David Frank Crisafulli (Italian: [krizaˈfulli]; born 14 April 1979) is an Australian politician who is the current leader of the Opposition in Queensland, holding office as the leader of the Liberal National Party since November 2020. He has been the member of the Legislative Assembly for Broadwater since 2017. He was the member for Mundingburra from 2012 to 2015, holding ministerial portfolios in the Newman government.
David Crisafulli | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition in Queensland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 12 November 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier | Annastacia Palaszczuk Steven Miles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | David Janetzki Jarrod Bleijie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Deb Frecklington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Liberal National Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 12 November 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | David Janetzki Jarrod Bleijie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Deb Frecklington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Broadwater | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 25 November 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Verity Barton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Mundingburra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 March 2012 – 31 January 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lindy Nelson-Carr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Coralee O'Rourke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 April 1979 Ingham, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Liberal National | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Tegan Crisafulli | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence(s) | Hope Island, Queensland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | dclnp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and career edit
Born and raised in Ingham, Queensland, Crisafulli graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism degree from James Cook University in Townsville in 2000.
In 1998, he returned to his home town of Ingham as a cadet reporter at the Herbert River Express. In 2000, Crisafulli moved into television, becoming a journalist with WIN News in Townsville, and was made chief of staff of the Townsville newsroom in 2002. During that time, Crisafulli also worked as a correspondent for The Australian and Sunday Mail newspapers, did weekly work for DMG Regional Radio as a newsreader, and lectured in journalism at James Cook University.
Politics edit
In 2003, Crisafulli was appointed a ministerial media advisor to the then Howard government Minister and Liberal Senator for Queensland, Ian Macdonald. In 2004, Crisafulli successfully ran for what was then the 100% Labor Party-controlled Townsville City Council, on a conservative platform. He became the youngest person ever elected to the council.[1] In 2008, when the Townsville and Thuringowa councils were merged, he stood as a candidate at the first election for the enlarged council.[2] Crisafulli made a deal with Les Tyrell, the former Thuringowa mayor, to run in partnership for the mayor and deputy mayor positions; Tyrell won election as mayor and Crisafulli as deputy mayor.[3] He served as deputy mayor until his resignation in 2012 to run for a seat in the Queensland Parliament. During his second term on Council, he became the chairman of the Townsville City Council Planning Committee.
In the 2012 Queensland state election, Crisafulli was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in the seat of Mundingburra, as a member of the Liberal National party.[4] He was appointed the Minister for Local Government in the new Newman government. In February 2013, his role was expanded when he became Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience.[5] He re-contested Mundingburra at the 2015 Queensland state election but was defeated by the Labor candidate Coralee O'Rourke.[6]
Following his 2015 election loss, Crisafulli and his family relocated to Hope Island on Queensland's Gold Coast.[7] He subsequently ran a small business giving advice about dealing with government and business development opportunities.[citation needed]
In May 2017, he defeated incumbent Broadwater MP Verity Barton for LNP preselection to contest the 2017 election,[8] and subsequently won the Broadwater seat.[9] In December 2017, after the election of Deb Frecklington as Leader of the Opposition, Crisafulli was appointed the Shadow Minister for Environment, Science and the Great Barrier Reef, and Shadow Minister for Tourism.
On 12 November 2020, Crisafulli became Leader of the Opposition in Queensland, after the Liberal National Party elected him as party leader following the resignation of Deb Frecklington.[10]
Political views edit
Crisafulli describes himself as a centrist[11] and as a decentralist.[12]
Crisafulli opposes allowing trans women to compete against women in sport and voted for an unsuccessful bill tabled by Katter's Australian Party (KAP) leader Robbie Katter that sought to ban trans women from playing women's sports in Queensland.[13]
Crisafulli opposed the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but decided not to campaign against it and members of the LNP were given a free vote on the issue.[14]
Crisafulli has said if he is elected as premier, he would not roll back Indigenous treaty legislation. This was despite facing pressure from his LNP party grassroots to do so.[15][16] However On 19 October 2023, a few days after the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum Crisafulli announced the LNP will be dropping its support for Treaty.[17][18][19]
Personal life edit
Crisafulli lives in Hope Island with his wife Tegan and their two children.[7] He owns a cane farm near Ingham.[20] He is a supporter of the North Queensland Cowboys rugby league club.[20]
References edit
- ^ "Reshaping the Centre-Right in Queensland: Kerry O'Brien in conversation with David Crisafulli". Griffith University. June 2023.
- ^ "'Team Tyrell' told to remove election billboard". ABC News. 25 January 2008.
- ^ "David Crisafulli elected LNP Leader and David Janetzki Deputy Leader". North-West Sar. 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Member Biography - Mr David Crisafulli". Parliament of Queensland. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "Premier announces new Ministry". Department of Premier and Cabinet. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Part 2.15 – Alphabetical Register of Members of the Legislative Assembly 1860–2017 and the Legislative Council 1860–1922" (PDF). Queensland Parliamentary Record 2015–2017: The 55th Parliament. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b Houghton, Jack; Potts, Andrew (26 October 2015). "Former minister David Crisafulli has moved to the Gold Coast to relaunch his political career". Gold Coast Bulletin. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
- ^ "Newman minister David Crisafulli wins pre-selection over Verity Barton". Brisbane Times. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ "Queensland election: Winners and losers". 9 News. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ Lynch, Lydia (12 November 2020). "LNP elects new leader and deputy while recount starts in two seats". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Crisafulli, David (31 May 2023). "Reshaping the Centre-Right in Queensland" (Interview). Interviewed by Kerry O'Brien. Home of the Arts, Gold Coast, Queensland: Griffith University.
I'm someone who grew up in regional Queensland who saw the value of hard work and agriculture and I grew up in a conservative household, but I probably drift a little further to becoming moderate as I get older, which is maybe in contrast to how others go. I'm a centrist, I'm a political centrist. I'm not driven by hard ideologies on either the left or the right. I'm driven by making sure that people who go to work can do so and build a business free from the regulation of government. I'm driven to make sure that people who are disadvantaged can be able to get access to a health system to be able to lift their lot in life. I do believe in government conducting themselves with integrity and decency. (34min 34sec)
- ^ Crisafulli, David (31 May 2023). "Reshaping the Centre-Right in Queensland" (Interview). Interviewed by Kerry O'Brien. Home of the Arts, Gold Coast, Queensland: Griffith University.
Handing control back to the members, ensuring that power was decentralised, which has been my philosophy. It was my philosophy as a minister to hand power back from my desk as Local Government Minister back to Councils. I am a decentralist at my heart. (21min 33sec)
- ^ "LNP backs 'dog whistle' motion on trans sport after silent party vote". 12 May 2022.
- ^ "Queensland LNP leader to vote against Indigenous Voice". 31 May 2023.
- ^ "LNP leader under pressure after supporting treaty laws". The Australian. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "LNP downplays Indigenous treaty backing after revolt". The Australian. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Gillespie, Eden; Smee, Ben (18 October 2023). "Queensland LNP abandons support for treaty with First Nations people". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "Queensland opposition backflips on support for state's Path to Treaty". ABC News. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/indigenous/queensland-lnp-flips-on-support-for-indigenous-treaty/news-story/74219eafa2f25e58befb099516381851
- ^ a b Mark, Ludlow (7 July 2023). "David who? Crisafulli 'hungry' for Queensland's top job". Australian Financial Review.