Angie Bell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Moncrieff | |
| Assumed office 18 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Steven Ciobo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 July 1968 Adelaide, South Australia |
| Political party | Liberal (LNP) |
| Occupation | Musician and retail manager |
Angie Marion Bell[1] (born 11 July 1968)[2] is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election, representing the Division of Moncrieff in Queensland. She is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament.
Bell was born in Adelaide.[2] She attended Gawler High School, where she learned the tenor saxophone and came to the attention of jazz musician Don Burrows. She subsequently won a scholarship from Rotary International to study music in Denmark. When she returned to Australia she enrolled in the Elder Conservatorium of Music, studying jazz, saxophone, and voice.[3]
Prior to entering politics, Bell worked as a professional musician for 35 years.[3] She also worked as a sales agent across several Australian states before settling in Queensland in 2002, where she worked with the National Retail Association as a consultant and workplace trainer.[2] From 2010 she worked for Paint Place as visual merchandising manager (2010–2015) and national business development manager (2015–2018). Bell attended Griffith University as a mature-age student, completing a graduate certificate in marketing. In 2014 she wrote a book on rebranding and marketing for small businesses.[2][3]
Bell joined the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) at the age of 45.[3] She served as president of LNP Women Queensland from 2017 to 2019.[2]
In April 2019, Bell won LNP preselection for the Division of Moncrieff, replacing the retiring MP Steven Ciobo. According to The Australian, she defeated eight other candidates in an "upset victory".[4] She retained Moncrieff for the Liberals at the 2019 federal election, with a small positive swing to the party.[5]
Bell is a member of the Moderate/Modern Liberal faction of the Liberal Party.[6][7]
Bell is in a long-term relationship with her partner Ros, who has four adult children.[3] She is the first openly gay woman to represent a major party in the House of Representatives, the second overall after independent Kerryn Phelps, and the fifth gay woman in federal parliament.[8]
Bell supports the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League.[9]