Jonty Bush

Last updated

Jonty Bush
MP
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Cooper
Incumbent
Assumed office
31 October 2020
Website www.jontybush.com

Jonty Maree Bush (born 25 June 1979) [1] is an Australian politician currently serving as the Labor state member for Cooper in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Bush is a former public servant and community advocate, having served as the CEO of the Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group.

Contents

She was the 2009 Young Australian of the Year for her advocacy for victims of crime and the development of the One Punch Can Kill campaign.

Early life

Bush was born in Austins Ferry, Tasmania in 1979, [2] and relocated with her family to the Southern Burnett town of Kilkivan when she was 14 and completed high school between Kilkivan and Gympie. Bush, her father and brother relocated to the Sunshine Coast where Bush attended Sunshine Coast University to earn a bachelor's degree in business. Bush later graduated from Griffith University with a Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice. [3]

Bush joined the Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group in 2000 as a volunteer after the homicides of her sister (to domestic violence) and her father (a coward punch assault). [4] During her time with the company, Bush was promoted to Family Support Officer, Volunteer Coordinator and eventually to Chief Executive Officer in 2007, making her the first CEO with lived experience in the organisation.

Bush led a number of policy and legislative reforms to strengthen the rights of victims of crime in Queensland. Additionally, Bush initiated an anti-violence campaign called One Punch Can Kill, educating people about the impacts of even one punch. [5] In 2012, Bush started Project 24, which focuses on fundraising for agencies that specialise in gender-based violence prevention. [6]

From 2010 to 2020 Bush worked in the Queensland Public Service, including at Victim Assist Queensland, the Office of the Public Guardian, and the Department of Premier and Cabinet. [7] [8] [3] She was also a member of the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council from 2010 to 2012. [9]

Political career

Bush was elected a Vice-President of Queensland Labor in 2020, and is Patron of two internal party groups, the Labor Environmental Action Network and Labor Enabled. [10]

At the 2020 Brisbane City Council election, Bush ran for the Enoggera Ward and was defeated by incumbent councillor Andrew Wines, despite a swing towards her. [11] [12]

State Parliament

Bush was selected as the Labor candidate for Cooper at the 2020 Queensland state election, following the retirement of Kate Jones. She was successful and won the seat with a 10.5% margin. [13] [14] During her term, Bush served as a member of four parliamentary committees including the Community Safety and Legal Affairs Committee since February 2024. [7]

At the 2020 election, Bush and the Labor Party made several commitments to improve infrastructure at state schools in the Cooper electorate including an upgraded swimming pool amenities block at Ithaca Creek State School and an upgraded tuckshop at The Gap State High School, which were completed during her term. [15] Bush also promised $2.4 million for an upgraded clubhouse for GPS Rugby and Valley's District Cricket Club at Ashgrove, which opened in 2023. [16]

Bush supported the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2021, which legalised voluntary assisted dying in Queensland. The Bill was passed in a conscience vote (60-29) on 16 September 2021. [17] [18]

In 2023, Bush advocated for stronger environmental protections for the Lake Eyre Basin and Channel Country from mining activities. After Steven Miles became Premier in December 2023, the State Government announced increased protections for the rivers and floodplains of the Basin. [19] [20] As an MP in the Miles Government, she also supported the Clean Economy Jobs Act 2024 and Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act 2024, which legislated stronger renewable energy targets for Queensland (50 percent by 2030, 70 percent by 2032, 80 percent by 2035) and the phasing-out of coal-fired power generation by 2036, as well as stronger emissions reduction targets of 75 percent by 2035 and net zero by 2050. [21] [22]

As Member for Cooper, Bush campaigned in 2023 against a McDonald's development occurring on Waterworks Road in Ashgrove based on opposition from local residents and small businesses. [23] [24]

In response to sexual assaults and harassment against women along the hiking trails in the Mount Coot-tha bushlands, Jonty Bush and the Trail Running Association of Queensland organised a community event 'Reclaim the Trails' against gender-based violence in August 2024. The event took place at the JC Slaughter Falls section of the Mount Coot-tha bushlands and was attended by 300 walkers, hikers and runners. [25] [26]

During the 2024 Queensland State Election, Bush ran as the Labor incumbent, and while being a target seat [27] for the Greens candidate Katinka Winstom-Allom, ultimately emerged victorious with a swing towards her of 0.7% (leaving the seat classed as a safe Labor seat). [28]

Personal life

Bush is in a de facto partnership and has one child and three step-daughters. [29]

Awards and honours

Bush won the Young Australian of the Year Award in 2009 in recognition of her work in advocacy for victims of crime in Queensland and her work in community safety education with the One Punch Can Kill campaign. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell Newman</span> 38th Premier of Queensland

Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman is an Australian former politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland between 24 March 2012 and 31 January 2015. He was LNP Leader from 2 April 2011 to 7 February 2015; Newman previously served as the 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 27 March 2004 to 3 April 2011.

