Anna Watson (politician)
Encyclopedia
Anna Watson is an Australia
n politician and a member of the New South Wales
Legislative Assembly
representing the electoral district of Shellharbour
.
. She was employed in accounting and clerical jobs before becoming a union organiser with the United Services Union
. In the 12 years she spent in that role, Watson was involved in union activities in a number of industries.
. McMahon had been "parachuted" into the seat prior to the 2007 State election by "Sussex Steet
" - Labor Party
headquarters in Sydney. A number of faction
al opponents claimed she had been personally selected by former Premier, Morris Iemma
. Her appointment was strongly opposed by local Australian Workers Union official Andy Gillespie - the two had previously been in conflict over a dispute at the nearby BlueScope Steel
facility at Port Kembla
. In the years between the 2007 and 2011 elections, Gillespie lobbied the Labor Party to give local branch members the chance to select a local candidate. Labor Party officials capitulated and McMahon realised she could not win the preselection vote. She resigned the night before the preselection committee was due to meet. Watson won the subsequent preselection vote.
or a faction
al Labor
opponent had been responsible for the material.
Watson was elected at the 2011 State election
, despite a general swing against the Labor Party.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and a member of the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
representing the electoral district of Shellharbour
Electoral district of Shellharbour
Shellharbour is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. The seat was created at the 2004 redistribution of electoral districts and takes in the majority of voters from the abolished Illawarra, as well as territory that previously belonged to...
.
Personal life
Watson grew up in LoftusLoftus, New South Wales
Loftus is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Loftus is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
. She was employed in accounting and clerical jobs before becoming a union organiser with the United Services Union
United Services Union
rightThe United Services Union is the trading name of a union registered under the New South Wales Industrial Relations Act 1996 as the NSW Local Government, Clerical, Administrative, Energy, Airlines & Utilities Union....
. In the 12 years she spent in that role, Watson was involved in union activities in a number of industries.
Preselection
Watson was preselected in 2010 following the resignation of former member Lylea McMahonLylea McMahon
Lylea Anne McMahon , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electoral district of Shellharbour between 2007 and 2011...
. McMahon had been "parachuted" into the seat prior to the 2007 State election by "Sussex Steet
Sussex Street, Sydney
Sussex Street is a street in the CBD of Sydney, Australia. It runs north-south along the western side of the city, between Hickson Road and Hay Street. It is in the Local Government Area of the City of Sydney and the postcode is 2000...
" - Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
headquarters in Sydney. A number of faction
Faction
Faction or factionalism may refer to:* Political faction, a group of people connected by a shared belief or opinion within a larger group* Clan or Guild, an association of players of multiplayer games...
al opponents claimed she had been personally selected by former Premier, Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma , is a former Australian politician and 40th Premier of New South Wales, succeeding Bob Carr after he resigned on 3 August 2005. Iemma led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election before resigning as Premier on 5 September 2008, and as a Member of Parliament on 19...
. Her appointment was strongly opposed by local Australian Workers Union official Andy Gillespie - the two had previously been in conflict over a dispute at the nearby BlueScope Steel
BlueScope Steel
BlueScope Steel is a flat product steel producer with operations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Pacific and North America. It was spun off from BHP Billiton in 2002 as BHP Steel and renamed BlueScope Steel on 17 November 2003...
facility at Port Kembla
Port Kembla, New South Wales
Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex , a small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector. It is situated on the tip of Red Point, first sighted...
. In the years between the 2007 and 2011 elections, Gillespie lobbied the Labor Party to give local branch members the chance to select a local candidate. Labor Party officials capitulated and McMahon realised she could not win the preselection vote. She resigned the night before the preselection committee was due to meet. Watson won the subsequent preselection vote.
Election
During the 2011 election campaign, anonymous brochures were distributed throughout the electorate claiming Watson was not fit to hold office. The material claimed of Watson that a, "recent background of infidelity, deception, lies and immoral conduct precedes this person" - claims Watson denied "unreservedly". Watson later said she believed she knew who had published the brochures and that neither the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
or a faction
Faction
Faction or factionalism may refer to:* Political faction, a group of people connected by a shared belief or opinion within a larger group* Clan or Guild, an association of players of multiplayer games...
al Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
opponent had been responsible for the material.
Watson was elected at the 2011 State election
New South Wales state election, 2011
Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...
, despite a general swing against the Labor Party.