LNP's Fiona Simpson marks 30 years in Qld Parliament

As Queensland’s longest-serving MP marks three decades in Parliament, she has had to contend with put-downs from the Premier. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Queensland’s longest-serving MP – who has faced put-downs from the Premier for never serving in Cabinet – says the best people for the job are discouraged from entering politics because of personal attacks.

Liberal National MP Fiona Simpson is this month marking 30 years since her election to State Parliament, with her tenure including a historic three-year stint as the state’s first woman Speaker.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail, the Member for Maroochydore confirmed she would run for re-election in 2024, and said the LNP needed to do better at recruiting women.

Liberal National MP Fiona Simpson is marking 30 years in Parliament this month. Picture: David Clark

Despite her lengthy career, Ms Simpson has never been a Cabinet minister, with the conservative side of politics holding power for only five of the 30 years she has been an MP.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has brought up Ms Simpson’s lack of ministerial experience several times in the past two years, in taunts during Question Time or Budget estimates.

“I obviously don’t dwell on it,” Ms Simpson said, when asked about Ms Palaszczuk’s jibes.

“I prefer to get on with the issues and go into battle so to speak on issues and policies – rather than getting hung up on personalities.

“It’s not something that I choose to worry about.

“There’s bigger things to worry about than those sorts of jibes across the chamber.”

Ms Palaszczuk referred to Ms Simpson’s lack of ministerial experience last week in Parliament, prompting LNP frontbencher Ros Bates to issue a sledge of her own by calling Ms Palaszczuk a “mean girl”.

Ms Simpson said she would love to serve in the ministry in the future, saying the LNP was in a position where it was possible for them to win the next election.

She acknowledged the LNP needed to do more to encourage more women to run for the party, but she remains opposed to a quota system – which the Labor Party has adopted.

“We don’t want tokens. We want the best people for the job,” she said.

“But the best people for the job don’t always think ‘gee, politics is an attractive option’.

“And I think that part of that is because there is so much of that personal attack in there.”

Ms Simpson said she believed a lot of women probably did not always realise they already had the goods to do the job.

“So we have to be better at recruiting them, because they may not necessarily volunteer or put their hands up,” she said.

There are only six women in the LNP’s 34 member party room, while 40 per cent of Labor’s caucus is made up of women.

Ms Simpson, who is the longest serving MP in the current parliament, has served in a range of shadow frontbench positions during her time in politics, and is currently the LNP spokeswoman for finance.

The veteran MP described her tenure as Speaker between 2012 and 2015 as a “tremendous honour”.

Fiona Simpson when she was Speaker

“It is a different role and you have to find yourself coming out of the trenches of that partisan fight that you often have on policy to represent the parliament on behalf of the people and the MPs,” she said.

Ms Simpson said she would run for re-election in her Maroochydore electorate in 2024.

If she was to win another term, it would extend her tenure in Parliament to 36 years.

“I’ve still got the same passion,” she said.

“I’m very focused on us winning at the next election.”