Angie Bell

Angie Marion Bell[1] (born 11 July 1968)[2] is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election, representing the Division of Moncrieff in Queensland. She is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament.

Angie Bell

MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Moncrieff
Assumed office
18 May 2019
Preceded bySteven Ciobo
Personal details
Born (1968-07-11) 11 July 1968
Adelaide, South Australia
Political partyLiberal / LNP
OccupationMusician, retail manager

Early life

Bell was born in Adelaide.[2] She attended Gawler High School, where she learned the tenor saxophone and came to the attention of jazz musician Don Burrows. She subsequently won a scholarship from Rotary International to study music in Denmark. When she returned to Australia she enrolled in the Elder Conservatorium of Music, studying jazz, saxophone, and voice.[3]

Prior to entering politics, Bell worked as a professional musician for 35 years.[3] She also worked as a sales agent across several Australian states before settling in Queensland in 2002, where she worked with the National Retail Association as a consultant and workplace trainer.[2] From 2010 she worked for Paint Place as visual merchandising manager (2010–2015) and national business development manager (2015–2018). Bell attended Griffith University as a mature-age student, completing a graduate certificate in marketing. In 2014 she wrote a book on rebranding and marketing for small businesses.[2][3]

Politics

Bell joined the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) at the age of 45.[3] She served as president of LNP Women Queensland from 2017 to 2019.[2]

In April 2019, Bell won LNP preselection for the Division of Moncrieff, replacing the retiring MP Steven Ciobo. According to The Australian, she defeated eight other candidates in an "upset victory".[4] She retained Moncrieff for the Liberals at the 2019 federal election, with a small positive swing to the party.[5]

Personal life

Bell is in a long-term relationship with her partner Ros, who has four adult children.[3] She is the first openly gay woman to represent a major party in the House of Representatives, the second overall after independent Kerryn Phelps, and the fifth gay woman in federal parliament.[6]

References
  1. "Qualification checklist" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  2. "Ms Angie Bell MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  3. "First speech: Angie Bell". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  4. "LNP's Angie Bell preselected for Moncrieff". 6 April 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  5. "Moncrieff". ABC News. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  6. "Gay LNP federal election 2019 candidate Angie Bell hopes to make history in blue ribbon seat". ABC News. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Steven Ciobo		 Member for Moncrieff
2019–present		 Incumbent
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