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 was a minister in the government of Colin Barnett, and in 2016 was appointed deputy premier, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She is currently Leader of the Opposition after being elected unopposed to replace Mike Nahan as state Liberal leader on 13 June 2019.

The Honourable Liza Harvey MLA
34th Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 June 2019
Premier	Mark McGowan
Deputy	Bill Marmion
Preceded by	Mike Nahan
Leader of the Liberal Party of Western Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 June 2019
Deputy	Bill Marmion
Preceded by	Mike Nahan
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia
In office 17 March 2017 – 13 June 2019
Leader	Colin Barnett Mike Nahan
Preceded by	Kim Hames
Succeeded by	Bill Marmion
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Western Australia
In office 16 February 2016 – 13 June 2019
Leader	Colin Barnett Mike Nahan
Preceded by	Kim Hames
Succeeded by	Bill Marmion
Deputy Premier of Western Australia
In office 16 February 2016 – 17 March 2017
Premier	Colin Barnett
Preceded by	Kim Hames
Succeeded by	Roger Cook
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia for Scarborough
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 September 2008
Preceded by	Constituency established
Personal details
Born	Liza Mary Browne (1966-10-25) 25 October 1966 Manjimup, Western Australia, Australia
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Hal Harvey ​ ( m. 1996; wid.  2014)
Children	3
Education	Mercedes College
Alma mater	University of Western Australia
Occupation	Customer service advisor (Qantas)
Profession	Businesswoman Politician

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 went on to study science at the University of Western Australia. 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] In January 2017, Harvey confirmed that she would stand for the Liberal leadership once Colin Barnett retired. However, on 21 March former treasurer Mike Nahan was elected unopposed as the new leader of the party with Harvey continuing as his deputy. Nahan resigned himself on 13 June 2019, and Harvey was elected his successor unopposed.[8] She is the second woman to serve as WA opposition leader after Carmen Lawrence, and the first non-Labor woman to hold the post. She is also the first woman to be elected as a major-party leader in Western Australia while her party was in opposition.

Personal life

Harvey married her husband, Hal Lewis Harvey, in 1996. He had one daughter from a previous relationship, and they had a son and a daughter together.[1] Her husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2011, and died from the disease in 2014, aged 55.[9]

See also

• Women in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly

References

1. Liza Mary Harvey – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
2. Inaugural Speech: Mrs Liza Harvey MLA (Member for Scarborough), Hansard (Legislative Assembly), 25 November 2008.
3. Black, David and Phillips, Harry (2012). Making a Difference: Women in the Western Australian Parliament 1921–2012 (PDF). Parliament House, Perth, Western Australia: Parliament of Western Australia. pp. 481–486.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. Scarborough (Key Seat), Western Australian State Election 2008, Antony Green's Election Guide. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
5. Hon. Liza Mary Harvey MLA – Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
6. Jessica Strutt, "Health Minister Kim Hames to resign as Deputy Premier of WA in February", ABC News, 10 December 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
7. "Liza Harvey replaces Kim Hames as WA's new deputy leader", WAtoday, 15 February 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
8. Gubana, Benjamin (13 June 2019). "WA Liberals elect first female leader as Liza Harvey takes over from Mike Nahan". ABC News. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
9. Liam Ducey, "WA fishing icon Hal Harvey loses battle with pancreatic cancer", WAtoday, 28 October 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

Parliament of Western Australia
New seat	Member for Scarborough 2008–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Kim Hames	Deputy Premier of Western Australia 2016–2017	Succeeded by Roger Cook
Preceded by Rob Johnson	Minister for Police 2012–2017	Succeeded by Michelle Roberts
Preceded by Rob Johnson	Minister for Road Safety 2012–2017	Succeeded by Michelle Roberts
Preceded by Simon O'Brien	Minister for Small Business 2013	Succeeded by Joe Francis
Preceded by Robyn McSweeney	Minister for Women's Interests 2013–2017	Succeeded by Simone McGurk
Preceded by Colin Barnett	Minister for Tourism 2013–2014	Succeeded by Kim Hames
Preceded by Kim Hames	Minister for Training and Workforce Development 2014–2017	Portfolio abolished
Preceded by Mike Nahan	Leader of the Opposition 2019–present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Mike Nahan	Leader of the Liberal Party in Western Australia 2019–present	Incumbent