Anna was born at Warwick, Queensland. She is a descendant of Captain William Bligh. She grew up on the Gold Coast in south east Queensland. She was educated at several Catholic primary schools. Her secondary schooling was at Miami State High School. She completed the last six months of her schooling at Nowra State High School. She studied for an Arts degree from the University of Queensland which she finished in 1980. Anna Bligh worked for many community organisations and the Queensland Public Service. She worked in the area of employment, training and industrial relations policy. She was elected to the Queensland Parliament on 15 July 1995 and retired on 30 March 2012 following her defeat as Queensland Premier.