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Federal election: What you should know about Liberal senator Bridget McKenzie

With the next federal election coming soon, Yahoo News Australia has answered the questions people are asking about former National party deputy and now Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Bridget McKenzie.

Nationals Senators Bridget McKenzie during Senate Business at Parliament House.
Nationals senators Bridget McKenzie was a university lecturer before entering politics.

How old is Bridget McKenzie?

Bridget McKenzie was born on 27 December 1969, making her 52 years old.

Where did Bridget McKenzie grow up?

Ms McKenzie was born in Alexandra, Victoria, and was raised in Benalla, where she attended Tintern Grammar, School.

Who is Bridget McKenzie married to? Does she have children?

Ms McKenzie was married to former police officer Tim Edwards, with whom she has four children. After the couple divorced, Ms McKenzie started a long-distance relationship with New Zealand National Party MP David Bennett. The pair later split and it has been reported she is now in a relationship with News Corp Australia national affairs editor Simon Benson.

When did Bridget McKenzie enter politics?

Ms McKenzie joined the National party shortly after turning 18. From 2006 to 2009 she served as junior vice president of the Victorian branch. After an unsuccessful attempt at standing for parliament in 2004, Ms McKenzie was elected to the senate in 2010, with her term officially beginning in 2011.

Senator Bridget McKenzie
Senator Bridget McKenzie during her appearance at the Select Committee on Administration of Sports Grants at Parliament House. Source: Getty.

What political positions has Bridget McKenzie held?

Ms McKenzie was Nationals senate whip between 2013 and 2014, before being elected deputy leader to Barnaby Joyce in December 2017 after Fiona Nash was disqualified from parliament due to the dual citizenship scandal. Her ascension to the deputy leadership also saw her elevated to cabinet as minister for sport, rural health, and regional communications.

With the cabinet reshuffle resulting from Scott Morrison’s appointment to prime minister 2018, Ms McKenzie took on the regional services, decentralisation and local government portfolios while retaining sport. With Morrison leading the government to election victory in 2019, Ms McKenzie became the first woman to be appointed minister for agriculture.

What did Bridget McKenzie do before entering politics?

Ms McKenzie completed a double degree in applied science and teaching at Deakin University while raising a young family. After graduating she taught physical education and mathematics at Yarram Secondary College in Gippsland and later worked as a lecturer in education at Monash University.

What controversies has Bridget McKenzie been involved in?

Sports grants pork barrelling

Ms McKenzie was accused of pork barrelling after the Commonwealth auditor-general found the $100 million sports program she oversaw as minister had disproportionately allocated funds to marginal Liberal electorates over Labor-held seats.

One such grant included an Adelaide rugby union club being awarded a $500,000 grant, just one week before the election for new female change rooms, despite not fielding a women's team since 2018. The club was located in the marginal Coalition-held seat of Sturt.

Another saw a football club in the marginally held Coalition seat of Brisbane awarded $150,000 for a project that had already been funded.

 

There were calls for McKenzie to resign over the scandal but she refused and senior ministers, including the PM, came to her defence. It was not until after the revelation that Ms McKenzie awarded a $36,000 grant to a regional Victorian shooting club without declaring that she was a member in January, 2020 that she was forced to resign the party deputy leadership and her ministerial roles.

Ms McKenzie returned to the cabinet in 2021 after former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce won his job back from Michael McCormack, when she was appointed as minister for emergency management and national recovery and resilience.

Same-sex marriage

McKenzie is opposed to same-sex marriage and publicly campaigned for the "No" vote in the postal survey, despite having a gay younger brother. McKenzie's brother publicly confronted her on her views in a letter to the Bendigo Advertiser and on the panel discussion program Q&A.

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