Talk:Anna Bligh

Eighth win
I made an edit in the second term paragraph changing it from fifth consecutive win to eighth consecutive win since the ALP technically won eight straight elections since 1989 even though they were out of government between 1996 and 1998. The Coalition at the time had taken office due to the Mundingburra by-election not because of a general election. The Shadow Treasurer (talk) 22:27, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

Speculation
I think this is a good article and personally think Anna Bligh would make a good Premier. But, in terms of an encyclopedia article, this is going too far...

... "is generally regarded to be Premier Peter Beattie’s likely successor, which would make her Queensland’s first female Premier."

This is unsubstantiated speculation about the future, which should be removed. As they say, a week is a long time in politics, and who knows what might happen. Johnfos 00:09, 11 March 2007 (UTC)


 * maybe we could change it to say; Beattie has on numerous occasions indicated that Anna Bligh is his likely successor as Premier and has been grooming her as such by giving her a wide range of portfolios include the powerful position of treasurer and fix-it positions such as Infrastructure... something like that? WikiTownsvillian 09:23, 11 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I've had a go at making a change. See what you think.  I've catered for the possible scenario where Bligh replaces Beatty after the next election and where (hypothetically) the ALP is no longer in government.  So this is a scenario where Bligh becomes Leader of the Opposition and not Premier. Johnfos 11:03, 11 March 2007 (UTC)


 * lol, pretty moot now. Rothery 08:35, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Left?
On a news report I just heard her referred to as a bit of a leftie. Anybody got anything about this that you can add to the article? Cheers, Rothery 08:35, 11 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Already in the article thanks to Rebecca's recent work: "She will thus become the leader of the Labor Party and the first female and first left faction Premier of Queensland when Beattie formally resigns on 13 September." Cheers, WikiTownsvillian 09:08, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I'd be interested to know if there are any other Left faction Premier's? That could also be mentioned in the article once she becomes Premier. WikiTownsvillian 09:11, 11 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Don't think it is that noteworthy, as I'm sure in the history of Australia there would have been many leftist Premiers. Bob Carr comes to mind. But anyway, I was actually wondering if people knew in what way she was left? I mean, does she want the government to start controlling more services, or is she more of a culturally-liberal leftist or what? In one news report I saw on the topic she said:


 * People who are muttering darkly about socialism, all I can say is, 'Look, the Berlin wall came down more than two decades ago, that's the past'. This is a modern Queensland, a modern Australia in a very different political environment.


 * Seems pretty cryptic to me; not sure what to make of it. And I see you're from Townsville too. Tipping Colbran for the election? lol. Cheers, Rothery 22:48, 11 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure, I think she's been very centralist since becoming Deputy Premier, but from memory she has had a very active student activist introduction to politics, but that was many years ago of course.


 * For the info of those outside the State; the Qld Opposition is always going on about the Beattie Government's socialist agenda and that it is controlled by socialists which of course are more digs at Bligh than the Government as a whole (which has ownership of issues across the political spectrum). There are articles that detail what her views were in the past, but she's kept mum recently. WikiTownsvillian 00:07, 12 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Righto. Might keep an eye out for any more details about specific views of hers. It was pretty exciting to see the state's first female Premier, and her being a bit on the left is the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. :P Rothery 09:23, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

The point is that she's a member of the Labor Left faction - actual political views aren't really all that involved. There are centrist, radical, and reactionary members of all factions. Slac speak up! 01:03, 12 September 2007 (UTC)


 * But the article is about Anna, so presumably it should list some of her political views. Rothery 09:23, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Great and free image before she's even your first woman premier!
Gee you guys are lucky ;-) Timeshift 10:07, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Birth date and place
I have removed the birth date and place as it seems excessive to have this info both in the lead and the info box and the info box already has much more specific and detailed info. Happy to discuss. Cheers, WikiTownsvillian 09:56, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Personal life
The section discussing great-great-great etc. ancestors does not seem so much information on her personal life as it does a piece of trivia. I think it should be removed or maybe put into a trivia section. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.171.175.107 (talk) 09:55, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

Descendant of William Bligh?
AFAIK Captain William Bligh only had six daughters and no son. Is it known how a descendant of him still can bear his name? --88.217.12.72 (talk) 10:33, 1 May 2010 (UTC)

ALP National Pres
should have something about her election as the National Pres of the ALP for 2010? Wiki Townsvillian 14:57, 29 March 2009 (UTC)

Odd sentence
Bligh's appointment as Deputy Premier coincided with her election to parliament ten years earlier.

