Alannah MacTiernan

Alannah MacTiernan
Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
In office
16 February 2001 – 23 September 2008
PremierGeoff Gallop
Alan Carpenter
Minister for Regional Development
In office
17 March 2017 – 14 December 2022
PremierMark McGowan
Preceded byTerry Redman
Succeeded byDon Punch
Minister for Agriculture and Food
In office
17 March 2017 – 14 December 2022
PremierMark McGowan
Preceded byMark Lewis
Succeeded byJackie Jarvis
Minister for Ports
In office
13 December 2018 – 19 March 2021
PremierMark McGowan
Succeeded byRita Saffioti
Minister for Hydrogen Industry
In office
19 March 2021 – 14 December 2022
PremierMark McGowan
Succeeded byRoger Cook
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for East Metropolitan Region
In office
22 May 1993 – 21 November 1996
Preceded byKay Hallahan
Succeeded byPaul Sulc
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for Armadale
In office
14 December 1996 – 20 July 2010
Preceded byKay Hallahan
Succeeded byTony Buti
Member of the Australian House of Representatives for Perth
In office
7 September 2013 – 9 May 2016
Preceded byStephen Smith
Succeeded byTim Hammond
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for North Metropolitan Region
In office
22 May 2017 – 22 May 2021
Preceded byLaine McDonald
Succeeded byPierre Yang
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for South West Region
In office
22 May 2021 – 10 February 2023
Preceded byAdele Farina
Succeeded byBen Dawkins
Mayor of the City of Vincent
In office
2011–2013
Preceded byNick Catania
Succeeded byJohn Carey
Personal details
Born
Alannah Joan Geraldine Cecilia MacTiernan

(1953-01-10) 10 January 1953 (age 71)
East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political partyAustralian Labor Party
EducationUniversity of Western Australia BA LLB B Juris
OccupationLawyer

Alannah Joan Geraldine Cecilia MacTiernan (born 10 January 1953) is a former Australian politician. From 1988 to 2023, she has served in politics at a federal, state, and local level, including as a minister in the Western Australian state governments of Geoff Gallop, Alan Carpenter, and Mark McGowan. She is best known for her role as the minister for planning and infrastructure during the construction of the Mandurah line. Born in Melbourne, she moved to Perth to study at the University of Western Australia, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and later with a law degree. She worked for the Department of Employment before practising as a lawyer between 1986 and 1992. During this time, she also served on the Perth City Council. In 1976, MacTiernan joined the Australian Labor Party, and at the 1993 Western Australian state election, she was elected to the Legislative Council's East Metropolitan Region. She became a shadow minister in October 1994, and she was transferred to the Legislative Assembly at the 1996 state election, winning the seat of Armadale.

After Labor won the 2001 state election, MacTiernan became the minister for planning and infrastructure. Early in this role, she changed the route of the proposed Perth to Mandurah rail line to a more direct but costlier route. She oversaw the signing of contracts, construction and commencement of services for the Mandurah line. She also commenced construction on the Kwinana Freeway and Forrest Highway bypass around Mandurah, extended Roe Highway and Tonkin Highway, and expanded Geraldton Port. After Labor lost the 2008 state election and Premier Carpenter resigned as Labor leader, she was one of the frontrunners to replace him, but she lost out to Eric Ripper.

She resigned from state parliament in 2010 in order to contest the seat of Canning in that year's federal election. After losing that election, she was elected the mayor of Vincent, in which she served for two years. She successfully contested the seat of Perth in the 2013 federal election, but only stayed in the federal parliament for three years as she declined to contest the 2016 federal election.

She again entered state parliament when she won election to the Legislative Council's North Metropolitan Region at the 2017 state election. She was made the minister for regional development and minister for agriculture after that election, and she later became the minister for ports as well. At the 2021 state election, she transferred to the South West Region and became the minister for hydrogen industry but relinquished ports. She was the subject of controversy in 2022 when she made comments saying that the Indonesian foot-and-mouth disease outbreak would be good for Australia. She resigned from cabinet in December 2022 and from parliament in February 2023.