The Langbroek family emigrated from the Netherlands to Australia in mid-1961, shorty after the birth of John-Paul. Their mother, Anne, is part Jamaican and American, and their father, Jan Langbroek, is Dutch. Both worked as missionaries in Papua New Guinea. The family travelled around rural Queensland where Langbroek Sr worked at various schools. John-Paul and Kate were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
John-Paul Langbroek
John-Paul was born on 31 January 1961 in Assen, the Netherlands.
A graduate of Sunnybank State High School, he went on to study at the University of Queensland, receiving an honours degree in dental science. At university he showed no early sign of an interest in politics, describing his student days at the University of Queensland as being “toga parties, Lacoste shirts and university japes”.
He finished his degree in 1983 and departed for London where he met his wife Stacey. He entered politics in 2001.
He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland representing the centre-right Liberal Party and its successor, the centre-right Liberal National Party, in the seat of Surfers Paradise since 2004. He was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the LNP from 2009 to 2011—the first person from the Liberal side of the merger to hold the post. He was a minister in the Newman government before its defeat at the 2015 state election. In 2024 he became Minister for Education and the Arts in the David Chrisafulli government.
Select sources:
- Wikipedia profile
- Queensland Parliament profile
- Cossima Mariner, ‘Is John-Paul Langbroek too nice to win in Queensland?’, Sydney Morning Herald, 25 September 2009
- ‘A word about John-Paul – 20 years of commitment to the community’, Ocean Road Magazine, 14 October 2024
- Phil Brown, ‘The sweet spot: A portrait of Queensland’s arts minister’, InDaily, 26 March 2025
Katherine (Kate) Langbroek
Kate Langbroek was born in Brisbane on 8 August 1963. She has a degree in journalism and has appeared on television and radio for programs including The Panel, Thank God You’re Here, The Project, All Star Family Feud, Have You Been Paying Attention?, and Hughesy, We Have a Problem.
Kate Langbroek was instrumental in the rise of radio station Nova 100, and long co-hosted the radio show Hughesy & Kate on the Australian HIT Network. She has also been a radio announcer on the 3RRR program Breakfasters. Before embarking on a career in radio, Kate worked as an actress (appearing in soap opera Chances and in a Transport Accident Commission Community Service Announcement), and as a script writer for popular Australian television show Neighbours. Her other television appearances include as a guest on the quiz show Out of the Question in 2018, and as guest co-host on Network Ten’s morning show The Circle.
In 2019 Kate and her family fulfilled a long-held dream by moving to Italy. The move and the time she and her family spent in Italy later inspired Kate to write a book, Ciao Bella! Six Take Italy, which was published in 2023, two years after the family returned to Australia. Kate continued her radio career after moving back to Australia and has also branched out into podcasts, starting ‘The Buck Up, Kate Langbroek with Nath Valvo’ in 2024. Since the start of 2025 she also hosts the podcast ‘No Filter’.
Select sources:
- Wikipedia profile
- IMDB profile
- Kate Langbroek, Profile Talent
- Ciao Bella! Six Take Italy
- Mia Freedman, ‘Mia Freedman steps down from No Filter after 10 years. Kate Langbroek announced as new host.’, Mamamia, 30 January 2025.