What does this mean? She certainly didn't become DPM on the same day that she entered parliament. -- JackofOz (talk) 07:53, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

Do they mean that both events took place on the same date 10 years apart. Even so, hardly noteworthy.--Dmol (talk) 08:06, 11 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes, probably. I guess they meant she became DP on the tenth anniversry of her election to parliament.  But so what?  --  JackofOz (talk) 13:01, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

Reinstated Category: Australian atheists
On 3 May 2010 at 15:29, IP address 124.148.114.185, removed the category 'Australian atheists' from this article without any edit summary or other explanation on the talk page - essentially an anonymous edit. While it might not be seen as a critically important piece of information to some, it may well be so to others. As there is a considerable body of available material on the internet validating Ms Bligh's lack of religious conviction, the edit in question may be regarded as an instance of vandalism. For this reason I am reinstating the category association, and will continue doing so in the absense of any credible explanation as to why it should be removed. Peter b (talk) 22:57, 1 January 2011 (UTC)

Birthplace
It says she grew up on the Gold Coast. Is that her birthplace? It's interesting that 3 of the recent women heads of government in Australia are not Aussie-born (not that that counts against them but it is an interesting factoid): Julia Gillard in UK, Kristina Keneally in USA and Lara Giddings in PNG. 119.237.225.158 (talk) 02:22, 24 January 2011 (UTC)

Getting it right
There always has to be a Premier, and Newman has announced he, Seeney, and Nicholls will be sworn in on Monday afternoon, while Bligh says she going to see the Governor today to resign. (See the report cited in the article.) The Sydney Morning Herald though reports that he will advise the Governor "at 2 PM" that he can form a government, so presumably he might be sworn as Premier today and sworn as several different ministers tomorrow. But we need to be sure that is what happens. So I humbly request that people help make sure we get the clearest and most definitive statements we can. -Rrius (talk) 03:33, 25 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Quote: He will be visiting the Governor this afternoon at 2pm AEST to advise her that he can form a government. Mr Newman announces that Jeff Seeney will be his deputy and minister for state development, and Tim Nicholls will be treasurer and minister for trade, and the three of them will form an interim cabinet to be sworn in tomorrow. --   Jack of Oz   [your turn]  04:10, 25 March 2012 (UTC)
 * You ignored the quote where Campbell said he wouldn't say anything about the Bligh resignation as Premier that was reported in an article our article links to. My point was there was a degree of uncertainty that we should have due regard to as we deal with dates, and we should be extra vigilant to get it right. -Rrius (talk) 23:55, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 25 March 2012
We need to mention the public backlash against Bligh's negative campaigning tactic.

Her attempt to link the LNP candidate to corruption whilst Lord Mayor of Brisbane as well as her attempts to paint his family as corrupt, followed by her admission, when challenged, that she had no actual evidence of corruption to take to the anti-corruption watchdog are being widely quoted as the turning point in the campaign, especially by her former minister, Stephen Robertson.

Mention should also be made of the subsequent discovery by the Courier Mail of family links between the ALP and the Crime and Misconduct Commission, as well as ALP, in the form of Bruce Hawker, attempts to postpone the CMC inquiry into the probity of the Campbell Newman until after the election.

I'd be grateful if someone could make the above edits or the article could be unprotected, as at the moment it does not paint a true picture of the perceived reasons for Bligh's defeat.

