Preceded by Bill Byrne Preceded by Peter Beattie Preceded by Shannon Fentiman Succeeded by Robert Cavallucci | Preceded by Curtis Pitt Name Grace Grace Preceded by Mark Robinson Party Australian Labor Party | |
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Role Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Office Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2007 Profiles | ||
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Ignazia Graziella Grace, usually known as Grace Grace (born 12 August 1958) is an Australian politician who represents the electoral district of Brisbane Central in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party.
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She was born Ignazia Graziella Farfaglia in Brisbane, Queensland, the daughter of an Italian migrant cane cutter. She was an industrial relations advisor in the government of Prime Minister Paul Keating, until 1995 when she was elected as assistant general secretary, and in 2000 the first female general secretary, of the Queensland Council of Unions. "Grace" is an Anglicised version of "Graziella" and also her husband's surname.
Grace was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the 2007 Brisbane Central by-election following the resignation of Premier Peter Beattie. The Coalition did not field a candidate. She won the seat again in the 2009 state election, despite an 8.4 percent swing to the newly merged Liberal National Party (LNP).
Grace was a notable supporter of the ALP government's decision to legislate civil partnerships for homosexual couples in Queensland. New Farm and Fortitude Valley, the main centres for Brisbane's gay community, are both in her electorate and she has built close ties with gay rights organisations.
In the 2012 state election she lost her seat to the LNP's Robert Cavallucci. She regained her seat in the 2015 Queensland state election. She was elected Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, under Peter Wellington, and was given three Ministerial portfolios in a cabinet reshuffle on 7 December 2015.