Qld: Qld parliament endorses new Liberal senator

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2007
Qld: Qld parliament endorses new Liberal senator

BRISBANE, April 19 AAP - Queensland parliament has endorsed a Brisbane businesswoman
as the state's newest senator.

Sue Boyce was today unanimously endorsed by the state parliament to replace former
Liberal senator Santo Santoro.

The seat was made vacant after Mr Santoro, the former minister for ageing, was forced
to resign after failing to reveal the extent of his share trading activities.

Senator Boyce is the chair of plumbing products company Everhard Industries and a disability
campaigner.

She is Queensland's first female Liberal senator since Kathy Sullivan left the upper
house in 1984.

Senator Boyce today sat in the public gallery of parliament with her family during the debate.

Premier Peter Beattie, who moved the motion, pledged to work with the new senator,
who will take her seat in Canberra for the first time on May 8.

"On behalf of all members I wish you well for a long and distinguished parliamentary
career and indicate a willingness of my government to work with you to ensure that the
interests of Queensland are advanced," Mr Beattie said.

Mr Beattie was also critical of the man Senator Boyce replaced.

"Today is the culmination of another sad chapter in the history of the Queensland Liberal
Party," he said.

"When Santo Santoro announced he was going to resign on the 20th of March - following
his disgraceful share debacle - he set in place nearly a month of infighting in the Liberals."

The premier questioned why Mr Santoro waited more than 20 days before he tendered his
resignation.

Liberal leader Bruce Flegg seconded Mr Beattie's motion.

He said Senator Boyce was a successful businesswoman, a devoted disability campaigner
and a woman committed to her family.

"She is actually the sort of person that political parties of all persuasions should
be encouraging to run for public office," he said.

Deputy Premier Anna Bligh congratulated Senator Boyce on her nomination, saying Australian
politics needed more women.

Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney also welcomed Senator Boyce to politics, but warned she
would have to grapple with conflicting responsibilities to the state and to her own political
party.

AAP rm/pjo/it/sp

KEYWORD: LIBERALS QLD LEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

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