I would suggest something along the lines of:

"As well as her unpopularity over the sale of public assets, informed commentators, including former water minister Stepehen Robertson, also attribute Bligh's defeat to public disapproval of the ALP's negative campaign against the leader of the opposition and his family. Continued allegations and innuendo surrounding Newman's family's business dealings and his time as Lord Mayor of Brisbane led to a Crime and Misconduct Commission investigation which quickly cleared Newman of any impropriety. Public disapproval for Bligh's subsequent public admission that she had no hard evidence of misconduct with which to provide the commission, revelations that an ALP advisor had advocated that covert pressure should be put on the watchdog to delay their exoneration of Newman until after the election, and the subsequent revelation by the Courier Mail of links between the federal ALP and the CMC, sent Bligh's personal satisfaction rating plummeting from 43% to 36% just one week before polling day."

But more experienced editors should feel free to tweak the language without changing the sense.

Thanks.

References:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/cmc-tainted-by-political-link-lnp/story-e6freoof-1226300935258

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/anna-bligh-claims-to-have-evidence-of-suspect-relationship-between-campbell-newman-and-political-donor/story-fnbt5t29-1226300622739

http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/labors-looming-loss-one-for-records/story-fn6ck620-1226304467077

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-election-still-a-tough-battle-says-lnp-leader-campbell-newman/story-fnbt5t29-1226302966253

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/labor-facing-a-rout/story-fnbt5t29-1226302791590

http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/celebs-lose-blabber-control/story-fn6ck620-1226309096932

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/blighs-crumbling-army-had-to-gamble/story-e6frerdf-1226308806696

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/qld-labor-faces-decadelong-rebuild-20120325-1vrss.html

Gadaph (talk) 04:28, 25 March 2012 (UTC)


 * ❌ I am firmly of the opinion that negative information about BLP subjects should not be included unless cited to multiple reliable sources. Even then the prose still needs to remain POV free. Pol430  talk to me 21:53, 26 March 2012 (UTC)

I am assuming good faith on your part in the above, and would expect the same courtesy. Have you actually read the referenced articles? What is it about two national Australian Newspapers (Sydney Morning Herald & Courier Mail) with concordant conclusions that you do not regard as "Multiple reliable sources"? There have been further Australian press articles today which are of the same view, yet there is not a single mention in this article of the unprecedented nature of the recent election campaign in the sense that policy discussion appeared to be minimal whilst much attention was directed at the probity of candidates. If you don't like the prose then fine, change it, I'm not going to argue, but at the moment the article simply does not represent reality with its emphasis on asset sales alone as the clinching factor in the election. It's important that you do not let your personal prejudices preclude the documentation of a major event in Queensland's political history. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gadaph (talk • contribs) 08:14, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

Not done: Ignoring for a moment the lack of consensus for the change evident in Pol430's response, you need to associate your sources with the facts which they support and you need to provide text which pesents those facts in a neutral manner. Saying "here's the sources, change the text if you like" is not the way the edit semiprotected template works. Especially on a BLP article. Thanks, Celestra (talk) 05:00, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

End dates
Campbell Newman will be sworn in as Premier tomorrow (26 March 2012). This date will be the end of Bligh's term as Premier.

Although Bligh handed her resignation from parliament to the Governor today, it takes effect from 30 March 2012. This date will be the end of her term as Member for South Brisbane. ShipFan (Talk) 05:11, 25 March 2012 (UTC)


 * I'm not so sure she has actually tendered her resignation from parliament yet.  One resigns one's parliamentary seat by sending a letter to the Speaker, not to the Governor.  And once it's been handed over or sent, it becomes effective immediately the Speaker receives it.  That is, it's not possible to "give notice" when resigning.  All she's done at this stage is make a public announcement that she intends to resign from parliament on Friday 30 March.  This announcement has no official status as far as the parliament is concerned.  --   Jack of Oz   [your turn]  06:01, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 30 March 2012
Member for South Brisbane

121.217.198.15 (talk) 05:26, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Discuss Anna Bligh's Recent Diagnosis
This is my first post so I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing here but I think that there needs to be something about Anna Bligh's recent diagnosis with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After the removal of a tumour from her lymph node it was confirmed that Anna Bligh has non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Ref found at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-07/former-queensland-premier-anna-bligh-reveals-she-has-cancer/4740820

