Meet south-east Queensland’s new faces in state parliament

The youngest female MP to step foot in Queensland parliament, at just 22 years of age; a builder whose son, future daughter-in-law and future grandson were killed by a teenager in a stolen car; a barrister who headed to Canberra and then became a right-wing Sky News host; a palliative care nurse with strong opinions on assisted dying; the state’s first Muslim MP.

These are some of the new faces who will appear in state parliament after winning their south-east Queensland seats at the weekend.

After a tide swept several marginal seats back to the LNP, most of the new faces will find themselves on the government benches, although the opposition will have fresh blood in its caucus too.

Among the new faces in Queensland parliament are Ariana Doolan, Russell Field, Amanda Stoker, Kerri-Anne Dooley, and Bisma Asif.Credit: Facebook

Ariana Doolan, Member for Pumicestone (LNP)

Doolan became the youngest female MP elected in Queensland – at 22 years old – when she overtook incumbent Labor member Ali King in the seat of Pumicestone, declaring victory on Sunday.

Doolan told 4BC on Tuesday that she became interested in politics when she had to interact with government agencies for her work with a non-profit organisation providing infrastructure to local schools.

At 22, Ariana Doolan (centre) is the youngest woman elected to Queensland parliament.Credit: Facebook

“Sam O’Connor, the shadow environment minister … said, ‘Hey, look, we need young women in politics, why don’t you put your hand up for the community?’” Doolan said.

She didn’t spend much time considering the idea before applying for candidacy.

“In 10 years’ time, if I hadn’t put my hand up, I would have regretted it, so I thought, why not take the opportunity,” she said.

Doolan said she was “absolutely excited and eager” to represent her constituents. And as a young person still living at home with her parents, she also has her sights on the LNP’s promise to remove stamp duty.

“I am looking forward to being able to purchase my own property and moving into my own house,” she said.

Russell Field, Member for Capalaba (LNP)

Field became an advocate for victims of crime three years ago, after his son and his son’s pregnant fiancee were killed in a car crash while walking their dog in Alexandra Hills.

The driver, 17 at the time, was on bail for other offences when he hit the couple, and had been before the Children’s Court seven times.

Russell Field (right) says his family’s loss opened his eyes to the injustice faced by victims of crime.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt

Field, a former builder and project manager, became a vocal opponent of the former government’s record on youth crime. His run for office in the bayside electorate of Capalaba came after then-MP Don Brown angered victims by referring to coverage of youth crime as a “media beat-up”.

“My family’s loss has opened our eyes to the youth crime crisis and injustice for victims in Queensland,” Field said while campaigning. “The current laws are inadequate, and I’m standing up to do something about it.”

Amanda Stoker, Member for Oodgeroo (LNP)

Stoker will be a new face in Queensland parliament after succeeding retiring LNP MP Mark Robinson in Oodgeroo, also on the bayside. But she is no stranger to politics.

The 42-year-old has had careers in law – where she practised as a barrister for a decade – politics, and the not-for-profit sector, with one brief foray into the media as a right-wing Sky News host.

New member for Oodgeroo Amanda Stoker was a Queensland senator for four years.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Stoker served as a Queensland senator in Canberra from 2018 to 2022, replacing the retiring George Brandis, and was criticised for appearing at an anti-abortion rally in 2018 while she was the federal assistant minister for women.

Her candidacy drew interest before the election when federal member for Bowman Henry Pike remarked that she may move to an influential position in a new LNP government – something the new premier has now ruled out, for now.

Speaking to Brisbane Times this week, Stoker said it would be “an honour and a joy” to represent her local community.

“I look forward to working with my fellow Redlanders Russell Field and Rebecca Young to hunt as a pack for the investment and resources our region deserves,” she said.

Kerri-Anne Dooley, Member for Redcliffe (LNP)

Dooley has run for the seat of Redcliffe, just north-east of Brisbane, six times over 12 years. The first time, it was as a Family First candidate, but since the 2014 Redcliffe byelection, she has contested the seat for the LNP.

