Anna Bligh made history in 2009 when she became the first woman popularly elected as Premier of an Australian state. For almost five years she served as the Premier of Queensland and achieved much for her people in that time. She was also a staunch advocate for the arts in her state, taking on the Arts Ministry and overseeing a major period of transformation for the state’s major cultural institutions. In this interview with our Artistic Director, Lyndon Terracini, Bligh talks about what’s required for a government to commit to supporting the arts, building Brisbane’s ambitious Gallery of Modern Art, and bringing both Mikhail Gorbachev and the Paris Opera Ballet to Queensland.