Bridget McKenzie

Bridget Grace McKenzie (born 27 December 1969) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the National Party and has been a Senator for Victoria since 2011. She has held ministerial office in the Turnbull and Morrison governments, also serving as the party's Senate leader since 2019. McKenzie grew up in Benalla, Victoria, and worked as a schoolteacher and university lecturer before entering politics. She was elected to the Senate at the 2010 federal election and served as a whip from 2011 to 2013. McKenzie replaced Fiona Nash as deputy leader of the Nationals during the 2017 parliamentary eligibility crisis, and as a result was elevated to cabinet. She served variously as Minister for Rural Health (2017–2018), Sport (2017–2018), Regional Communications (2017–2018), Regional Services, Local Government and Decentralisation (2018–2019), and Agriculture (2019–2020). McKenzie resigned from cabinet and as deputy leader in 2020 as a result of a scandal surrounding the administration of community sporting grants. She was reappointed to cabinet in 2021 following a Nationals leadership spill as Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience and Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education.