Bridget Archer

Bridget Kathleen Archer (born 18 May 1975)[1] is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election. She is a member of the Liberal Party and represents the Division of Bass in Tasmania.[2]

Bridget Archer MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Bass
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 May 2019
Preceded by	Ross Hart
Personal details
Born	18 May 1975 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal
Alma mater	University of Tasmania
Occupation	Farmer

Early life

Archer was born in Hobart, Tasmania.[3] Her father died when she was eight years old, after which her family moved to Ravenswood, a suburb of Launceston. Archer attended Ravenswood Primary School and Launceston Church Grammar School before moving back to Hobart to attend the University of Tasmania, although she soon dropped out.[4] She worked at the Tasmanian Herbarium from 1995 to 1999,[3] as a botanical curator.[4] She later worked in "a variety of mostly casual administrative and hospitality jobs",[5] including at the 2000 Summer Olympics, before returning to university.[4] She completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and political science, followed by a graduate certificate in international politics.[3]

Archer has five children with her husband Winston. After marrying they moved to his family property outside George Town, where they farm sheep and beef cattle.[5]

Local government

Archer was elected to the George Town Council in 2009. She served as deputy mayor from 2011 to 2014 and then as mayor until resigning in 2019 to enter federal politics.[3]

State and federal politics

Archer served as secretary and treasurer of the Liberal Party's George Town branch from 2012 to 2013.[3] She stood unsuccessfully in Bass at the 2018 state election, as one of five candidates on the party's ticket.[4]

In November 2018, Archer announced that she would run for Liberal preselection in Bass.[6] She was elected to parliament at the 2019 federal election, defeating the incumbent Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate Ross Hart.[3]

In December 2020, Archer publicly criticised the Morrison Government's trial of a cashless debit card to deliver welfare payments, stating that she would oppose its use within her own electorate and describing it as a "punitive measure enacted on the presumption that all welfare recipients within the trial areas are incapable of managing their finances and require the government's assistance".[7] The House of Representatives passed legislation to make the card permanent by one vote, with Archer abstaining from voting despite her earlier criticism.[8]

References

1. McCulloch, Daniel. "Morrison home to vote in beloved Shire". Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
2. "Bridget Archer is declared winner of Bass, becoming the Liberals' first female MP to hold the seat". The Mercury. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
3. "Mrs Bridget Archer MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
4. Inglis, Rob (8 June 2019). "Who is Bridget Archer, the new federal member for Bass?". The Examiner. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
5. "First speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
6. Murtough, Harry (17 November 2018). "George Town Mayor intends to run as Liberal candidate for Bass". The Examiner. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
7. Henriques-Gomes, Luke (2 December 2020). "Liberal backbencher lambasts Coalition's 'punitive' cashless debit card welfare program". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
8. Holmes, Adam (7 December 2020). "Cashless welfare card expansion passes by one vote after Bass MHR Bridget Archer abstains". The Examiner. Retrieved 7 December 2020.