Barbara O'Shea (born 13 March 1963) is an Irish-Australian politician and doctor. She was elected member of the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

for

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 14,292 people. Geography South Brisbane is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the nor ...

representing the

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

party in the

2024 Queensland state election The 2024 Queensland state election was held on 26 October 2024 to elect all members to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland pursuant to the ''Constitution (Fixed Term Parliament) Amendment Act 2015''. As a result of the 2016 Queensland term l ...

. Prior to entering politics, O'Shea practiced as a doctor specialising in emergency medicine and mental health at the PA Hospital in Woolloongabba in addition to working with current & recovering heroin addicts across Brisbane's southside and further advocated & pursued continued and expanded access to harm-reduction services. O'Shea and her husband also own and operate a small business.

Early life

O'Shea grew up in public housing during her formative years, which she credits with allowing her to achieve a good education through the life-stability provided.

Political career

After being preselected as the Labor candidate for South Brisbane, O'Shea received the endorsement of

EMILY's List Australia EMILY's List Australia is a political network in Australia that supports progressive Labor Party (ALP) women candidates seeking election to political office. Founded in 1996, EMILY's List Australia was inspired by EMILY's List, a political acti ...

, an organisation which supports Labor women. At the 2024 election, O'Shea won the seat of South Brisbane from incumbent Greens member, Amy MacMahon. O'Shea finished second on the primary vote, however after the distribution of preferences, she defeated MacMahon. This followed a decision by the Liberals to preference Labor ahead of the Greens in South Brisbane.

Political views

Personal life

O'Shea is a mother of three children. O'Shea and her husband currently reside in the suburb of South Brisbane. The two met decades earlier living as housemates in West End.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OShea, Barbara Living people 1963 births Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Labor Left politicians 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians Women members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 21st-century Australian medical doctors 21st-century Australian women medical doctors Politicians from Brisbane Australian people of Irish descent Place of birth missing (living people) Australian emergency physicians