Mark Bailey (politician)
Australian politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Craig Bailey is an Australian politician who has been the Labor member for Miller (formerly Yeerongpilly) in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2015.[1] Bailey most recently served as the Minister for Transport and Main Roads of Queensland until 17 December 2023.[2] He has also worked in gambling, liquor and racing policy for the Queensland state government.[3]
Mark Bailey | |
|---|---|
Bailey circa 2022 | |
| Minister for Transport of Queensland | |
| In office 12 December 2017 – 17 December 2023 | |
| Premier | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
| Preceded by | Jackie Trad |
| Succeeded by | Bart Mellish |
| Minister for Main Roads of Queensland | |
| In office 16 February 2015 – 17 December 2023 | |
| Premier | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
| Preceded by | Scott Emerson |
| Succeeded by | Bart Mellish |
| Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply of Queensland | |
| In office 16 February 2015 – 11 December 2017 | |
| Premier | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
| Preceded by | Mark McArdle |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Lynham |
| Minister for Road Safety and Ports of Queensland | |
| In office 16 February 2015 – 11 December 2017 | |
| Premier | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
| Preceded by | New portfolio |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Miller Yeerongpilly (2015–2017) | |
| Assumed office 31 January 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Carl Judge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Party | Labor |
| Education | University of Queensland |
| Signature | _signature_2020.svg) |
| Website | www |
Early life
Bailey was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Queensland.[4] He has a degree in high school teaching in history and drama from Griffith University and is a graduate in acting from the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.[3]
Political career
Member of Parliament
At the 2015 Queensland state election, Bailey won the seat of Yeerongpilly from the LNP with a 14.7% swing, making it a safe Labor seat. He was sworn in as Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy and Water Supply in the Palaszczuk Ministry on 16 February 2015. On 8 December 2015, Biofuels was added to his portfolio.[5]
Ahead of the 2017 Queensland state election, Yeerongpilly was abolished and replaced with the new marginal seat of Miller, which Bailey won with a 2.6% swing. After the election, he was appointed as Minister for Transport and Main Roads, taking over from Jackie Trad[6] In July 2017, Bailey stood aside from his ministerial responsibilities following an investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission into his use of a personal email account to conduct parliamentary business and his subsequent attempts to delete emails possibly relating to his role as a member of parliament - the so-called "mangocube scandal".[7] The commission concluded that Bailey had not engaged in any corrupt conduct and declined to pursue charges against him. He resumed his ministerial duties in September 2017.[8][9]
At the 2020 Queensland state election, Bailey increased his margin to 13.8%, making Miller a safe Labor seat for the first time.
In December 2023, after Annastacia Palaszczuk unexpectedly resigned as premier in the lead-up to the 2023 Queensland Labor Party leadership election, Bailey announced his own resignation from cabinet effective from 17 December.[10][11] Bailey continued as the member for Miller and stated that "I look forward to having more time to work hard for my Miller constituents as their local MP" and he would also recontest the seat of Miller at the October 2024 state election.[12]
Personal life
In May 2018, Bailey and fellow MP Meaghan Scanlon confirmed that they had been in a relationship since 2016.[13] They announced the end of their relationship in February 2026.[14]