In Conversation with Senator Susan McDonald

Senator Susan McDonald is the Shadow Minister for Resources and Shadow Minister for Northern Australia, roles in which she will be able to help grow our country’s most productive regions and industries for the benefit of all Australians. Susan was elected to the Senate in May 2019 as a member of the Liberal National Party and sits in the Federal Nationals party room. Susan also held roles in the previous Coalition Government as Special Envoy for Northern Australia and Chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee. From growing up on her family’s cattle property in North West Queensland to running a business in South East Queensland, Susan has a deep appreciation of the issues affecting Queenslanders across the state. Raised near Cloncurry, Susan was educated by Correspondence School and Mt Isa School of the Air before attending boarding school in Brisbane and studying commerce and economics at the University of Queensland. A qualified accountant and mum to three kids, Susan also ran a chain of butcher shops for 6 years, responsible for over 100 staff across five stores, before being elected to the Australian Senate for Queensland. Susan is based in Townsville, making her the Coalition’s northernmost Senator in Queensland.

Chris Uhlmann is an award-winning journalist and former political editor for Nine News and the ABC. His co-authored political thrillers inspired the Netflix mini-series Secret City. With independent filmmaker Screencraft, he has written and presented documentaries on the Ukraine war and The Real Cost of Net Zero. He is a columnist with The Australian and a political contributor on Sky News.