Alethea b8 (talk) 13:47, 9 June 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes check.svg Done - Thanks! -- El Hef  ( Meep? ) 16:32, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

Edit request - political offices
Please add the following to :

203.9.185.136 (talk) 04:45, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Queensland ALP not the Queensland Labor Party
"Bligh announced her immediate resignation as leader of the Queensland Labor Party. "

She was leader of the Queensland ALP not the Queensland Labor Party which existed in the 1950s. 122.108.156.100 (talk) 08:37, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C25197%2C25163722-5014047%2C00.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20111210154433/http://www.alp.org.au/australian-labor/member-news/welcome-to-new-alp-national-president/ to http://www.alp.org.au/australian-labor/member-news/welcome-to-new-alp-national-president/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081009184906/http://www.thepremier.qld.gov.au/about/bio.aspx to http://www.thepremier.qld.gov.au/about/bio.aspx
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External links modified
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Semi-protected edit request on 15 December 2020
1) Add a new category before the “Deputy Premier” section:

Education Minister In 2001 Ms Bligh became Queensland’s first female Minister for Education. She introduced a number of reforms, including: •	Introduction of a universally available Prep year in every Queensland Primary school, which added a thirteenth year of education and brought Queensland schooling into line with other Australian States for the first time. •	Transformed Early Childhood Education with an increase in kindergarten programs from 28% of 3-4year olds to 94% of that age group •	Lifted the entry age of schooling •	Introduced “Earning or Learning” laws requiring all young people aged 15 to 17 to be enrolled in school or in full time work – effectively lifting the school leaving age from 15 to 17 - the first such laws in Australia

2) After the first “Premier” section, add a sub-heading:

Economic Reform

As treasurer and Premier, Bligh held responsibility for a state budget of almost $50 billion. Her reforms include: 1.	 Australia’s largest infrastructure building program, averaging $15bn (AUD)/year, including new export chain capacity, major new roads and public transport infrastructure and a $9bn ‘Water grid’ connecting water storages and constructing new water sources, including a recycled water scheme and a desalination plant to drought proof Queensland’s major urban populations. 2.	Major reform of utilities, including the amalgamation of water authorities into a framework structured into supply, distribution and retail corporations of government and the restructure of electricity supply to provide for private commercial retailers, including the sale of Queensland’s electricity retailer 3.	New investments into research, science and innovation – shifting a predominantly resource economy to a knowledge-based, creative economy - this 10 year program of investment saw the establishment of 36 new science research institutes and the ratio of scientists and researchers to population grow faster than any other state. 4.	Privatisation of the bulk freight and coal division of the government-owned railway business in 2010. 5.	Significant new investment in the Arts, including the construction of a new Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and other cultural infrastructure, which saw an increase in cultural tourism. These new investments, including additional funding support for the performing arts and major exhibitions, heralded a renaissance in Queensland's arts and cultural sector with the Queensland Art Gallery now being the most visited museum in the country. 6.	Led the successful bid for the Gold Coast to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

3) Remove “Daylight Saving: section

4) Move the current “Queensland Floods” section to the top of the “2012 Election” section

5) Create a new Queensland Floods section and make it the first breakout section under “Premier”: Anna Bligh’s leadership came to national and international attention in 2011 as she led the response and recovery effort to devastating natural disasters - a series of catastrophic floods across 78% of Queensland, including Brisbane - followed by a category 5 cyclone.

Bligh then led a major reconstruction program, including a legislated Reconstruction Authority administering a $6bn rebuilding budget.

