Patricia May Petersen is an Australian academic.
Petersen has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Queensland,[1] is a Lecturer of Economics, Business and Politics at Central Queensland University and is Fellow of the Philosophy Department at the University of Melbourne.[2] She has worked as a relationships counsellor for Brisbane radio station B105 and Sydney radio station 2UE, and was a panellist on the Australian television show Beauty and the Beast.[1] Petersen also teaches and has a black belt in karate,[3] and is a former fashion model.[1]
Petersen has unsuccessfully contested one Australian state and three federal elections, running in Tony Abbott's seat of Warringah as an Independent candidate in the 2004[4] and 2007[5] federal elections, where she polled 2.6% and 1.8% of the primary vote, respectively. She wrote a play entitled A Cup of Tea regarding her battle with Abbott.[6] When she contested the seat of Bundamba in the 2009 Queensland state election, she received 4.07% of the primary vote.[7] Petersen announced her candidacy as an Independent for the seat of Blair in the 2010 federal election. After she considered being a candidate for the LNP,[6] Petersen contested the seat of Blair as the candidate for the Greens.[8] She received 11% of the primary vote, achieving a swing of 7% toward the Greens.[9]