Anne Elizabeth Urquhart (; born 18 October 1957) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...
(ALP) and has served as a
Senator for
Tasmania
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, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
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since 2011. She was a senior official with the
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), or more fully the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian trade union. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manufacturing se ...
(AMWU) prior to entering politics.
Early life
Urquhart was born in
Latrobe, Tasmania
Latrobe is a town in northern Tasmania, Australia on the Mersey River. It is 8 km south-east of Devonport on the Bass Highway. It is the main centre of the Latrobe Council. At the 2006 census, Latrobe had a population of 2,843. By t ...
, the second of three children born to Tom and Betty Polden. After starting a family with her husband Graham, in July 1980 she began working as a process worker at the Edgell-
Birds Eye
Birds Eye is an American international brand of frozen foods owned by Conagra Brands in the United States, by Nomad Foods in Europe, and Simplot in Australia.
The former Birds Eye Company Ltd., originally named "Birdseye Seafood, Inc." had b ...
factory in
Ulverstone, which was later taken over by
Simplot
The J. R. Simplot Company (commonly referred to as Simplot) is an agribusiness company headquartered in Boise, Idaho.
History
Simplot was founded in 1929 by 20-year-old John Richard Simplot near the agricultural community of Declo in south ...
Australia.
Urquhart joined the
Food Preservers' Union of Australia, initially serving as a delegate and then from August 1990 as a full-time organiser. Her union was later merged into the
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), or more fully the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian trade union. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manufacturing se ...
(AMWU),
[ and she served as state president from 1998 to 2004 and state secretary from 2004 to 2010.]
Politics
Urquhart served as a vice-president of the Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)
The Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch), commonly known as Tasmanian Labor, is the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party. It has been one of the most successful state Labor parties in Australia in terms of electoral success.
Hist ...
from 2004 and as a delegate to the ALP National Conference.[ She was elected to the Senate at the 2010 federal election, and re-elected to a second term in 2016.][ Her office is located in Devonport.]
In 2014 Urquhart was elected state president of the ALP, replacing Rebecca White
Rebecca Peta White (born 4 February 1983) is an Australian politician. She has been the Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania and Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party in Tasmania since July 2021, having previously served in that role from ...
. She has served on a variety of committees during her time in the Senate. She has been the Labor Party's chief whip in the Senate since 2016, having previously served as a deputy whip from 2013 to 2016. After the ALP's victory at the 2022 federal election she became chief government whip.[
]
References
External links
*
Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Anne Urquhart on TheyVoteForYou.org.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urquhart, Anne
1957 births
Living people
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
Labor Left politicians
Members of the Australian Senate
Members of the Australian Senate for Tasmania
Women members of the Australian Senate
Australian trade unionists
People from Latrobe, Tasmania
21st-century Australian politicians
21st-century Australian women politicians