The Division of Ryan is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The current MP is Elizabeth Watson-Brown of the Australian Greens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Bligh</span> Australian politician

Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian lobbyist and former politician who served as the 37th Premier of Queensland, in office from 2007 to 2012 as leader of the Queensland Labor Party. She was the first woman to hold either position. In 2017, she was appointed CEO of the Australian Banking Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Coot-tha, Queensland</span> Suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mount Coot-tha Lookout, Brisbane Botanic Gardens and Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, as well as a mountain drive, bike trails, parks including a waterfall, and television and radio towers. In the 2021 census, Mount Coot-tha had a population of 0 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal National Party of Queensland</span> Right-wing political party in Queensland, Australia

The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) is a major conservative political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed in 2008 by a merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal Party and the National Party. At a federal level and in most other states, the two parties remain distinct and often operate as a Coalition. The LNP is a division of the Liberal Party of Australia, and an affiliate of the National Party of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland Greens</span> Political party in Queensland

The Queensland Greens is a Green party in Queensland, Australia, and a state member of the Australian Greens. The party is currently represented in all three levels of government, by Larissa Waters and Penny Allman-Payne in the federal Senate; Stephen Bates, Max Chandler-Mather, and Elizabeth Watson-Brown in the House of Representatives; Michael Berkman in the state Legislative Assembly; and Trina Massey and Seal Chong Wah in Brisbane City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Ashgrove</span> Former state electoral district of Queensland, Australia

Ashgrove was a Legislative Assembly of Queensland electoral district in the state of Queensland, Australia from 1960 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annastacia Palaszczuk</span> Premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2023

Annastacia Palaszczuk is an Australian politician who served as the 39th premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2023. She held office as the leader of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2012 until her resignation, and has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland (MLA) for the division of Inala since 2006. Palaszczuk is the fifth-most-tenured premier in Queensland state history and the first woman to win the premiership from opposition, she also presided over the first majority female cabinet in Australian state and federal history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Mount Coot-tha</span> Australian electorate

Mount Coot-tha was an electoral district in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in the state of Queensland, Australia from 1950 to 2017.

Kate Jennifer Jones is an Australian former politician. She served as a Labor Party Member of Parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 2006 to 2012, and again from 2015 to 2020. Jones first represented the seat of Ashgrove until she was defeated by eventual Premier Campbell Newman at the 2012 state election. Jones retook the seat for the Labor Party at the 2015 state election. The seat was abolished prior to the 2017 state election, so Jones contested and won the new seat of Cooper at that election. In the Palaszczuk Government, she was the Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development, Minister for State Development and the Minister for the Commonwealth Games.

Demetrios "Jim" Fouras, was an Australian politician. He was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larissa Waters</span> Australian politician (born 1977)

Larissa Joy Waters is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Greens and has served as a Senator for Queensland since 2018. She previously served in the Senate from 2011 to 2017, resigning during the parliamentary eligibility crisis due to her holding Canadian citizenship in violation of Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia. Waters serves as her party's Senate leader, in office since February 2020. She previously served as co-deputy leader from May 2015 to July 2017 and again from December 2018 to June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Brisbane</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of Greater Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Queensland state election</span>

The 2015 Queensland state election was held on 31 January 2015 to elect all 89 members of the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Queensland state election</span>

The 2017 Queensland state election was held on 25 November 2017 to elect all 93 members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the unicameral Parliament of Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Miles</span> Premier of Queensland from 2023 to 2024

Steven John Miles is an Australian politician who was the 40th premier of Queensland, in office for 10 months from 2023 to 2024. He is the state leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and previously served as deputy premier from 2020 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Maiwar</span> State electoral district of Queensland, Australia

Maiwar is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland, incorporating the inner western suburbs of Brisbane. It was created in the 2017 redistribution, and was first contested at the 2017 Queensland state election. The name of the electorate is stated by the government as being based on an Aboriginal name for the Brisbane River, however it is not the name that the Turrbal people who lived in the Brisbane region had for the river. The Brisbane River forms the southern boundary of the electorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Berkman</span> Australian politician

