1. Early life

2. Politics
    Controversies 

3. Political positions
    Gun rights  Same-sex marriage 

4. Personal life

5. References

6. External links

| office1 = Deputy Leader of the National Party
| term_start1 = {{start date|2017|12|07|df=y}}
| term_end1 =
| leader1 = Barnaby Joyce
Michael McCormack
| predecessor1 = Fiona Nash
| successor1 =
| title5 = Senator for Victoria
| term_start5 = {{start date|2011|07|01|df=y}}
| term_end5 =
| office2 = Minister for Sport
| term_start2 = {{start date|2017|12|20|df=y}}
| term_end2 =
| primeminister2 = Malcolm Turnbull
Scott Morrison
| predecessor2 = Greg Hunt
| successor2 =
| office3 = Minister for Rural Health
| term_start3 = {{start date|2017|12|20|df=y}}
| term_end3 =
| primeminister3 = Malcolm Turnbull
Scott Morrison
| predecessor3 = New portfolio
| successor3 =
| office4 = Minister for Regional Communications
| term_start4 = {{start date|2017|12|20|df=y}}
| term_end4 =
| primeminister4 = Malcolm Turnbull
Scott Morrison
| predecessor4 = Mitch Fifield
| successor4 =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|12|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = {{VICcity|Alexandra}}, Victoria, Australia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = The Nationals
| alma_mater = Deakin University
}}

Bridget McKenzie (born 27 December 1969) is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for Victoria since 2011, representing the National Party. She has been her party's deputy leader since December 2017, and shortly after her election to that position was appointed to cabinet as Minister for Sport, Minister for Rural Health, and Minister for Regional Communications in the Turnbull Government.

Early life

McKenzie was born in Alexandra, Victoria. She grew up in Benalla, where her mother was a primary school teacher and her father was a dairyman. She attended Tintern Grammar, on the outskirts of Melbourne, where she was a house captain and swimming captain. After starting a family, McKenzie began studying at Deakin University as a mature-age student, completing a double degree in applied science (specialising in human movement) and teaching (specialising in mathematics). She served as the president of the Deakin University Student Association in 2003.^[1] McKenzie subsequently taught physical education and mathematics for several years at Yarram Secondary College, Gippsland. She later lectured in education at Monash University.^[2]

Politics

McKenzie joined the National Party at the age of 18, and was a junior vice-president of the Victorian branch from 2006 to 2009. She first stood for parliament at the 2004 federal election, unsuccessfully standing for the House of Representatives in the Division of McMillan.^[3] At the 2010 election, McKenzie was elected to the Senate in the third place on a joint Coalition ticket. Her term began on 1 July 2011.^[4]

McKenzie was her party's Senate whip from September 2013 to June 2014, when she was replaced by Barry O'Sullivan. She was elected deputy leader to Barnaby Joyce in December 2017, replacing Fiona Nash after her disqualification from parliament due to dual citizenship.^[5] She reportedly defeated several other candidates, including Matt Canavan and Michael McCormack.^[6] Under the terms of the Coalition Agreement with the Liberals, she was subsequently elevated to cabinet as Minister for Sport, Minister for Rural Health, and Minister for Regional Communications.^[7]

In July 2018, as Minister for Sport, McKenzie unveiled the National Sport Plan in a speech to the National Press Club. The plan includes the transformation of the current Australian Sports Commission into an expanded agency called Sport Australia.^[8][9]

Controversies

McKenzie's electorate office is in the regional city of Bendigo, and she was described as "Bendigo-based" on a number of occasions. However, in 2016 it was noted that her primary residence was a flat in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Elwood, and she stayed in hotels when she visited Bendigo.^[10]

In 2017, McKenzie was accused of using parliamentary travel entitlements for personal benefit, in a weekend trip to the Gold Coast in September 2014.^[11] Also questioned was a February 2017 trip to Sydney to speak at a Shooting Australia awards ceremony, which was claimed as "electorate business"; media reports suggested that it did not fall under the usual category of parliamentary business.^[12]

Political positions

Gun rights

McKenzie is a shooting enthusiast, and is chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Shooting. She owns several shotguns, and has taken part in hunting expeditions in New Zealand and Scotland. In 2015, she said that the National Firearms Agreement was "not perfect", although she supports it in principle.^[13] McKenzie opposed the federal government's import ban on the Adler A110 lever-action shotgun. In November 2016, she and John Williams crossed the floor to vote for a motion that would have overturned the ban; the motion was defeated 54–7. In the debate over the motion, she said that she was "not arguing for a weakening of gun laws and I never have".^[14]

Same-sex marriage

McKenzie is opposed to same-sex marriage, and publicly campaigned for the "No" vote in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey. In 2015, she promised "to oppose any such bill which seeks to legislate for same sex marriage", but also stated that she supported allowing a conscience vote on the issue.^[15] She abstained from voting on the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017, which legalised same-sex marriage.^[16] McKenzie's younger brother Alastair is gay, and has publicly confronted her on her views on several occasions, including in a letter to the Bendigo Advertiser and in an appearance on the panel discussion program Q&A.^[17][18]

Personal life

McKenzie has four children from her first marriage, which ended in divorce.^[19] Since 2015, she has been in a long-distance relationship with David Bennett, a member of the New Zealand Parliament.^[20][21]

References

External links

• Official website
• [https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/victoria/bridget_mckenzie Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Bridget McKenzie on TheyVoteForYou.org.au]

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