Suzanne Kay Boyce (born 15 March 1951, in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Queensland), Australian politician, businesswoman and disability advocate, is a former member of the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

for Queensland. She was selected by the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

in Queensland to replace

Santo Santoro Santo Santoro (born 27 April 1956) is a former Australian politician and a former deputy leader of the Liberal Party of Australia (Queensland Division), Liberal Party in Queensland. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from ...

in the Senate, a decision formally endorsed by the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

. She was Queensland's first female Liberal senator since 1984 and was sworn in a senator on 8 May 2007. Boyce was educated at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

from where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, and has a Masters of Business from the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

. Boyce was the chair of Everhard Industries, a plumbing supplies company founded by her father Alfred Davis, a position from which she resigned from after her elevation to the Senate. She has also been significantly involved in advocacy for the rights of people with disability, particularly children and adults with intellectual disability. In 2009, she was one of two

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

senators to support the Federal Government's

emissions trading scheme Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission t ...

. In 2013, she was the only one from her party to cross the floor to vote for same-sex marriage bill. This made her the first and only Federal Liberal politician to vote for marriage equality before the 2017 postal survey. On 8 October 2012 Boyce announced her intention to retire and therefore not contest the 2013 federal election. Her Senate term ended 30 June 2014.

References

External links

Senate of Australia biography
1951 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Liberal National Party of Queensland members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Monash University alumni Women members of the Australian Senate Politicians from Brisbane Queensland University of Technology alumni 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub