Chris Hartcher
Encyclopedia
Christopher "Chris" Peter Hartcher MP (born 21 December 1946), an Australian politician, is the New South Wales
Minister for Resources and Energy
, Special Minister of State
and Minister for the Central Coast in the O'Farrell
-Stoner
Liberal
/National
coalitition
government
. Hartcher is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
representing Terrigal
for the Liberal Party since 2007, and has previously represented Gosford
between 1988 and 2007.
and was educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview. He received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws
from the University of Sydney
. He then worked as a personal injury and family law solicitor employed by his uncle.
. He was appointed Government Whip
in 1991 and served in that role until 1992. On 3 July 1992, Hartcher was appointed to the NSW Cabinet as Minister for the Environment and left the Cabinet with the defeat of the Fahey
Government in March 1995.
portfolios spending a combined 7 years as Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and 4 years as Shadow Attorney General.
On 28 March 2002 he was elected as Deputy Opposition Leader under John Brogden until the 2003 State Election
. Former Premier Bob Carr
was often Hartcher's political "sparring partner"; a relationship Carr referred to as "good natured fun". Carr nickname
d Hartcher the The Swamp Fox – an irreverent reference to US War of Independence
guerrilla commander
, Francis Marion
– to suggest Hartcher would challenge Brogden for leadership of the party.
At the 2003 election
Hartcher was challenged in the seat of Gosford by Labor
candidate Deborah O'Neill
and won by only 272 votes. In 2006, New South Wales Legislative Assembly seats were subject to an electoral redistribution
. The seat of Peats
was abolished and the majority of the area was redistributed into a newly created seat of Gosford. The majority of the former seat of Gosford was redistributed into the new electoral district of Terrigal. Hartcher was again challenged by O'Neill but was elected Member for Terrigal on 24 March 2007. O'Neill was later elected as the Member for Robertson
at the 2010 Federal Election.
In 2010, Hartcher was endorsed as the Liberal Party's candidate for Terrigal ahead of the 2011 election
. Hartcher was re-elected as the Member for Terrigal with a swing of 11.1 per cent and won the seat with 74.1 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis. His main opponent was Labor's Trevor Drake.
to the Cabinet as Minister for Resources and Energy, Special Minister of State and Minister for the Central Coast.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Minister for Resources and Energy
Industry & Investment New South Wales
Industry & Investment New South Wales was founded in July 2009 and is part of the Government of New South Wales. It was renamed the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services following the New South Wales election in March 2011.....
, Special Minister of State
Special Minister of State
The Special Minister of State , currently the Special Minister of State for the Public Service and Integrity is a ministerial portfolio in the Australian Government Department of Finance and Deregulation responsible for various parliamentary, electoral, financial and oversight affairs.Other areas...
and Minister for the Central Coast in the O'Farrell
Barry O'Farrell
Barry Robert O'Farrell MP, is an Australian politician and is the 43rd Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Western Sydney, Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party and a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Ku-ring-gai for the Liberal Party since 1999.Born in...
-Stoner
Andrew Stoner
Andrew John Stoner is an Australian politician, Deputy Premier of New South Wales and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the seat of Oxley since the 1999 state election, and the Leader of the New South Wales National Party since 31 March 2003...
Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
/National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
coalitition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
government
O'Farrell Ministry
The O'Farrell ministry is the 93rd ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and is led by the 43rd Premier Barry O'Farrell.The Liberal–National coalition ministry was formed following the defeat of the Keneally Labor government at the 2011 election...
. Hartcher is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
representing Terrigal
Electoral district of Terrigal
Terrigal is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was contested for the first time at the 2007 election and was won by the former member for Gosford, Chris Hartcher of the Liberal Party of Australia. Hartcher was re-elected at the 2011...
for the Liberal Party since 2007, and has previously represented Gosford
Electoral district of Gosford
Gosford is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Chris Holstein of the Liberal Party. The former district of Gosford was renamed Terrigal for the 2007 state election...
between 1988 and 2007.
Early life
Hartcher was born in North SydneyNorth Sydney, New South Wales
North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney...
and was educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview. He received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
. He then worked as a personal injury and family law solicitor employed by his uncle.
