David Clarke (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
David John Clarke, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
representing the Liberal Party of Australia
since 2003. and is considered to have conservative Christian views.
prelature of the Roman Catholic Church
, and is considered to have conservative Christian views. His wife is a member of Opus Dei
.
of the Liberal Party in the media. Despite this, Clarke has stated that "I don't think there is a formal factional system operating in the Liberal Party" and that "the Liberal Party traditionally has not been a party based on factions and I don't believe it's based on factions now."
In the late 1970s, Clarke was involved on the Liberal Party's Ethnic Council, which attempted to foster the development of persons of different ethnicities in the Liberal Party, as well as oppose communism in Eastern Europe. While serving on the Ethnic Council, he supported Lyenko Urbanchich
and many other members of the Council. Clarke also helped organise the numbers to narrowly save Urbanchich from expulsion from the Liberal Party after controversies arose about his past. Former NSW Opposition Leader from 1981–1983, John Dowd
described Clarke as being "perceived as a lieutenant who carried out the views of Urbanchich and co in their branch stacking and endeavouring to take control of a large measure of the [Liberal] party."
In February 2010, Clarke won preselection against David Elliott, the chief executive of the Civil Contractors Federation to ensure he can potentially serve on the New South Wales Legislative Council until 1 March 2019.
that "I work on the premise that most people have conservative values in the Liberal Party and that my values are in alignment with theirs."
Clarke is a self-described strong supporter of the constitutional monarchy
, "traditional marriage," free speech, freedom of religion, and free enterprise. In his first speech in 2003, Clarke promised to "uphold and advocate the conservative, mainstream and Christian-based truths and values that I believe our nation is based upon … with missionary zeal", advocated state sovereignty, the decentralisation of government power, and stated that "I respect the right of individuals to live their lives as they choose, unmolested and without harassment and persecution, provided they do not bring harm to others or to institutions and concepts that protect others."
Clarke's views have been labelled by political opponents as "ultra-conservative" and those held by some in the Christian Right
of the Liberal Party (such as his opposition to the "culture of abortion" and opposition to euthanasia
). While he describes Australia as "a Christian nation" and argues that there is nothing wrong with religious values influencing legislation on the age of consent
, abortion and euthanasia, he denies that his views override his respect for the separation of church and state
, individual rights and free enterprise, and notes his support for superannuation rights for same-sex couples, and that same sex couples are entitled to their choice to live together.
Clarke rejects labels given to him by opponents stating "the issues that I've come forward on and I've been publicised about having views on, my stand has been, has the support of the majority of people or if not the majority of people, a very, very significant minority of people. And what I'm saying is whether it's the majority or a significant minority, that certainly doesn't make it an extremist stand.".
, Steven Pringle
also attributes his disendorsement to Clarke.
In early 2007, Clarke successfully sued Melbourne University Press for defamation at the District Court of New South Wales after the publication of a book, The Education of a Young Liberal, by former member of the Liberal Party's small 'l' liberal faction (known as "The Group"). The defendant publisher conceded that imputations of political extremism were defamatory, and the court held that the book further defamed Clarke by slurs on his character. Sharri Markson writes that "[I]t's when talking about topics other than politics that he [i.e. Clarke] show the softer side … seems unafraid to be emotional about his family … I'm left wondering whether its possible that one of the most feared men in the NSW Liberal Party is just a big softie." Clarke claims that his Catholic views on social policy issues are broadly consistent with the rest of the community.
NSW Labor MP Kristina Keneally
expressed a view in New South Wales Parliament with parliamentary privilege protecting her from lawsuits that Clarke "effect[ed] a right-wing takeover of Liberal Party branches. David Clarke is the godfather of the Extremist Right of the Liberal Party."
and others have claimed that Clarke has a significant influence on the Young Liberals
. Alex Hawke
, a former national president of the Young Liberals
and now a federal MP, was his parliamentary staffer. There has been much media coverage of the connection between Clarke and Hawke because of the preselection of Hawke to the Federal seat of Mitchell
in June 2007. By October 2009 onwards, it has been reported that Hawke and Clarke had fallen out and become rivals leading to a factional war.
