Ariana Doolan

Ariana Doolan
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Pumicestone
Assumed office
26 October 2024
Preceded byAli King
Personal details
Born (2002-01-31) 31 January 2002 (age 24)
PartyLiberal National
EducationGlasshouse Christian College
Alma materGriffith University

Ariana Doolan (born 31 January 2002)[1] is an Australian politician in the state of Queensland. Doolan is a state MP for the electoral district of Pumicestone in Queensland's south-eastern region. She was elected at the 2024 state election (26 October) and is the youngest female MP in the state's history.[2]

Early life

Doolan was born to Yonell and Fenton Doolan.[3] Both her parents are teachers and work in education in the Moreton Bay area.[3] Doolan has stated that her grandparents fled South Africa during the apartheid era.[4] Her mother is South African/Indian whose grandparents fled to Australia and her father was born to Irish grandparents.[5]

She attended Hercules Road State School in Kippa-Ring and Glasshouse Christian College in Beerwah,[3] and from a young age was involved in her families newsagency.[4] After announced as the winner of the Pumicestone electorate Doolan told The Courier-Mail she was subject to racial bullying at school, being called the N-word.[3]

In 2019, Doolan starred in Australian comedy TV series Lunatics on Netflix.[6][7] The following year she produced and directed a tourism commercial with Robert Irwin and Baz Luhrmann's daughter Lily.[7] She worked as a teachers aide at Redcliffe State High School.[8]

Doolan is currently studying at Griffith University[9] and resides in Beachmere[3][4] with her parents.[2]

Political career

Upon graduating school in 2019,[10] at 18-years-old, Doolan became a Youth Parliament member, when announced as the Youth Member for Glass House.[10] Doolan served as a Youth Member from the start to the end of 2020.[11] She indicated that inspiration for applying to the youth model parliament was to gain experience potentially to become a politician.[10] Doolan worked as an Assistant Electorate Officer to Glass House MP Andrew Powell in late 2023.[11]

By March 2024, it was revealed that Doolan was the Liberal National (LNP) candidate for the seat of Pumicestone.[12] In early November 2024, it was announced that Doolan had won the seat by around 290 votes,[3] becoming the youngest female state MP in Queensland.[13]

Filmography

Year Title Role References
2019 Lunatics Rashish [citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Member Details | Queensland Parliament".
  2. ^ a b Strohfeldt, Catherine (1 November 2024). "Meet south-east Queensland's new faces in state parliament". Brisbane Times. Nine Entertainment.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Lang, Kylie (2 November 2024). "'I worked hard to get here – they won't bully me'". The Courier-Mail. News Corp Australia. p. 13. ISSN 1322-5235.
  4. ^ a b c "Meet the LNP candidate for Pumicestone – Ariana Doolan". islandandsurrounds.com.au. The Local. 2 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Why Ariana is "ready for this job"". Moreton Daily. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  6. ^ "'Lunatics' Cast on Netflix: Here's the One Name You Need to Know". Decider. News Corp Australia. 22 April 2019.
  7. ^ a b Goodwin, Aaron (11 January 2024). "Full list revealed: South-east Qld's most inspirational under-25s". The Courier-Mail. News Corp Australia.
  8. ^ "Why Ariana is "ready for this job"". Moreton Daily. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  9. ^ "State's youngest ever female MP brings a breath of fresh air". The Australian. News Corp Australia. 29 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "Introducing Ariana Doolan, the new Youth Member for Glass House". 1015fm.com.au. 14 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Ariana Doolan – LinkedIn". LinkedIn.
  12. ^ Bennett, Stephanie (11 March 2024). "Qld election 2024: LNP to run female candidates in half of winnable seats". The Courier-Mail. News Corp Australia.
  13. ^ "Pumicestone – QLD Election 2024". ABC News. 8 November 2024.