Elizabeth Jeanette Powell (born 4 February 1949) is a British-born
Australian politician. She was a
National Party member of the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presidin ...
from 2002 to 2014, representing the electorate of
Shepparton. She was previously a member of the
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...
from 1996 to 2002, representing
North Eastern Province.
Powell was born in
Prescot
Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the c ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and emigrated to
Australia as a child. After a short time in the
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
suburb of
Preston, the family moved to
Shepparton in regional Victoria. Prior to entering parliament, Powell held a variety of occupations including film processor, television presenter, singer, marketing and sales, office manager and director of the family auto-electrics business. She was a
Shire of Shepparton
The Shire of Shepparton was a local government area in the Goulburn Valley region, about north of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1884 until 1994. From 1927 onwards, Sheppa ...
councillor from 1990 to 1994, and was the shire president from 1993 to 1994. After the 1994 council amalgamations, Powell was appointed as a commissioner with the
Shire of Campaspe
The Shire of Campaspe is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the northern part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 37,592.
It includes the towns of Girgarre, Echuca, Kyabram, Roch ...
from 1994 to 1996.
Powell was elected to the Legislative Council seat of North-Eastern Province at the
1996 state election, becoming the first woman to represent the
National Party in Victoria. In 2002, she shifted to the Legislative Assembly, successfully retaining the seat of Shepparton for the National Party upon the retirement of long-serving MP
Don Kilgour
Donald Kilgour (born 16 April 1946) is a former Australian politician. He was the National member for Shepparton in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 2002.
Kilgour was born in Numurkah, Victoria, to Leonard Leslie Kilgour and Jea ...
. She was appointed state
Minister for Local Government and
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs following the Liberal-National Coalition's victory at the
2010 election, and served in those roles under both Premiers
Ted Baillieu
Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate of ...
and
Denis Napthine
Denis Vincent Napthine (born 6 March 1952) is a former Australian politician who was the 47th Premier of Victoria. Napthine was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the electoral district of Portland fro ...
.
In February 2014 Powell announced that she would not be a candidate at the forthcoming
2014 Victorian State Election
The 2014 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 29 November 2014, was for the 58th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and 40 seats in the Victorian Legislative Council were up for election. The incumb ...
, and in a reshuffle of the Coalition ministry in March 2014, her portfolios were allocated to
Tim Bull
Timothy Owen Bull (born 9 December 1966) is an Australian politician. He has been a National Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2010, representing the electorate of Gippsland East. He served as Minister for Local Governm ...
.
In 2022, Powell was appointed
Member of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...
in the
2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for "significant service to the people and Parliament of Victoria, and to the community".
Powell is married with two sons.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Jeanette
1949 births
Living people
Members of the Order of Australia
Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
English emigrants to Australia
21st-century Australian politicians
21st-century Australian women politicians
Women members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Women members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victoria (Australia) local councillors
People from Shepparton