Joan Mary Sheldon was born on 29 April 1943 and is an Australian politician.
11 Facts About Joan Sheldon
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Joan Sheldon was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1990 to 2004, representing the electorates of Landsborough and then Caloundra.
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Joan Sheldon was the state Liberal leader from 1991 to 1998, and served as Deputy Premier in the Borbidge government from 1996 to 1998.
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Joan Sheldon studied physiotherapy at the University of Queensland and subsequently studied for a time at Trinity College London.
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Joan Sheldon operated a physiotherapy practice in Brisbane from 1978 to 1984, when she moved to Caloundra.
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Joan Sheldon led the party to a resounding defeat in the 1992 state election, losing a seat to Labor amidst high-profile tensions with the National Party.
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Joan Sheldon supported proposals for a merger or coalition in the wake of the loss, and subsequently led the Liberal Party back into coalition with the National Party in November 1992, after nine years apart.
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Joan Sheldon subsequently served as Shadow Treasurer under Borbidge in the lead-up to the 1995 state election, which resulted in a one-seat victory for Labor.
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Joan Sheldon was thus sworn in as Deputy Premier and Treasurer under Borbidge and became the first woman in Queensland to hold these roles.
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Joan Sheldon remained on the backbench until 1999 when she became Shadow Minister for The Arts, Fair Trading and Consumer Affairs which after June 2000 became Shadow Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations and The Arts.
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Joan Sheldon was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2005 Australia Day Honours for "service to the Queensland Parliament, to support for a range of cultural organisations, and to issues affecting women".