Michael Craig Berkman is an Australian politician and the member for Maiwar in Brisbane's inner-west. Berkman has been the member for Maiwar since the 2017 Queensland state elections, when he became the first Greens member to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. He is the first member for Maiwar, after the electorate was created from the merger of the former Indooroopilly and Mt Coot-tha electorates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Queensland state election</span>

The 2020 Queensland state election was held on 31 October to elect all 93 members to the 57th Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The Labor Party was returned to government for a third-term, led by incumbent premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. With 47 seats needed to form a majority government, Labor won 52 seats, including all but five in Brisbane, while the Liberal National Party won 34 seats and formed opposition. On the crossbench, Katter's Australian Party retained its 3 seats, the Queensland Greens picked up South Brisbane for a total of 2, Pauline Hanson's One Nation retained Mirani and independent Sandy Bolton retained her seat of Noosa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterworks Road</span> Arterial road in Brisbane, Australia

Waterworks Road is an 8.5 km (5.3 mi) arterial road in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is currently signed as State Route 31 for its entire length. Waterworks Road transports traffic between the Brisbane central business district and western suburbs such as Red Hill, Ashgrove and The Gap.

References

  1. ↑ Who's Who in Australia. ConnectWeb. 2020.
  2. ↑ "Inaugural speech by Jonty Bush" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 26 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Director, Visiting: Jonty Bush". Office of the Public Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ Gardnier, Peter (23 November 2010). "Anti-violence message has a chance". Noosa News. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  5. ↑ Perkins, Justine (12 December 2014). "Hope lives here - meaning out of tragedy". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Jonty speads [sic] anti violence message". North West Star. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Queensland Parliament Member Details - Jonty Bush". Queensland Parliament . Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "JONTY BUSH Campaigner and public guardian". Sunshine Coast Daily. 12 May 2018. p. 36.
  9. ↑ "Previous council". Sentencing Advisory Council Queensland. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Queensland Parliament Member Details - Jonty Bush". Queensland Parliament . Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  11. ↑ Stone, Lucy (31 March 2020). "'Extraordinary' election may leave Brisbane council virtually unchanged". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "Enoggera (Key seat)". ABC News. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  13. ↑ Hartley, Anna (11 September 2020). "Jonty Bush to replace outgoing Labor minister Kate Jones in Cooper at Queensland state election". ABC News. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Cooper - QLD Election 2020". ABC News - Elections. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  15. ↑ "Progress report on 2020 government election commitments" (PDF). Queensland Government. September 2024.
  16. ↑ "Ashgrove Sports Ground election commitment delivered". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  17. ↑ Bush, Jonty (15 September 2021). "Hansard, Queensland Parliament" (PDF). Queensland Parliament, Hansard.
  18. ↑ Caldwell, Matt Dennien, Felicity (16 September 2021). "How every MP voted on Queensland's voluntary assisted dying bill". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 1 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ "Lake Eyre Basin Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement". Jonty Bush MP. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  20. ↑ "Increased protections, greater certainty for globally iconic Queensland section of Lake Eyre Basin". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  21. ↑ Bush, Jonty (7 April 2024). "ENERGY (RENEWABLE TRANSFORMATION AND JOBS) BILL; CLEAN ECONOMY JOBS BILL" (PDF). Queensland Parliament.
  22. ↑ "Miles Labor Government locks in 100,000 jobs for the future". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  23. ↑ O'Malley, Brendan (9 August 2023). "Mac attack: Plans for Ashgrove's first Macca's under fire". The Courier Mail .
  24. ↑ "Stop the Ashgrove Mcdonalds". Jonty Bush MP. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  25. ↑ "Hundreds of runners take to Mount Coot-tha to 'reclaim the trails' in face of random gender-based attacks". ABC News. 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  26. ↑ Katie (29 July 2024). "Community Unites Against Violence at Mt Coot-tha National Park". Echo News. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  27. ↑ "Cooper and McConnel top targets for Greens in Queensland election". ABC News. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  28. ↑ "Cooper - QLD Election 2024". ABC News. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  29. ↑ "Pillow talk: You voted for who?". SBS News. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  30. ↑ "Jonty Bush wins Young Australian award". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 2009. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by Member for Cooper
2020–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.