Julie Bishop

Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin from 1998 to 2019. She has been the chancellor of the Australian National University since January 2020.

Ms. Bishop was first elected to parliament at the 1998 federal election, representing the Division of Curtin in Perth's western suburbs. In the Howard government, she served as Minister for Ageing (2003–2006), Minister for Education and Science (2006–2007), and Minister for Women (2006–2007). After the Coalition lost the 2007 election, Ms. Bishop was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party. In 2013, Ms. Bishop was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and was the first woman to hold this position.

Ms. Bishop resigned as Foreign Minister in 2018, after a leadership spill in which Scott Morrison was elected leader of the Liberal Party. She retired from politics at the 2019 federal election.

$30,000 Flight

In 2015 it was reported that Ms. Bishop had taken a taxpayer-funded RAAF Challenger Jet on an overnight flight from Perth to Canberra. Ms. Bishop and her partner David Panton were the only passengrs for the flight. Ms. Bishop said she chose to take the jet because the dinner which she was attending finished too late for her to be able to catch a commercial flight and still be back in Canberra for 7am ministerial meetings to begin the sitting week. Both Coalition and Labor MPs criticised the decisions saying Ms. Bishop should have cancelled her dinner instead of charging taxpayers $30,000 for the flight.

Sources & Further Reading

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/julie-bishop-had-empty-government-vip-jet-fly-from-canberra-to-perth-to-pick-up-her-up-from-charity-dinner/news-story/2859cdd29eba187b2b8d010ce15f603f

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/pm-returns-to-drama-as-julie-bishop-is-accused-of-30k-jet-flight-war-of-words-breaks-out-with-tony-abbott/news-story/27873595f64f51a1da24a8064dddeaea