensland civil partnerships for same-sex couples into registered relationships and disallowed state-sanctioned ceremonies.{{cite news |last=Benny-Morrison |first=Ava |date= 21 June 2012 |title=Civil union bill to be pushed through |url=http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/name-change-civil-unions/1426222/ |newspaper=Sunshine Coast Daily |access-date=30 November 2015}} Bleijie subsequently unveiled legislation to ban single people and same-sex couples from having a child through surrogacy.{{cite news |last=Hurst |first=Daniel |date=22 June 2012 |title=Gays face surrogacy ban as LNP pushes civil union changes |url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/gays-face-surrogacy-ban-as-lnp-pushes-civil-union-changes-20120621-20q9j.html |newspaper=Brisbane Times |access-date=30 November 2015}} In 2015, Bleijie declared his support for same-sex marriage.{{cite news |last=Madigan |first=Michael |date=28 November 2015 |title=Jarrod Bleijie backflips on gay marriage |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/jarrod-bleijie-backflips-on-gay-marriage/news-story/127f976d4f7d3845cbb2f49c8889a046 |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |access-date=30 November 2015 |quote=I have gone from being the attorney-general responsible for abolishing same sex civil partnerships in Queensland, to intending to vote in favour in the forthcoming federal plebiscite.}}

After the defeat of the Newman government Bleijie remained on the opposition front bench under Lawrence Springborg, Tim Nicholls, Deb Frecklington, and David Crisafulli.{{cite web|url=https://www.pollbludger.net/qld2020/Kawana.htm|access-date=20 November 2024|title=Kawana|type=electoral analysis|author=William Bowe|year=2020|website=Poll Bludger}} In 2022, he became deputy leader of the LNP, and hence Deputy Leader of the Opposition, under Crisafulli.

After the LNP's election win in the 2024 Queensland state election, Bleijie was appointed Deputy Premier of Queensland.[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-28/david-crisafulli-premier-queensland-election-government-house/104524048 "David Crisafulli formally sworn in as Queensland premier after the LNP's election victory over Labor"], ABC News (Australia), 28 October 2024

In early 2014, Bleijie released details of a conversation he had with Court of Appeal President Margaret McMurdo concerning the appointment of judges. The week previously, McMurdo had criticised the Queensland government for appointing only one woman in the 17 judicial appointments over the last two years. Bleijie's comments to the media suggested McMurdo had sought a higher judicial appointment for her husband, Supreme Court Judge Philip McMurdo. In an interview with the ABC, Walter Sofronoff QC called for Bleijie's resignation, saying that Bleijie had betrayed McMurdo's confidence and was "unethical".{{cite news|last=AAP|title=Jarrod Bleijie under pressure for betraying judge's confidence|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/25/jarrod-bleijie-under-pressure-for-betraying-judges-confidence|access-date=1 April 2014|newspaper=Guardian Australia|date=25 March 2014}} Sofronoff also commented that Bleijie's comments had "the hint of a nasty schoolboy's snicker in it".{{cite news|title=Walter Sofronoff, former Queensland solicitor-general, calls on Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie to resign|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-25/solicitor-general-says-a-g-jarrod-bleijie-defamed-judge/5343300|access-date=2 April 2014|newspaper=ABC News (online)|date=26 March 2014}}

On 1 April 2014, Gold Coast lawyer Chris Hannay instituted proceedings against Bleijie and the Queensland Premier Campbell Newman for defamation. On 6 February 2014, Newman had commented to journalists that lawyers who represent bikies "are hired guns. They take money from people who sell drugs to our teenagers and young people. Yes, everybody's got the right to be defended under the law, but you've got to see it for what it is: they are part of the machine, part of the criminal gang machine, and they will say and do anything to defend their clients, and try to get them off—and indeed progress their dishonest case. They are paid by criminal gangs."{{cite news|title=Taxpayers to foot defamation defence bill for Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-02/taxpayers-to-foot-defamation-defence-bill-for-newman-bleijie/5361022|access-date=2 April 2014|newspaper=ABC News (online)|date=2 April 2014}} Bleijie later remarked that Newman was "referring to Hannay Lawyers, based on the Gold Coast" and that he too was "quite disturbed by their advice and fear campaign". He also noted that he agreed with Newman's comments. The case was settled out-of-court in 2016.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-16/campbell-newman-sued-for-defamation-settles-out-of-court-hannay/7418744 "Hannay Lawyers settles defamation case with Campbell Newman and Jarrod Bleijie"] by Courtney Wilson, ABC News, 16 May 2016

He married Sally Lennox in 2002. They have two daughters and a son.[https://www.jarrodbleijie.com.au/about-jarrod/ "About Jarrod"], jarrodbleijie.com.au {{Retrieved|access-date=20 November 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/the-defining-moment-when-jarrod-bleijies-life-changed-forever/news-story/05eb67e46899019384bb3253eb8b4b97|access-date=20 November 2024|url-access=subscription|title=The defining moment when Jarrod Bleijie’s life changed forever|author=Michael Madigan|date=21 October 2018|newspaper=The Courier-Mail}}

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Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:Australian solicitors

Category:Attorneys-general of Queensland

Category:Liberal National Party of Queensland politicians

Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly

Category:Queensland University of Technology alumni

Category:People from Griffith, New South Wales

Category:21st-century Australian politicians

Category:Deputy opposition leaders

Category:People from Caloundra