Yvonne Ann Chapman (20 January 1940 – 27 October 2024) was an Australian politician with the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

. She was a Queensland Member of Parliament from 1983 until 1989 where she was for a time Minister for Family Services in the Bjelke-Petersen Government and Minister for Transport and Ethnic Affairs in the Cooper Government, and Mayor of the

Shire of Pine Rivers The Shire of Pine Rivers was a Local government in Australia, local government area about north of Brisbane in the Moreton Bay, Queensland, Moreton Bay region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a ...

(1994–2008).

Background

Chapman contested the 1994 mayoral election against sitting Shire Chairman

Rob Akers Robert George Akers (17 October 1941 – 28 October 2006) was an architect and Liberal Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, for the seat of Pine Rivers 1974–1983. Later he was Chairman of Shire of Pine Rivers from 1985 to 1 ...

and 4 others. In addition to being the first time the Shire elected a Mayor, it was also the first time a

preferential ballot Ranked voting is any voting system that uses voters' Ordinal utility, rankings of candidates to choose a single winner or multiple winners. More formally, a ranked vote system depends only on voters' total order, order of preference of the cand ...

was used. Akers received the majority of the first preferences but Chapman was victorious after the distribution of preferences. This was the second time Chapman had defeated Rob Akers at a significant election, having taken the Queensland Parliamentary seat of

Pine Rivers The Shire of Pine Rivers was a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Moreton Bay region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1888 until 2008, when it a ...

from him in 1983.

Retirement and death

Chapman retired from politics in 2008 after the abolition of her native

and its merger into the larger

Moreton Bay Regional Council The City of Moreton Bay, known until July 2023 as the Moreton Bay Region, is a local government area in the north of the Brisbane metropolitan city in South East Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it replaced three established local g ...

, neither contesting the mayoral nor council ballots for the new entity. Chapman died in the

City of Moreton Bay The City of Moreton Bay, known until July 2023 as the Moreton Bay Region, is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the north of the Brisbane metropolitan city in South East Queensland, South East Queensland, Australia. Estab ...

on 27 October 2024, at the age of 84.

Legacy

Chapman was the first woman to hold a Cabinet position in the Queensland Parliament, and was the first and last Mayor of Pine Rivers Shire (previous leaders of the Council were known as the Shire Chairman). Chapman established herself as a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

persona, maintaining Pine Rivers to be a 'clean' shire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Yvonne 1940 births 2024 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Women members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly