Lindy Nelson-Carr
Encyclopedia
Electoral district of Mundingburra
The district of Mundingburra is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.- Overview :The seat is one of four within the Townsville urban area in North Queensland. Significant utilities within the Mundingburra electorate are the Townsville Hospital,...
since 1998.
Parliamentary career
The Minister now holds her seat safely for the Australian Labor PartyAustralian 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...
, having substantially increased her margin to 10.54% at the 2006 election, this result went against the State wide trend of a slight swing against Labor. Four days after the election, on 13 September 2006, Ms. Nelson-Carr was promoted to the Cabinet in the Beattie
Peter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
government as Minister for Environment and Multiculturalism. A year later, when Anna Bligh
Anna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
became Premier on 12 September 2007, Nelson-Carr was moved to the portfolio of Minister for Communities, Disability Services, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Partnerships, Multicultural Affairs, Seniors and Youth in a broad Cabinet reshuffle.
Ms Nelson-Carr has been the Labor Party Member for Mundingburra in the Queensland State Parliament since the 13 June 1998 election when she achieved a swing of 6.7% away from sitting Liberal
Liberal 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...
Member Frank Tanti.
Before being appointed to cabinet Ms Nelson-Carr was from 2001 the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Minister Assisting the Premier on Women's Policy. She was promoted in 2004 to Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier for North Queensland, her portfolio was expanded in 2005 to include Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads.
From her first speech in Parliament on 5 August 1998 Ms Nelson-Carr expressed a specific interest in Environment and Multiculturalism and pride in the cultural diversity of the Mundingburra electorate and a particular abhorrence to the divisive policies of the One Nation Party which had gained 11 seats including the neighbouring electorate Thuringowa
Electoral district of Thuringowa
The district of Thuringowa is an electorate in the Legislative Assembly of the state of Queensland, Australia.The division encompasses suburbs of the former City of Thuringowa on the western edge of Townsville in North Queensland, stretching from Deeragun in the north to Kelso in the south...
. She also focused strongly on Queensland job security and gender equality in parliamentarian representation reflecting the importance of women's perspectives and leadership in influencing public policy.
Personal
Ms Nelson-Carr is formerly a high school teacher and guidance officer at Townsville State High SchoolTownsville State High School
Townsville State High School is a school in the Australian state of Queensland. It is also known as Town High.Townsville State High School was established in 1924 and was located at the northwest corner of Stanley and Walker Streets in the city. The building is now a TAFE campus...
and Pimlico State High School
Pimlico State High School
For other uses, see Pimlico .Pimlico State High School is a public high school in Townsville, Australia. The school places much emphasis on academic achievement and performing arts, especially music.-Facilities:...
. She holds a Master of Education, and from 1993-98 lectured in Human Relationships education at James Cook University
James Cook University
James Cook University is a public university based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The university has two Australian campuses, located in Townsville and Cairns respectively, and an international campus in Singapore. JCU is the second oldest university in Queensland—proclaimed in 1970—and the...
. Before moving to Townsville she taught in inner Sydney schools.
Her husband is Russel Carr and she has five children.
Affiliations
Ms Nelson-Carr established a Townsville branch of EMILY's ListEMILY's List Australia
EMILY's List Australia is a political network in Australia that supports progressive women candidates to be elected to political office. EMILY's List Australia was inspired by EMILY's List, a Political Action Committee with similar goals in the United States....
and holds fundraisers regularly to contribute to the organisation. She is supported by the organisation and received EMILY's List funding to support her first election to Parliament. She is historically the most senior female politician to be elected in Townsville.
She is a proud trade unionist and currently a member of the Queensland Teachers Union
Queensland Teachers Union
The Queensland Teachers' Union is an Australian trade union with a membership of more than 44,000 teachers and principals in the Queensland Government's primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, senior colleges, TAFE colleges and other educational facilities. More than 96 per cent of...
and the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union
Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union
The Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union, better known as the Meatworkers Union, is an Australian trade union, registered with the AIRC and affiliated to the Australian Council of Trade Unions. The AMIEU was formed in 1906 as the Federated Butchers Union, and changed its name to the AMIEU in...
. At the time she praised workers involved in the 1998 Australian waterfront dispute
1998 Australian waterfront dispute
The Australian waterfront dispute of 1998 was a watershed event in Australian Industrial Relations history, in which the Patrick Corporation undertook a restructuring of their operations for the purpose of increasing the productivity of their workforce...
.
"...they were sacked as a result of a national collusion between the coalition parties and Patrick stevedores. They were sacked because they were members of a union. They were sacked because they chose to be loyal to themselves, their union and their workmates."