Meaghan Scanlon
{{short description|Australian politician and lawyer}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = The Honourable
| name = Meaghan Scanlon
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image = Meaghan Scanlon.jpg
| office = Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Public Works
| premier = Steven Miles
| term_start = 18 December 2023
| term_end = 28 October 2024
| predecessor = Herself (as Minister for Housing)
Cameron Dick (as Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning)
Mick de Brenni (as Minister for Public Works and Procurement)
| office1 = Minister for Housing
| premier1 = Annastacia Palaszczuk
| term_start1 = 18 May 2023
| term_end1 = 18 December 2023
| predecessor1 = Leeanne Enoch
| successor1 = Herself (as Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government)
| office2 = Minister for Science and Youth Affairs
| premier2 = Annastacia Palaszczuk
| term_start2 = 12 November 2020
| term_end2 = 18 May 2023
| predecessor2 = Leeanne Enoch{{efn|As Minister for Science.}}
Di Farmer{{efn|As Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women.}}
| successor2 = Position abolished
| office3 = Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef
| premier3 = Annastacia Palaszczuk
| term_start3 = 12 November 2020
| term_end3 = 18 May 2023
| predecessor3 = Leeanne Enoch
| successor3 = Leanne Linard
| office4 = Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development
| premier4 = Annastacia Palaszczuk
| term_start4 = 12 December 2017
| term_end4 = 12 November 2020
| predecessor4 = Position established
| successor4 = Michael Healy
| office5 = Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Gaven
| term_start5 = 25 November 2017
| term_end5 =
| predecessor5 = Sid Cramp
| successor5 =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|2|28|df=y}}{{cite news |last=McKay |first=Jack |date=11 February 2023 |title='It was pretty nasty': Meaghan Scanlon opens up about 'confronting' family tragedy |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyle/qweekend/it-was-pretty-nasty-meaghan-scanlon-opens-up-about-confronting-family-tragedy/news-story/89586d884ab7ee6c564829ece32e3320 |work=The Courier-Mail }}
| birth_place = Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Labor
| spouse =
| partner = Mark Bailey (since 2016)
| residence =
| education = Aquinas College
| alma_mater = {{plainlist|
}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Lawyer|Politician}}
| website = {{nowrap|{{URL|https://www.meaghanscanlon.com/}}}}
| signature = Meaghan Scanlon signature 2022.svg
}}
Meaghan Alana Jenkins Scanlon (28 February 1993) is an Australian politician and lawyer. She has been the Labor member for Gaven in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/qld-election-2017/guide/gave/|title=Gaven|work=Queensland Election 2017|publisher=ABC}} She previously served as the Queensland Minister for Housing in 2023.{{cite web |title=MEMBER DETAILS- Hon Meaghan Scanlon |url=https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Members/Current-Members/Member-List/Member-Details?id=2117064001 |website=QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENT |access-date=17 October 2023}} Prior to May 2023, Scanlon was the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Youth Affairs.
Early life
Scanlon was born on the Gold Coast and grew up in the suburb of Nerang.{{cite news|url=https://www.queenslandlabor.org/our-people/state-members/meaghan-scanlon-mp/|title=Meaghan Scanlon Profile|website=Queensland Labor|access-date=4 September 2020}} Her father, Phil, migrated from England with his family at an early age. Her mother, Margaret, is from Moe, Victoria.{{cite speech |last=Scanlon |first=Meaghan |title=Maiden Speech to Parliament |date=20 March 2018 |location=Parliament House, Brisbane |publisher=Queensland Parliament |url=https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/members/InauguralSpeech/Meaghan_Scanlon-Gaven-20180320-010302092257.pdf |access-date=17 September 2020 |language=en}} During her school years, she attended Guardian Angels Primary School and Aquinas College.{{cite news|url=http://www.unipollwatch.org.au/candidates/meaghan-scanlon.html|title=Scanlon's love of politics began early|access-date=7 December 2019}} At the age of 13, her father died of melanoma and she began helping her mother care for her brother, who has Down syndrome.{{cite news|url=https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/gold-coast-mp-meaghan-scanlons-reveals-her-family-battle-and-motoviations/news-story/13a44336831845c359e2fcd58526c707|title=Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon's reveals her family battle and motivations|access-date=16 April 2020}} Following her graduation from high school, Scanlon completed a Bachelor of Laws at the Gold Coast campus of Griffith University, and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the Queensland University of Technology.{{cite news|url=https://au.linkedin.com/in/meaghan-scanlon-mp-64a994103|title=Meaghan Scanlon MP Profile|website=LinkedIn|access-date=8 June 2020}} She briefly worked in Brisbane before deciding to pursue a career in politics at the age of 23.
