Anne Ruston

Anne Sowerby Ruston (born 10 June 1963), Australian politician, is a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Australian Senate for South Australia since appointed on 5 September 2012 to a casual vacancy created by the parliamentary resignation of Mary Jo Fisher. Ruston has served as the Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources since 21 September 2015.

Ruston was born in Renmark, South Australia where she spent her early years before matriculating from Renmark High School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Business at the University of Southern Queensland.

In 1996, Ruston was appointed Chief Executive at the National Wine Centre until 2002, following which she purchased Ruston's Rose Garden and became a commercial rose producer. From 2003 to 2015, she was the owner and managing director of Ruston's Roses, the largest rose garden in Australia.

Ruston is married to Richard Fewster with one son.

Ruston began her political career as an electorate officer for state Liberal Chaffey MP Peter Arnold. Upon the election of the Dean Brown Liberal government in 1993 she became a state Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister for Industrial Affairs and Tourism, Recreation, Sport and Racing.

Ruston became Vice-President of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in 2011. In August 2012, Ruston was chosen by the federal Liberal Party of Australia and appointed by a joint sitting of the Parliament of South Australia on 5 September 2012 to fill the casual vacancy in the Senate created by the parliamentary resignation of Mary Jo Fisher. Ruston became Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources in the First Turnbull Ministry on 21 September 2015.