Former Liberal vice-president Teena McQueen dies after short illness

Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 6:22am

Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 6:22am

Teena McQueen, who served as the federal Liberal Party vice-president from 2017 to 2023, died on Wednesday after a battle with a short but severe medical condition, her family told Sky News.

Ms McQueen defected to One Nation in May, after serving in the Liberal Party for decades.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson issued a statement saying Ms McQueen was "a woman full of life".

"We were on the same page when it came to Australian and conservative values, but on completely opposite pages when it came to cooking, sewing and gardening."

Former prime minister Tony Abbott said he had "lost a good friend and the Liberal Party has lost a fine servant".

"I will miss her as will her many friends.''

Mr Abbott said Ms McQueen was a long-standing branch activist on the NSW central coast, a delegate to federal council and federal vice president of the Liberal Party.

In recent years, she provided commentary on Sky News and spent time with Gina Rinehart at US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce said it was with "great surprise and incredible sadness" that he heard of Ms McQueen's passing.

"Teena dedicated herself to her nation via her passion for politics. Not as a politician but as the unpaid administration of the volunteer party structure," Mr Joyce said.