Gayle Tierney is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House, Melbourne, Parliament ...

since November 2006, representing

Western Victoria Region Western Victoria Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created in ...

. Tierney was the minister for training and skills from November 2016, the minister for higher education from November 2018, and the minister for agriculture from June 2022. She was also the minister for corrections between 2016 and 2018.

Early life

Tierney studied politics and Asian studies at

Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...

, before entering the trade union movement. Notably, she was the first woman to become state secretary of the traditionally male-dominated Vehicle Division of the Automotive, Metals and Engineering Union (now part of the

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), officially registered as the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing, and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian trade union. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manu ...

), having in that role from 1993 to 2006, and was its federal president from 2000 to 2006.

Political career

Tierney entered politics at the 2006 state election. She has held various positions including shadow parliamentary secretary for employment from 2012 to 2014 and cabinet secretary in 2016. On 9 November 2016, Tierney was appointed as minister for corrections and minister for training and skills following the resignation of Steve Herbert. Following the

2018 Victorian state election The 2018 Victorian state election was held on Saturday, 24 November 2018 to elect the 59th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council (upper house) were up for elect ...

, she was re-appointed as minister for training and skills and appointed minister of higher education. In 2020, Tierney was appointed deputy leader of the government in the Legislative Council. In June 2022, she was additionally appointed as minister for agriculture. Tierney is a member of the

Labor Left The Labor Left (LL), also known as the Progressive Left, Socialist Left or simply the Left, is one of the two major political factions within the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It is nationally characterised by social progressivism and democra ...

faction of the Labor Party.

Personal life

Tierney is married and has an adult son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tierney, Gayle Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Labor Left politicians Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Flinders University alumni 21st-century Australian politicians Women members of the Victorian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian women politicians Ministers for agriculture (Victoria) Ministers for higher education (Victoria) Ministers for training and skills (Victoria) Ministers for corrections (Victoria) Ministers for regional development (Victoria)