Political career
Hartcher was elected to represent Gosford for the Liberal Party at the 1988 NSW state electionNew South Wales state election, 1988
Elections to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 19 March 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
. He was appointed Government Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in 1991 and served in that role until 1992. On 3 July 1992, Hartcher was appointed to the NSW Cabinet as Minister for the Environment and left the Cabinet with the defeat of the Fahey
John Fahey (politician)
John Joseph Fahey, AC is a former Premier of New South Wales and Federal Minister for Finance in Australia. John Fahey is currently the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1984 to 1996 and the federal House of Representatives...
Government in March 1995.
NSW Opposition
After the 1995 election, Hartcher was appointed to a number of Shadow MinisterialNew South Wales Shadow Cabinet
The New South Wales Shadow Cabinet is the opposition to the incumbent Government in the State of New South Wales. The Shadow cabinet is made up of 15 members of the NSW Australian Labor Party caucus...
portfolios spending a combined 7 years as Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and 4 years as Shadow Attorney General.
On 28 March 2002 he was elected as Deputy Opposition Leader under John Brogden until the 2003 State Election
New South Wales state election, 2003
Elections to the 53rd Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 22 March 2003. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
. Former Premier Bob Carr
Bob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
was often Hartcher's political "sparring partner"; a relationship Carr referred to as "good natured fun". Carr nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d Hartcher the The Swamp Fox – an irreverent reference to US War of Independence
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
guerrilla commander
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
, Francis Marion
Francis Marion
Francis Marion was a military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. Acting with Continental Army and South Carolina militia commissions, he was a persistent adversary of the British in their occupation of South Carolina in 1780 and 1781, even after the Continental Army was driven...
– to suggest Hartcher would challenge Brogden for leadership of the party.
At the 2003 election
New South Wales state election, 2003
Elections to the 53rd Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 22 March 2003. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
Hartcher was challenged in the seat of Gosford by Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
candidate Deborah O'Neill
Deborah O'Neill
Deborah Mary O'Neill , an Australian federal politician, is a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the seat of Robertson, New South Wales for the Australian Labor Party, elected at the 2010 federal election....
and won by only 272 votes. In 2006, New South Wales Legislative Assembly seats were subject to an electoral redistribution
Redistribution (Australia)
The term redistribution is used in Australia to mean a redrawing of electoral boundaries. It is equivalent to the term redistricting in the United States....
. The seat of Peats
Electoral district of Peats
Peats was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1973 to 2007. It was replaced by Gosford for the 2007 state election.-Members:-Election results:...
was abolished and the majority of the area was redistributed into a newly created seat of Gosford. The majority of the former seat of Gosford was redistributed into the new electoral district of Terrigal. Hartcher was again challenged by O'Neill but was elected Member for Terrigal on 24 March 2007. O'Neill was later elected as the Member for Robertson
Division of Robertson
The Division of Robertson is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. The Division is located on the Central Coast, immediately north of the Hawkesbury River. It encompasses the towns of Woy Woy, Gosford and Terrigal....
at the 2010 Federal Election.
In 2010, Hartcher was endorsed as the Liberal Party's candidate for Terrigal ahead of the 2011 election
New South Wales state election, 2011
Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...
. Hartcher was re-elected as the Member for Terrigal with a swing of 11.1 per cent and won the seat with 74.1 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis. His main opponent was Labor's Trevor Drake.
O'Farrell Government
On 3 April 2011, Hartcher was appointed by Premier Barry O'FarrellBarry O'Farrell
Barry Robert O'Farrell MP, is an Australian politician and is the 43rd Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Western Sydney, Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party and a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Ku-ring-gai for the Liberal Party since 1999.Born in...
to the Cabinet as Minister for Resources and Energy, Special Minister of State and Minister for the Central Coast.
External links
- Mr (Chris) Christopher Peter HARTCHER, MP - Parliament of New South WalesParliament of New South WalesThe Parliament of New South Wales, located in Parliament House on Macquarie Street, Sydney, is the main legislative body in the Australian state of New South Wales . It is a bicameral parliament elected by the people of the state in general elections. The parliament shares law making powers with...
.