Rachel Nolan MP has been the Minister for Finance and the Arts since February 2011 and Member for Ipswich since 2001. Previously she was Minister for Transport (March 2009-February 2011) and, prior to entering Cabinet, was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communities, Disability Services, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Multicultural Affairs Seniors and Youth.

Ms Nolan was first elected at the age of 26, making her the youngest woman ever elected to the Queensland Parliament.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) specialising in Government and Economics and was the University of Queensland Young Alumnus of the Year in 2006. 

Prior to entering Parliament Ms Nolan worked as a Policy and Media Advisor to the Queensland Treasurer and to the Northern Territory Leader of the Opposition.  She lived overseas for some years and studied community development in India with Oxfam.

Ms Nolan served for a number of years on the University of Queensland Senate.  She is an Ambassador for Bilbies, having previously served on the board of the Save the Bilby Fund.  She founded the Ipswich Women’s Development Network, an incorporated body committed to enhancing the status of women. She is also a patron of the Queensland Association of School Tuckshops.

In June 2010, Ms Nolan was awarded the 2009 Award for Contribution towards Cycling by a Politician, as part of the Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards.

Ms Nolan has a long standing interest in economic policy, sustainability and urban design and has published articles and opinion pieces on subjects such as sustainable planning and peak oil.  She has also campaigned actively for the preservation of the Flinders-Karawatha green corridor, the largest remaining stretch of open eucalypt bushland in South East Queensland.

Her interests include the arts, bushwalking, travel, cycling and running.