Political career
At the age of 23, Scanlon ran as the Labor candidate for the seat of Fadden in the northern Gold Coast during the 2016 Australian federal election but was defeated by Stuart Robert. She then turned her attention to the 2017 Queensland state election where she ran as the Labor candidate for the central Gold Coast seat of Gaven and defeated Sid Cramp to become, at the age of 24, the youngest woman elected to the Queensland Parliament.{{cite news|url=https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/state-election-2017-how-labors-meaghan-scanlon-became-states-youngest-female-mp/news-story/f394f2a743ff9fa9f3109d103816e13e|title=How Labor's Meaghan Scanlon became state's youngest female MP|website=Gold Coast Bulletin|access-date=15 August 2020}} She served as the Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development, and was considered by some to be the unofficial minister for the Gold Coast at the time, due to Gaven having been the only Gold Coast-based seat held by the Queensland Labor Government.{{cite news |url=https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/council/labor-mp-meaghan-scanlon-to-hold-gold-coasts-gaven-seat-after-tourism-minister-kate-jones-retires/news-story/2170757703d11d543a147f8fe8c850e5 |title=Labor MP Meaghan Scanlon to hold Gold Coast's Gaven seat after Tourism Minister Kate Jones retires |website=Gold Coast Bulletin |access-date=14 September 2020}}
Following the Queensland Labor Government's win at the 2020 Queensland state election, with Scanlon again winning the seat of Gaven, she was appointed to the Labor government's third-term cabinet as Minister for the Environment, the Great Barrier Reef, Science and Youth Affairs.{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-11/qld-premier-palaszczuk-unveils-ministers-in-new-cabinet/12870798|title=Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces Cabinet line-up for her historic third term|website=ABC News|access-date=11 November 2020}} She maintained this position until May 2023, when she was given the Housing portfolio.{{cite web |title=Minister for Housing Meaghan Scanlon MP |url=https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/ministers-portfolios/meaghan-scanlon.aspx |website=The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory |publisher=Queensland Government |access-date=17 October 2023}}
Personal life
In September 2018, Scanlon and ministerial colleague Mark Bailey MLA confirmed that they had been in a relationship since 2016.{{cite news |last1=Weston |first1=Paul |title=Gold Coast politician couple Meaghan Scanlon and Mark Bailey in relationship |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/gold-coast-politician-couple-meaghan-scanlon-and-mark-bailey-in-relationship/news-story/58b603b97df88f3c5f89e61998787c68 |access-date=17 September 2020 |work=The Courier Mail |date=8 September 2018}} In 2023, Scanlon mentioned of their meeting in an interview with Brisbane's The Courier-Mail: “It's not a particularly exciting story.” Adding: “Neither of us wants to talk about the intricacies of our portfolios... It's just more like you would talk to any partner about the news of the day.”
Notes
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References
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{{s-ttl|title=Member for Gaven|years=2017–present}}
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{{Cabinet of Queensland}}
{{QldCurrentMPs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlon, Meaghan}}
Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland
Category:Labor Left politicians
Category:Griffith University alumni
Category:Women members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Category:21st-century Australian politicians
Category:21st-century Australian women politicians