Liza Harvey

Liza Mary Harvey (née Browne; born 25 October 1966) is an Australian politician who has been a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia since 2008, representing the seat of Scarborough. She has been a minister in the government of Colin Barnett since 2012, and in 2016 was appointed deputy premier, becoming the first woman to hold the position.

Early life

Harvey was born in Manjimup, Western Australia, to Jill Annette (née Randell) and Eugene Michael Browne.^[1] Her mother was a descendant of George Randell, an early settler of Western Australia.^[2] Harvey attended primary schools in Perth and Port Hedland, and secondary school at Mercedes College, Perth.^[1] She studied science at the University of Western Australia between 1984 and 1986, but did not graduate. Harvey worked for Qantas between 1989 and 2000, holding positions in customer service and at the Qantas Club. She also helped to run a recreational fishing business with her husband, and was involved with various local business associations.^[3]

Politics

Harvey entered parliament at the 2008 state election. She won the newly created Scarborough (a notionally Liberal seat) with 55.2 percent of the two-party-preferred vote.^[4] In December 2010, Harvey was made parliamentary secretary to Simon O'Brien, in his capacity as the Minister for Small Business. She was elevated to the ministry in June 2012, replacing Rob Johnson as Minister for Police and Minister for Road Safety. After the 2013 state election, Harvey was additionally made Minister for Small Business and Minister for Women's Interests. In a ministerial reshuffle in August 2013, she lost the small business portfolio to Joe Francis, but was made Minister for Tourism instead. In another reshuffle in December 2014, she took over from Kim Hames as Minister for Training and Workforce Development, with Hames taking on the tourism portfolio.^[5]

In December 2015, Kim Hames announced his intention to resign as deputy leader of the Liberal Party (and to retire from parliament at the 2017 state election).^[6] Harvey was elected as his replacement unopposed in February 2016, and was sworn in as deputy premier a few days later, becoming the first woman to hold either position.^[7] She has been cited as a possible future leader of the party.^[8][9]

Personal life

Harvey married her husband, Hal Lewis Harvey, in 1996. He had one daughter from a previous relationship, and they had two more children together (a son and a daughter).^[1] Her husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2011, and died from the disease in 2014, aged 55.^[10]

See also

• Women in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly

References