Joanna Lindgren

Joanna Maria "Jo" Lindgren (born 5 November 1969) is an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Queensland from May 2015 to July 2016. A member of the Liberal National Party, she was appointed to the Senate to fill the casual vacancy caused by Brett Mason's resignation. She was defeated at the 2016 federal election. Born in Brisbane, Lindgren attended Brigidine College in Indooroopilly and St Peter Claver College in Riverview, and subsequently went on to Griffith University, receiving a graduate diploma in education after her initial arts degree. Before entering politics, she worked as a high-school teacher in Brisbane, and was also a member of the Australian Army Reserve. At the 2012 state election, Lindgren contested the seat of Inala, a safe Labor seat held by Annastacia Palaszczuk (a future premier). She failed to win the seat, but did record a two-party preferred (2PP) swing of 14.63 points towards the LNP, finishing with 43.10% of the final 2PP vote. Following the resignation of LNP senator Brett Mason in April 2015, Lindgren was one of nine candidates to contest the casual vacancy, with her chief opponent being Bill Glasson, a former president of the Australian Medical Association. She won the vote, and at the same time, was also preselected for the third position on the LNP senate ticket at the 2016 federal election. A sitting of the Queensland Parliament formally appointed Lindgren to fill the vacancy on 21 May 2015. She has chosen to join the federal Liberal partyroom (rather than the Nationals), as LNP members may choose between the two. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Lindgren was a "surprise candidate" who "opposes gay marriage, abortion and euthanasia" after the Liberal party opposed Glasson's support for gay rights. Lindgren is an Aboriginal Australian with Jagera and Mununjali ancestry. Her granduncle, Neville Bonner, was also a senator for Queensland, and was the first Indigenous Australian in the Australian Parliament. Lindgren's husband, Peter Anderson-Barr, is a policeman, and was briefly an LNP candidate for the seat of Logan at the 2012 state election, but withdrew before the close of nominations.