Meaghan Scanlon

Scanlon was born on the Gold Coast and grew up in the suburb of Nerang.[3] Her father came from England and settled in Australia at an early age and her mother is from Moe, Victoria.[4] She attended Guardian Angels Primary School and Aquinas College throughout her schooling years.[5] At the age of 13, she tragically lost her father to melanoma and began helping her mother care more for her brother with Down syndrome.[6] Following high school graduation, Scanlon completed a Bachelor of Laws at Griffith University's Gold Coast campus and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the Queensland University of Technology.[7] She briefly worked in Brisbane before deciding to pursue a career in politics at the age of 23.

Scanlon ran as the Labor candidate for the seat of Fadden in the 2016 Australian federal election but was defeated by Stuart Robert. She then turned her attention to the 2017 Queensland state election where she ran for the central Gold Coast seat of Gaven and defeated Sid Cramp to become the youngest female elected to the Queensland Parliament at the age of 24.[8] She served as the Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development, was considered by some to be the unofficial minister for the Gold Coast at the time due to Gaven having been the only Gold Coast-based seat held by the Queensland Labor Government.[9] Following the Queensland Labor Government winning the State election on the 31 October 2020, and Scanlon herself again winning the seat of Gavin, Scanlon was chosen for the Queensland Labor's third term cabinet to be Minister for Environment, the Great Barrier Reef, Science and Youth Affairs.[10]

In September 2018, Scanlon and fellow MP Mark Bailey confirmed that they had been in a relationship since 2016.[11]