5) Create a new section:

Social Policy As Minister for Families, Youth and Community Care and Disability Services and later as Premier, Bligh oversaw a number of changes, including; 1.	Implementation of Queensland’s first stand-alone Disability Services agency, accompanied by a tripling of budget expenditure to services for people with a disability 2.	Australia’s first Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in Orphanages and Institutions, resulting in a compensation scheme, a dedicated counselling service and beneficial foundation for victims 3.	Major welfare reforms in remote indigenous communities, linking welfare payments with school attendance, alcohol rehabilitation and counselling programs 4.	Legislated a Preamble to the Queensland Constitution formally recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Queensland’s indigenous peoples, as first custodians 5.	The first complete overhaul of Queensland's Child Protection legislation in more than 40 years 6.	Introduction of significant new legal protections for those experiencing domestic violence, including in same sex relationships, and carer and elder abuse 7.	Introduction of fluoride into all Queensland drinking water supplies 8.	New laws to provide for same sex civil unions

6) Section: After Politics

Existing Text: In 2014, Bligh was appointed CEO of YWCA New South Wales.[29] In 2017, she was made CEO of the Australian Banking Association.[30]

Replace with:

In 2014, Bligh was appointed CEO of YWCA New South Wales[29], a not-for-profit organisation striving to end domestic violence and build a safer world for women and children. In 2017, Bligh was appointed CEO of the Australian Banking Association.[30] As CEO, she has led the industry’s response to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, setting out to strengthen bank culture and rebuild trust. When the Royal Commission interim report was released, Bligh described it as a “day of shame” for the industry and vowed to do “whatever it takes” to regain trust and move the industry from a selling culture to a service culture. She oversaw the development of an updated Banking Code of Practice and worked with the industry to deliver significant reform. In 2020, Bligh led the banking sector’s response to COVID-19. For the first time, Australian banks agreed to a unified response to assist customers experiencing hardship as a result of the pandemic. Banks agreed to pause loan repayments on almost one million mortgage and business loans for at least six months. The ABA also worked with regulators to ensure that deferred loans would not affect a customer’s credit rating. Bligh described the loan deferrals as “a multi-billion dollar lifeline” for customers. Bligh attributed the banks’ response to COVID-19 to their strong “financial firepower” and their role in the wake of the Royal Commission.

7) Section: Personal

Existing Text: Bligh is married to Greg Withers, a senior public servant, with whom she has two sons, Joe and Oliver, both of whom attended Brisbane State High School.[31] Bligh appeared as a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef Australia in 2009.[32] She was eliminated in her first heat, losing to the eventual winner of the series, swimmer Eamon Sullivan.[33] On 8 June 2013, Bligh announced that she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[34] Bligh's memoir, "Through The Wall", was published in April 2015.[35] In 2017 Bligh was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the Parliament of Queensland, particularly as Premier, to infrastructure development and education reform, as an advocate for the role of women in public life, and to the not-for-profit sector.[36] Replace with: On 8 June 2013, Bligh announced that she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[34] Bligh's memoir, "Through The Wall", was published in April 2015.[35] In 2017 Bligh was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the Parliament of Queensland, particularly as Premier, to infrastructure development and education reform, as an advocate for the role of women in public life, and to the not-for-profit sector.[36] Bligh holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Queensland and Griffith University. She is a non-executive director of Medibank Private and a Board Member of the International Banking Federation (IBFed).

8) Fact box on right of page

Please change Anna photo and find some better ones online, to replace the photos with Rudd and Gillard. Spouse: Greg Withers (1986 – 2015) Anthony Bertini (m. 2017)

Children: Joe Oliver Br260454 (talk) 03:14, 15 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. – robertsky (talk) 11:49, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 December 2020 (2)
Please add this 2020 image, thank you.

Br260454 (talk) 03:27, 15 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done SSSB (talk) 11:46, 18 December 2020 (UTC)

Did not serve as Leader of the Opposition
Since her party came back to power in 1989 after 32 years in opposition, all of the party's leaders including her has served as premiers despite two spells in opposition in 1996-98 and 2012-15.

When Bligh stood down as leader after the 2012 defeat, she was the first who did not serve as leader of the opposition since Vince Gair's defection and subsequent loss of the premiership in 1957 and I think it is worth putting in the article. 49.3.72.79 (talk) 06:22, 5 March 2021 (UTC)