Gabriele Burgstaller, State President of Salzburg

CURRICULUM VITAE On 22 April 2009, Gabriele Burgstaller was re-elected by a large majority in the Salzburg regional parliament as State President of Salzburg. In 2004 when she became the first female State President, it was for the first time since the end of the Second World War that a member of the Social Democrat Party of Austria (SPÖ) has taken on this prime appointment in Salzburg regional politics.  The previous eight presidents of Salzburg were all members of the Austrian Peoples’ Party (ÖVP): Adolf Schemel, Albert Hochleitner, Josef Rehrl, Josef Klaus, Hans Lechner, Wilfried Haslauer, Hans Katschthaler and Franz Schausberger.

President Burgstaller is responsible for the departments of education (universities, schools, science and research), labour market policy, disaster control and the fire brigades. Furthermore she is also concerned with official representational duties, foreign affairs, matters specifically related to women and equal treatment and also European policy. President Burgstaller enjoys a high degree of popularity among the local inhabitants who number about 526,000 (city and land of Salzburg) and is perceived by many citizens as “one of us”.

Gabriele Burgstaller was born on 23 May 1963 in Penetzdorf/Niederthalheim near Schwanenstadt in Upper Austria.  She grew up with three sisters and two brothers on the farm of her parents Maria and Josef Burgstaller.  After completing her final school examinations (Matura) at the grammar school in Gmunden and a period of study abroad in England, Gabriele Burgstaller studied law at the University of Salzburg. From 1987 to 1989 Burgstaller was an assistant at the Institute of Constitutional and Administrative Law and at the Institute of Legal Sociology.  From 1989 she worked as a counsellor on consumer affairs in the Chamber of Labour in Salzburg.  There she became renowned as a specialist advisor on housing and on tenants’ rights and as the representative of 25,000 investors damaged by the WEB Building Trustee IMMAG Concern affair.  Since 5 July 2003 Gabriele Burgstaller has been married to Anton Holzer, with whom she lives in Hallein.

Gabi Burgstaller began her political career in 1994 as a member of the Salzburg regional parliament and from the very beginning she took on the function of party whip of the Social Democrats in the regional parliament.  She first became a member of the government on 27 April 1999 as a regional councillor. At that time Burgstaller was responsible for women’s affairs, building, transport, the trade office and consumer protection.  She became the first woman to be elected as leader of the Salzburg SPÖ on 31 March 2001 with 98% votes in favour. On 25 April 2001 Burgstaller was elected as Deputy President of Salzburg by the regional parliament.  She took on the departments responsible for the municipalities, health and young people.  She continued to have political responsibility for women’s affairs and consumer protection.

During her activity as a politician Burgstaller has already achieved a number of successes.  She is always particularly pleased when she can offer people specific help, such as support in the case of excessive bills or through consumer protection.  She is also especially concerned with achieving equal chances for women everywhere, also in country areas.  President Burgstaller has brought more vitality into the centre of cities and towns by relaxing the laws on opening times to allow outdoor restaurants and so on to stay open longer.  She has also especially promoted the building of by-pass roads to give greater protection to residents and take traffic away from town centres. Burgstaller would like to give greater powers to the lands and not have everything concentrated in the central area.  In the department of health the president supports all activities that promote the idea of preventive care.  From infants to senior citizens all age groups are registered by the health department in cooperation with the working group on preventive medicine.

President Burgstaller has also given special attention to the provision of services for women. Free legal advice for women in all districts of Salzburg was a milestone achievement.