Fiona Simpson, State Member for Maroochydore has a track record of delivering for the Sunshine Coast region and a reputation for hard work and passionately advocating for her local community. She subscribes to the motto of “service above self”.

In 2012 Fiona was elected to the position of Speaker, making her the Queensland Parliament’s first female Speaker in its 150 years. She has held many leadership roles and her current role is Shadow Minister for Employment and Small Business, Training and Skills Development.

Before entering Parliament she was an award-winning journalist and her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese language, Journalism and Government, post graduate management qualifications including a Masters in Organizational Leadership and she is a graduate from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

What motivated you to first go into Politics? And what areas or causes are close to your heart?

Governments can have a lot of power over people’s lives and when I saw first-hand how government can do harm or good for people, it made me realise that it was important to try to make a difference rather than sit back and complain.

There are two issues that helped motivate me – one was an elderly gentleman who couldn’t access life-saving surgery and another where a major road was going through people’s homes and they couldn’t get fair compensation or a hearing. That’s why I believe it is important to be a local advocate who fights for people’s rights and is their voice, particularly for the vulnerable.

One of the most satisfying and humbling things is to have people come up to me to say that they’re alive today because I helped them get access to the care they needed. One of my achievements was to successfully lobby for cancer patients to be able to get treatment locally, rather than having to travel to Brisbane.

As Shadow Transport Minister I also developed the policies which lead to the roll out of the state-wide flashing school lights program, random drug testing for drivers and the introduction of alcohol interlocks to crackdown on drink driving.

The Sunshine Coast has changed a great deal under my watch as Member for Maroochydore and while there is still much to do, I am proud of being part of major achievements such as the duplication of the Maroochy River Bridge, upgrades to the Bruce Highway, Sunshine Motorway and Maroochydore Road, our new Sunshine Coast University Hospital, aiding the Sunshine Coast Airport upgrade, expansion of conservation areas and improvements to education, sporting and community facilities.

You were elected as Queensland Parliament’s first female speaker a few years ago now, a fantastic achievement. How did that feel and how did you put your own spin on that role?

It was an honour to serve in that role and I was privileged to meet many interesting people, including US President Barack Obama, when we hosted a G20 meeting at Queensland Parliament.

One of my concerns is that many people don’t understand why and how our democratic institutions operate and the polls show many young people aren’t sold on democracy. So as Speaker of the House I tried to open up Parliament House with more events and to roll out more civic education for young people and encourage more conversations about why democracy matters. We’re blessed to live in wonderful country but we can’t take it for granted.

And what’s next on the agenda for Fiona Simpson?

I’m definitely running in the October 2020 State Election and I feel more passionate than ever about protecting our precious environment and promoting the best that the Sunshine Coast has to offer, while delivering the infrastructure we need to support economic growth.

The Sunshine Coast is the entrepreneur capital of Australia and I want to champion small businesses to be able to grow and employ more people, supported by good government policy and the right infrastructure. We need better roads, rail and a new Sunshine Coast Convention and Entertainment Centre so that our young people don’t have to move away to find work.

To find out more about Fiona head to:

https://www.fionasimpson.com.au/about-fiona/