Sarah Courtney's resume is one of the most diverse of Tasmania's sitting parliamentarians.
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She holds three degrees - one in chemical engineering, another in commerce and has a Master of Wine Technology and Viticulture - and has worked internationally for years in the finance sector.
Ms Courtney grew up in Sydney, but it was family connections that saw her seek a lifestyle change in Tasmania.
Upon arrival, she planted a vineyard in the Tamar Valley in 2010 during time spent with her parents.
After a failed tilt at the Senate on the Liberals ticket in 2013, Ms Courtney was elected to Tasmanian Parliament the following year.
She was part of the first majority Liberal government to be elected since 1992.
In her inaugural speech in Parliament, she said she intended to be a decisive politician.
"I intend to have the courage to make tough decisions and be accountable for those decisions," Ms Courtney said at the time. "There may be decisions I make that some, or even many, will disagree with and there may be times when I am simply wrong."
Following her re-election, she was elevated to cabinet as Primary Industries Minister.
Ms Courtney landed herself in hot water seven months later after it was revealed that she had developed a personal relationship with the head of the Primary Industries department John Whittington which led to the need for all ministerial decisions she made while in the portfolio to be reviewed.
She was eventually cleared of allegations related to a ministerial code of conduct breach and conflicts of interest.
Ms Courtney and Dr Whittington wed in December 2019.
She became Health Minister at the start of 2019, replacing Michael Ferguson who had held the portfolio for five years.
On Thursday, Premier Peter Gutwein reflected on her time in the role before she became Education Minister last year.
"People should never forget the enormous weight she carried as the Health Minister as we ended the pandemic," he said.
"Sarah and I forged a great friendship through that."
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