Dooley said her win came after Labor frontbencher Yvette D’Ath’s retirement “provided an opportunity”.

Kerri-Anne Dooley ran for her seat six times over 12 years.Credit: AAP

The former disability support worker and palliative care nurse vocally opposed Queensland’s voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws before they were passed in 2021.

She faced criticism during the most recent campaign for speaking out against abortion access in the past. And in 2017, she came under fire for posting culturally insensitive content online.

Dooley said she was grateful to “those that voted for me and those that didn’t”, and she vowed to represent all of Redcliffe during her term.

“Redcliffe, being a peninsula, is a very tight-knit community,” she said.

Bisma Asif, Member for Sandgate (Labor)

Asif has made history as the first Muslim MP in Queensland parliament.

Bisma Asif (right) on election day, with Stirling Hinchliffe, Anika Wells, Labor volunteer Tim, and local councillor Jared Cassidy.Credit: Facebook

She’s also the first Pakistani Australian to be elected as a Queensland MP, having moved to Australia when she was eight years old.

On Saturday, Asif won the safe Labor seat of Sandgate on Brisbane’s northside, taking over from former minister Stirling Hinchliffe.

In his farewell speech, Hinchliffe anointed her as his successor, describing her as someone who “embodies … the task of modernising Queensland”.

Before running for office, the 28-year-old worked for Anika Wells, the federal minister for sport.

Rebecca Young, Member for Redlands (LNP)

Young says it was her “lifelong roots in Redlands” that helped her swing the seat on Saturday night, after it spent two terms in Labor hands.

The business owner runs a freight forwarding company at Redland Bay, and spent several years as president of the local chamber of commerce. She said her focus as an MP would be to ensure “Redlands’ interests are always at the forefront” of the new government’s agenda.

Rebecca Young on the campaign trail with David Crisafulli at Redlands Fresh Flowers.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt

“As someone who has lived in Victoria Point, raised my children here with my husband, and owned businesses in the Redlands region for the past 10 years, I understand implicitly the challenges and aspirations of our local families and businesses,” she said.

Wendy Bourne, Member for Ipswich West (Labor)

Bourne has lived in the regional town of Rosewood, west of Ipswich, for three decades, having moved there to raise her son.

Her win swings her seat back to Labor after the LNP’s Darren Zanow triumphed in the March byelection then stepped down citing health reasons.

Wendy Bourne has worked in government for two decades, but is new to representing her community in parliament. Credit: AAP

Bourne also has more than 20 years’ experience in government, most recently as a staffer for former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Her background also includes voluntary work at the Rosewood & District Kindergarten, Ashwell State School, and Ipswich Grammar School.

Kendall Morton, Member for Caloundra (LNP)

Morton worked as a teacher before running a small business delivering in-home aged care on the Sunshine Coast.

Her win in the seat of Caloundra, and the return of her colleague, Marty Hunt, to the seat of Nicklin, flips both seats back to the LNP, rendering the independently held electorate of Noosa the only non-LNP seat on the Sunshine Coast.

Kendall Morton with Glass House MP Andrew Powell and David Crisafulli at Golden Beach during the campaign.Credit: AAP

Morton said being elected was a great honour, adding: “When you’re doing something you believe in, it’s pure joy.”

Morton won Sunshine Coast businesswoman of the year in 2018, and said she was compelled to run for office after her experience in education and business exposed her to government institutions.

“We’ve got a lot to look forward to in Caloundra,” she said, citing $500 million in LNP pledges for local infrastructure in the region.

More potential new faces

Counting continues in the seats of South Brisbane, where Labor’s Barbara O’Shea may unseat Greens MP Amy MacMahon; and in Aspley, where the LNP’s Amanda Cooper is ahead of Labor’s Bart Mellish.

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