Karen Struthers

{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = '''The Hon''' | name = Karen Struthers | image = Karen Struthers, Queensland Labor MP in 2010.jpg | office = Minister for Community Services of Queensland | term_start = 26 March 2009 | term_end = 26 March 2012 | premier = Anna Bligh | predecessor = Lindy Nelson-Carr (Communities) | successor = Tracy Davis (Communities) | office1 = Minister for Housing of Queensland | term_start1 = 26 March 2009 | term_end1 = 26 March 2012 | premier1 = Anna Bligh | predecessor1 = Robert Schwarten | successor1 = Bruce Flegg | office2 = Minister for Women of Queensland | term_start2 = 26 March 2009 | term_end2 = 26 March 2012 | premier2 = Anna Bligh | predecessor2 = Margaret Keech | successor2 = Tracy Davis (as Minister for Communities) | office3 = | term_start3 = | term_end3 = | premier3 = | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | office4 = Member of the Queensland Parliament for Algester Archerfield (1998–2001) | term_start4 = 13 June 1998 | term_end4 = 24 March 2012 | predecessor4 = Len Ardill | successor4 = Anthony Shorten | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|2|19|df=y}} | birth_place = Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | birth_name = | party = Labor Party | other_party = | spouse = | children = 1 | alma_mater = University of Queensland, Griffith University | occupation = | relations = }}

'''Karen Struthers''' (born 19 February 1963) is an Australian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1998 to 2012.

==Early life and career== Before she was elected Struthers was an assistant director of the Queensland Council of Social Service.<ref>{{cite web |title=FORMER MEMBER DETAILS Struthers, Karen Lee |url=https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Members/Former-Members/Former-Members-Register/Former-Member-Details?id=1554932496 |website=Queensland Parliamentary Website |access-date=24 August 2022}}</ref>

==Member of parliament== She first entered Parliament at the 1998 election, winning the seat of Archerfield after the retirement of sitting member Len Ardill.<ref name="Riggert1998-06-15">{{cite news | last = Riggert | first = E | date = 15 June 1998 | title = New MP can't wait to report for duty | work = The Courier-Mail | location = Brisbane, Australia | page = 8 }}</ref>

Archerfield was abolished in a redistribution ahead of the 2001 state election, and Struthers followed most of her constituents into the new seat of Algester,<ref name="GreenAlgester2009">{{cite news | last = Green | first = Anthony | title = Algester | work = ABC Elections: 2009 Queensland Election | publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation | url = http://www.abc.net.au/elections/qld/2009/guide/alge.htm | accessdate = 8 February 2010 }}</ref> which she held until her defeat in the 2012 election.

===Beattie Ministry=== She was promoted to the front bench on 12 February 2004 as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier (Multicultural Affairs) and Minister for Trade. She was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations on 28 July 2005 and became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health on 13 September 2006.

===Bligh Ministry=== In March 2009, she was promoted to the Cabinet as Minister for Community Services and Housing and Minister for Women.<ref name="Odgers">{{cite news | last1 = Odgers | first1 = Rosemary | last2 = Lion | first2 = Patrick | date = 25 March 2009 | title = Eight new faces in Cabinet clean-out – Ministers told to get runs on the board | work = The Courier-Mail | location = Brisbane, Australia | page = 4 }}</ref>

Struthers was one of several Labor MPs in previously safe seats who were swept out in the massive Liberal National landslide of 2012, losing to LNP challenger Anthony Shorten on a swing of over 18 percent—enough to turn the seat from safe Labor to safe LNP in one stroke. In a measure of the backlash against Labor that year, Struthers had seen off a challenge from Shorten in 2009, taking 59 percent of the two-party vote.

==Personal life== She has one son.

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{s-bef|before=Len Ardill}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Archerfield|years=1998–2001}} {{s-non|reason=Abolished}} {{s-new|seat}} {{s-ttl |title = Member for Algester|years=2001–2012}} {{s-aft | after = Anthony Shorten}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Struthers, Karen}} Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:21st-century Australian women politicians Category:Women members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly