David Crisafulli

David Frank Crisafulli (born 14 April 1979) is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2017, representing the Gold Coast-based electorate of Broadwater for the Liberal National Party. He was previously member for the North Queensland-based electorate of Mundingburra from 2012 to 2015, and was initially Minister for Local Government, and then Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience during the premiership of Campbell Newman, from 2012 to 2015. Since November 2020, he has been leader of the Liberal National Party and Leader of the Opposition.

David Crisafulli MP
Leader of the Opposition in Queensland
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 November 2020
Deputy	David Janetzki
Preceded by	Deb Frecklington
Leader of the Liberal National Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 November 2020
Deputy	David Janetzki
Preceded by	Deb Frecklington
Shadow Minister for Environment, Science and the Great Barrier Reef
In office 15 December 2017 – 12 November 2020
Leader	Deb Frecklington
Preceded by	Christian Rowan (Environment) Tarnya Smith (Science)
Succeeded by	Sam O'Connor
Minister for Local Government of Queensland
In office 3 April 2012 – 13 February 2015
Premier	Campbell Newman
Preceded by	Paul Lucas
Succeeded by	Jackie Trad
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Broadwater
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 November 2017
Preceded by	Verity Barton
Majority	16.6% (2020)
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 Party of Queensland
Spouse(s)	Tegan Crisafulli
Residence	Gold Coast, Queensland
Website	www.davidcrisafullimp.com

Early life

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

In 2003, Crisafulli was appointed as 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. In 2008, when the Townsville and Thuringowa councils were merged, he made a deal with Les Tyrell, the former Thuringowa mayor, to run in partnership for the mayor and deputy mayor positions on the new council. He was elected as deputy mayor, an office he held 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.[1] He was appointed as 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.[2] He re-contested Mundingburra at the 2015 Queensland state election but was defeated by the Labor candidate Coralee O'Rourke.[3]

Following his 2015 election loss, Crisafulli and his family relocated to Hope Island on Queensland's Gold Coast.[4] He subsequently ran a small business giving advice about dealing with government and business development opportunities.

In May 2017, he defeated incumbent Broadwater MP Verity Barton for LNP preselection to contest the 2017 election,[5] and subsequently won the Broadwater seat.[6] In December 2017, after the election of Deb Frecklington as Leader of the Opposition, Crisafulli was appointed as 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.[7]

References

1. "Member Biography - Mr David Crisafulli". Parliament of Queensland. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
2. "Premier announces new Ministry". Department of Premier and Cabinet. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
3. "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.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. 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.
5. "Newman minister David Crisafulli wins pre-selection over Verity Barton". Brisbane Times. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
6. "Queensland election: Winners and losers". 9 News. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
7. Lynch, Lydia (12 November 2020). "LNP elects new leader and deputy while recount starts in two seats". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 12 November 2020.