Merri Rose

{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Merri Rose | honorific_suffix = | image = | caption = | constituency_AM1 = Currumbin | assembly1 = Queensland Legislative | term_start1 = 19 September 1992 | term_end1 = 7 February 2004 | predecessor1 = Trevor Coomber | successor1 = Jann Stuckey | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|1|24|df=y}} | birth_place = Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | birth_name = Merrilyn Miriam Gittins | party = Labor | other_party = | spouse = | alma_mater = | occupation = | relations = }}

'''Merrilyn Miriam Rose''' (born 24 January 1955) was a minister in the Beattie government and member for Currumbin in the Queensland Parliament.<ref name="auto">Crown Content ''Who's Who in Australia'' 2007, page 1771</ref>

==Early life== She was born Merrilyn Miriam Gittins in Kilcoy, Queensland in 1955 and attended Kilcoy State High School and St Rita's Clayfield.<ref name="auto"/>

==Career== Rose was elected as the member for Currumbin at the 1992 Queensland election. After the 2001 election, the Premier of Queensland, Peter Beattie, appointed her Minister for Tourism and Racing. She was appointed Minister for Tourism, Racing and Fair Trading in 2001.

Rose came under fire when it emerged that her son had driven her ministerial car to watch sporting events in Sydney, and also faced accusations of bullying staff. The controversy grew to a point that Beattie was forced to sack her from cabinet just before the 2004 election.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/qld/2012/guide/curr.htm|title=Currumbin - Queensland Votes 2012 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)|website=www.abc.net.au|accessdate=6 May 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926182353/http://www.abc.net.au/elections/qld/2012/guide/curr.htm|archivedate=26 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> At that election, Jann Stuckey of the Liberal Party soundly defeated Rose, who suffered a massive 17.7 percent swing against her.

==Blackmail conviction== Rose had trouble finding a job after the election, and sought an appointment in the Queensland public sector. On 30 May 2007, she pleaded guilty to demanding benefit with threats in October 2006, in relation to her efforts to gain such an appointment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/ex-minister-guilty-of-blackmail-20070531-gdq9i1.html |work=Sydney Morning Herald|title=Ex-minister guilty of blackmail|agency=AAP|date=31 May 2007|accessdate=1 February 2020}}</ref> Rose was sentenced to 18 months' jail the following day.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1938457.htm|website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|title=Former Qld minister jailed for blackmail|date=31 May 2007|accessdate=7 May 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024153642/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1938457.htm|archivedate=24 October 2008}}</ref>

Documenting her experiences after three months in jail, Rose appeared on ABC Television's ''Australian Story'' series on 20 October 2008.<ref name="ausstory">{{cite web |title=A Sea of Troubles |url=https://www.abc.net.au/austory/a-sea-of-troubles/9173316 |website=Australian Story |date=19 October 2008 |publisher=ABC |accessdate=2 February 2020}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{succession box | title=Member for Currumbin | before=Trevor Coomber | years=1992–2004 | after=Jann Stuckey}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Merri}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Australian female criminals Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:Australian politicians convicted of crimes Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Category:People convicted of blackmail Category:People from the Gold Coast, Queensland Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:21st-century Australian women politicians Category:Women members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly