| Jarrod Bleijie | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | MP, JP |
| Office: | Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland |
| Premier: | Annastacia Palaszczuk Steven Miles |
| Leader: | David Crisafulli |
| Term Start: | 14 March 2022 |
| Predecessor: | David Janetzki |
| Office1: | Deputy Leader of the Liberal National Party |
| Leader1: | David Crisafulli |
| Term Start1: | 14 March 2022 |
| Predecessor1: | David Janetzki |
| Office2: | Shadow Minister for Finance |
| Leader2: | David Crisafulli |
| Term Start2: | 16 November 2020 |
| Predecessor2: | Position established |
| Office3: | Manager of Opposition Business in Queensland |
| Leader3: | Deb Frecklington David Crisafulli |
| Term Start3: | 15 December 2017 |
| Term End3: | 14 March 2022 |
| Predecessor3: | Jeff Seeney |
| Successor3: | Andrew Powell |
| Office4: | Shadow Minister for Education |
| Leader4: | Deb Frecklington |
| Term Start4: | 15 December 2017 |
| Term End4: | 15 November 2020 |
| Predecessor4: | Tracy Davis |
| Successor4: | Christian Rowan |
| Office5: | Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations |
| Leader5: | Tim Nicholls Deb Frecklington David Crisafulli |
| Term Start5: | 10 May 2016 |
| Predecessor5: | Ian Walker |
| Office6: | Shadow Minister for Employment, Skills and Training |
| Leader6: | Tim Nicholls |
| Term Start6: | 10 May 2016 |
| Term End6: | 15 December 2017 |
| Predecessor6: | Tim Nicholls |
| Successor6: | Fiona Simpson |
| Office7: | Shadow Minister for Police, Fire, Emergency Services and Corrective Services |
| Leader7: | Lawrence Springborg |
| Term Start7: | 20 February 2015 |
| Term End7: | 10 May 2016 |
| Predecessor7: | Bill Byrne |
| Office8: | Attorney-General of Queensland and Minister for Justice |
| Premier8: | Campbell Newman |
| Term Start8: | 3 April 2012 |
| Term End8: | 14 February 2015 |
| Predecessor8: | Paul Lucas |
| Successor8: | Yvette D'Ath |
| Office9: | Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Justice |
| Leader9: | John-Paul Langbroek Campbell Newman |
| Term Start9: | 29 November 2010 |
| Term End9: | 3 April 2012 |
| Predecessor9: | Lawrence Springborg |
| Successor9: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
| Office10: | Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Kawana |
| Term Start10: | 21 March 2009 |
| Predecessor10: | Steve Dickson |
| Birth Date: | 1982 1, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Griffith, New South Wales, Australia |
| Party: | Liberal National |
| Spouse: | Sally Lennox |
| Children: | 3 |
Jarrod Pieter Bleijie (; born 25 January 1982) is an Australian politician for the LNP in the Queensland parliament. Bleijie was elected as the member for Kawana at the 2009 state election, and is the third member since the seat's inception at the 2001 state election. He served as Attorney-General of Queensland from 2012 until 2015.
Jarrod Bleijie was born on 25 January 1982 in Griffith, New South Wales. His father is Pieter Bleijie and his mother, Christine (Cooper) Bleijie. They moved to Caloundra, Queensland, in 1989. He attended Griffith Primary School, Caloundra State School, and Caloundra State High School, where he graduated in 2000 as school captain. He studied politics at the University of the Sunshine Coast before transferring to Brisbane to complete a Bachelor of Laws at Queensland University of Technology. He graduated in 2005.
While studying law, Bleijie was employed as an articled clerk initially at the Maroochydore law firm of JJ Riba & Company and then at the Sunshine Coast, Queensland law firm Sajen Legal. Following his graduation, he was employed as a solicitor at Sajen Legal. During his legal career, Bleijie specialised in commercial law and management rights.[1]
He was elected to the Parliament of Queensland in 2009, representing the Sunshine Coast electorate of Kawana.
He was promoted to the shadow ministry as Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Justice and Corrective Services, by then Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek in November 2010. Following a leadership change in March 2011, with former Lord Mayor of Brisbane Campbell Newman taking over the leadership of the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) from outside the parliament, he was reappointed Shadow Attorney-General, maintaining his Justice responsibilities. He re-contested and won the state seat of Kawana with a two-party preferred swing of 19.9 points, holding the seat by a 26.8-point margin. He now has one of the safest seats in the Queensland Parliament.[2]
Following a landslide victory for the Newman-led Liberal National Party, in which Labor secured only 7 of 89 seats, in March 2012 newly elected premier Campbell Newman appointed Bleijie to cabinet as Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.[3]
As Attorney-General, Bleijie introduced an amendment that renamed Queensland civil partnerships for same-sex couples into registered relationships and disallowed state-sanctioned ceremonies.[4] Bleijie subsequently unveiled legislation to ban single people and same-sex couples from having a child through surrogacy.[5] In 2015, Bleijie declared his support for same-sex marriage.[6]
After the defeat of the Newman government Bleijie has maintained a position on the opposition front bench under Springborg, Nicholls, Frecklington, and Crisafulli.
In early 2014, Bleijie released details of a conversation he had with Court of Appeal President Margaret McMurdo concerning the appointment of judges. The week previously, McMurdo had criticised the Queensland government for appointing only one woman in the 17 judicial appointments over the last two years. Bleijie's comments to the media suggested McMurdo had sought a higher judicial appointment for her husband, Supreme Court Judge Philip McMurdo. In an interview with the ABC, Walter Sofronoff QC called for Bleijie's resignation, saying that Bleijie had betrayed McMurdo's confidence and was "unethical".[7] Sofronoff also commented that Bleijie's comments had "the hint of a nasty schoolboy's snicker in it".[8]
On 1 April 2014, Gold Coast lawyer Chris Hannay instituted proceedings against Bleijie and the Queensland Premier Campbell Newman for defamation. On 6 February 2014, Newman had commented to journalists that lawyers who represent bikies "are hired guns. They take money from people who sell drugs to our teenagers and young people. Yes, everybody's got the right to be defended under the law, but you've got to see it for what it is: they are part of the machine, part of the criminal gang machine, and they will say and do anything to defend their clients, and try to get them off—and indeed progress their dishonest case. They are paid by criminal gangs".[9] Bleijie later remarked that Newman was "referring to Hannay Lawyers, based on the Gold Coast" and that he too was "quite disturbed by their advice and fear campaign". He also noted that he agreed with Newman's comments. The case was settled out-of-court in 2016.[10]
He married Sally Lennox on 20 December 2002. They have two daughters and a son.