Shannon Fentiman

Shannon Maree Fentiman is an Australian politician. She has been the Labor member for Waterford in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2015[1] and is the current Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Women, and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence.[2]

The Honourable Shannon Fentiman MP
64th Attorney-General of Queensland
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 November 2020
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Yvette D'Ath
Minister for Justice
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 November 2020
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Yvette D'Ath
Minister for Women
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 November 2020
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Di Farmer
Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 November 2020
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Di Farmer
Minister for Employment and Small Business
In office 12 December 2017 – 12 November 2020
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Grace Grace
Succeeded by	Di Farmer
Minister for Training and Skills Development
In office 12 December 2017 – 12 November 2020
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Yvette D'Ath
Succeeded by	Di Farmer
Minister for Communities, Women and Youth
In office 16 February 2015 – 11 December 2017
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Tracy Davis (Communities)
Succeeded by	Di Farmer (Women and Youth) Coralee O'Rourke (Communities)
Minister for Child Safety
In office 16 February 2015 – 11 December 2017
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Tracy Davis
Succeeded by	Di Farmer
Minister for Multicultural Affairs
In office 16 February 2015 – 8 December 2015
Premier	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Glen Elmes
Succeeded by	Grace Grace
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Waterford
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 January 2015
Preceded by	Mike Latter
Personal details
Political party	Labor
Alma mater	Queensland University of Technology University of Melbourne
Profession	Solicitor Politician
Website	shannonfentiman.com

Fentiman holds a Bachelor of Laws (First class honours) from Queensland University of Technology and Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne.[3]

Prior to her election to the Queensland Parliament, Fentiman worked as a solicitor for Hall Payne Lawyers. She has previously worked as an industrial advocate for the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and as a judge's associate in the Supreme Court of Queensland to Justice Atkinson.[3]

Fentiman has also been a board member of the Logan Women's Health and Wellbeing Centre, Secretary of the Centre Against Sexual Violence in Logan and the Duty Solicitor at the Beenleigh Neighbourhood Centre.[3]

Political career

Fentiman stood for Waterford in 2015 after the previous Labor Member Evan Moorhead lost the seat in the 2012 LNP landslide. Waterford was Campbell Newman Government's third most marginal seat held seat by Mike Latter. Fentiman achieved a 14.3% swing towards her, making Waterford once more a safe Labor seat. Fentiman became a first term minister and was sworn in as Minister for Communities, Women and Youth, Minister for Child Safety and Minister for Multicultural Affairs in the Palaszczuk Ministry on 16 February 2015.[4]

After the Palaszczuk Government was re-elected on 25 November 2017, Fentiman was elevated to be the Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development.[5] She is also the Ministerial Champion for the Torres Strait.[6]

Child safety

In September 2016, the State Opposition called for Fentiman's sacking as a Minister following a number of deaths of children in foster care or within the child safety system.[7] Two months later, an independent review found misconduct and catastrophic failures by her department in relation to the deaths of seven children. In response, Fentiman said she still had confidence in her department’s executive staff.[8] Some two weeks later, it was revealed that three child protection staff had been stood down, and a further nine were subject to disciplinary proceedings following the death of 21 month old Mason Jet Lee in June 2016. The child died with injuries from head to toe after being released from hospital just three months earlier.[9]

In 2017 Fentiman announced the hiring an additional 300 Child Safety Staff members to address understaffing issues.[10] At the time, Queensland had the highest rate of child deaths of any state in Australia, and was exceeded only by the Northern Territory.[11]

LGBTIQ rights

Fentiman as the Child Safety Minister paved the way in Queensland to allow same sex couples to adopt children with legislation passing the Queensland Parliament on 3 November 2016, with both the Liberal Nation Party and Katter Australia Party opposing the legislation. LNP spokesperson Ros Bates said that there was no need for the bill.[12]

She also supported the successful "Yes" campaign to achieve Marriage Equality in 2017.

Free TAFE

Fentiman as Minister for Training and Skills Development introduced free TAFE for school leavers in 2018 and subsequently the free apprenticeship program in 2019 to allow young people access training in key priority areas.[13]

Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa Bill

In 2017 Fentiman and the then-candidate for Cook Cynthia Lui announced an election commitment to new laws to recognise Torres Strait Island families' use of traditional adoption. For generations, Torres Strait Islanders have supported their children and each other with traditional parenting approaches known more recently as "Kupai Omasker". Under the practice, children can be given to other members of the community for a range of reasons, including the maintenance of family inheritance rights, provide an infertile couple with the opportunity to raise a child, strengthen alliances or distribute children of different sexes more fairly. Their guardianship can be transferred to other members of the community, typically extended family.[14]

In September 2020 the legislation was passed and named "Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa (Torres Strait Islander Child Rearing Practice) Bill 2020". This was the first piece of legislation introduced by a Torres Strait Islander person to the Queensland Parliament in traditional language.[15]

References

1. Green, Antony. "Waterford". Queensland Election 2015. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015.
2. "Stability and strength in cabinet line-up". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
3. "Hon Shannon Fentiman". Current Members (including Ministers and shadow Ministers). Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
4. "Queensland's new Labor Cabinet sworn in at Government House". Australian Broadcasting Corporation 16 February 2015. 15 February 2015. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
5. Felicity Caldwell (11 December 2017). "Meet your new Queensland government cabinet".
6. Curtis Pitt (19 July 2016). "All Palaszczuk Ministers to champion Indigenous outcomes". Ministerial Media Statements.
7. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/child-safety-minister-shannon-fentiman-rejects-call-for-sacking-20160926-gro96a.html
8. The Courier Mail, November 6, 2016.
9. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/nov/23/queensland-child-safety-staff-could-lose-jobs-after-toddler-death-review
10. Shannon Fentiman (21 July 2017). "Another increase in Child Safety staff for South East region". Ministerial Media Statements.
11. https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/tableOffice/TabledPapers/2020/5620T33.pdf
12. Gail Burke (2 November 2016). "Adoption laws in Queensland changed to allow same-sex couples to become parents". www.abc.net.au.
13. "Free TAFE for Queensland school leavers". 31 August 2018.
14. Felicity Caldwell (15 November 2017). "Traditional Torres Strait Islander adoption practices to be acknowledged under Labor".
15. Mark Rigby (16 July 2020). "Torres Strait Islander adoption practices bill introduced to Queensland Parliament". ABC Far North.