Meaghan Scanlon

Meaghan Alana Jenkins Scanlon (28 February 1993) is an Australian politician and lawyer. She has been the Labor member for Gaven in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2017^[2] and is currently serving as the Queensland Minister for Housing.^[3] Prior to May 2023, Scanlon was the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Youth Affairs.^[4]

The Honourable Meaghan Scanlon MP
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Public Works
In office 18 December 2023 – 28 October 2024
Premier	Steven Miles
Preceded by	Herself (as Minister for Housing) Cameron Dick (as Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning) Mick de Brenni (as Minister for Public Works and Procurement)
Minister for Housing
In office 18 May 2023 – 18 December 2023
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Leeanne Enoch
Succeeded by	Herself (as Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government)
Minister for Science and Youth Affairs
In office 12 November 2020 – 18 May 2023
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Leeanne Enoch[lower-alpha 1] Di Farmer[lower-alpha 2]
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef
In office 12 November 2020 – 18 May 2023
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Leeanne Enoch
Succeeded by	Leanne Linard
Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development
In office 12 December 2017 – 12 November 2020
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Michael Healy
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Gaven
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 November 2017
Preceded by	Sid Cramp
Personal details
Born	(1993-02-28) 28 February 1993 (age 31)[1] Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Labor
Domestic partner	Mark Bailey (since 2016)
Education	Aquinas College
Alma mater	Griffith University (LLB) Queensland University of Technology
Occupation	Lawyer Politician
Signature
Website	www.meaghanscanlon.com

Early life

Scanlon was born on the Gold Coast and grew up in the suburb of Nerang.^[5] Her father, Phil,^[1] migrated from England with his family at an early age. Her mother, Margaret,^[1] is from Moe, Victoria.^[6] During her school years, she attended Guardian Angels Primary School and Aquinas College.^[7] At the age of 13, her father died of melanoma and she began helping her mother care for her brother, who has Down syndrome.^[8] Following her graduation from high school, Scanlon completed a Bachelor of Laws at the Gold Coast campus of Griffith University, and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the Queensland University of Technology.^[9] She briefly worked in Brisbane before deciding to pursue a career in politics at the age of 23.

Political career

At the age of 23, Scanlon ran as the Labor candidate for the seat of Fadden in the northern Gold Coast during the 2016 Australian federal election but was defeated by Stuart Robert. She then turned her attention to the 2017 Queensland state election where she ran as the Labor candidate for the central Gold Coast seat of Gaven and defeated Sid Cramp to become, at the age of 24, the youngest woman elected to the Queensland Parliament.^[10] She served as the Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development, and was considered by some to be the unofficial minister for the Gold Coast at the time, due to Gaven having been the only Gold Coast-based seat held by the Queensland Labor Government.^[11]

Following the Queensland Labor Government's win at the 2020 Queensland state election, with Scanlon again winning the seat of Gaven, she was appointed to the Labor government's third-term cabinet as Minister for the Environment, the Great Barrier Reef, Science and Youth Affairs.^[4] She maintained this position until May 2023, when she was given the Housing portfolio.^[12]

Personal life

In September 2018, Scanlon and ministerial colleague Mark Bailey MLA confirmed that they had been in a relationship since 2016.^[13] In 2023, Scanlon mentioned of their meeting in an interview with Brisbane's The Courier-Mail: “It's not a particularly exciting story.” Adding: “Neither of us wants to talk about the intricacies of our portfolios... It's just more like you would talk to any partner about the news of the day.”^[1]

Notes

1. As Minister for Science.
2. As Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women.

References

1. McKay, Jack (11 February 2023). "'It was pretty nasty': Meaghan Scanlon opens up about 'confronting' family tragedy". The Courier-Mail.
2. "Gaven". Queensland Election 2017. ABC.
3. "MEMBER DETAILS- Hon Meaghan Scanlon". QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENT. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
4. "Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces Cabinet line-up for her historic third term". ABC News. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
5. "Meaghan Scanlon Profile". Queensland Labor. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
6. Scanlon, Meaghan (20 March 2018). Maiden Speech to Parliament (PDF) (Speech). Parliament House, Brisbane: Queensland Parliament. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
7. "Scanlon's love of politics began early". Retrieved 7 December 2019.
8. "Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon's reveals her family battle and motivations". Retrieved 16 April 2020.
9. "Meaghan Scanlon MP Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
10. "How Labor's Meaghan Scanlon became state's youngest female MP". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
11. "Labor MP Meaghan Scanlon to hold Gold Coast's Gaven seat after Tourism Minister Kate Jones retires". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
12. "Minister for Housing Meaghan Scanlon MP". The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory. Queensland Government. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
13. Weston, Paul (8 September 2018). "Gold Coast politician couple Meaghan Scanlon and Mark Bailey in relationship". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 17 September 2020.

Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by Sid Cramp	Member for Gaven 2017–present	Incumbent