Kyle Kutasi, former Young Liberal and former President of the Sydney University Liberal Club
is Clarke's son-in-law.
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
representing the Liberal Party of Australia
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...
since 2003. and is considered to have conservative Christian views.
Personal life
Clarke is married with four children. While not a member, David Clarke is a co-operator of the Opus DeiOpus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...
prelature of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and is considered to have conservative Christian views. His wife is a member of Opus Dei
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...
.
Political history
Clarke has been called a leading member of the right-wingRight-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
of the Liberal Party in the media. Despite this, Clarke has stated that "I don't think there is a formal factional system operating in the Liberal Party" and that "the Liberal Party traditionally has not been a party based on factions and I don't believe it's based on factions now."
In the late 1970s, Clarke was involved on the Liberal Party's Ethnic Council, which attempted to foster the development of persons of different ethnicities in the Liberal Party, as well as oppose communism in Eastern Europe. While serving on the Ethnic Council, he supported Lyenko Urbanchich
Lyenko Urbanchich
Lyenko Urbanchich was a Slovenian-born Australian politician. During World War Two he was a Domobranci propagandist, however his wartime activities only became known in Australia in 1979—the exposure ended his political ascension...
and many other members of the Council. Clarke also helped organise the numbers to narrowly save Urbanchich from expulsion from the Liberal Party after controversies arose about his past. Former NSW Opposition Leader from 1981–1983, John Dowd
John Dowd (politician)
John Robert Arthur Dowd AO QC , a former Australian politician and jurist, is the Chancellor of Southern Cross University and the President of ActionAid Australia, an international aid organisation.-Early years and background:...
described Clarke as being "perceived as a lieutenant who carried out the views of Urbanchich and co in their branch stacking and endeavouring to take control of a large measure of the [Liberal] party."
In February 2010, Clarke won preselection against David Elliott, the chief executive of the Civil Contractors Federation to ensure he can potentially serve on the New South Wales Legislative Council until 1 March 2019.
Political viewpoints
Clarke has spoken frequently on his political viewpoints stating that they naturally reflect the Liberal Party. He told The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
that "I work on the premise that most people have conservative values in the Liberal Party and that my values are in alignment with theirs."
Clarke is a self-described strong supporter of the constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, "traditional marriage," free speech, freedom of religion, and free enterprise. In his first speech in 2003, Clarke promised to "uphold and advocate the conservative, mainstream and Christian-based truths and values that I believe our nation is based upon … with missionary zeal", advocated state sovereignty, the decentralisation of government power, and stated that "I respect the right of individuals to live their lives as they choose, unmolested and without harassment and persecution, provided they do not bring harm to others or to institutions and concepts that protect others."
Clarke's views have been labelled by political opponents as "ultra-conservative" and those held by some in the Christian Right
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
of the Liberal Party (such as his opposition to the "culture of abortion" and opposition to euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
). While he describes Australia as "a Christian nation" and argues that there is nothing wrong with religious values influencing legislation on the age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
, abortion and euthanasia, he denies that his views override his respect for the separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
, individual rights and free enterprise, and notes his support for superannuation rights for same-sex couples, and that same sex couples are entitled to their choice to live together.
Clarke rejects labels given to him by opponents stating "the issues that I've come forward on and I've been publicised about having views on, my stand has been, has the support of the majority of people or if not the majority of people, a very, very significant minority of people. And what I'm saying is whether it's the majority or a significant minority, that certainly doesn't make it an extremist stand.".
Criticism
Some Liberal colleagues, such as former member of the Legislative Council, Patricia Forsythe, in blaming David Clarke for her failure to win preselection, have expressed trepidation towards what they have called Clarke's "extreme" views. She said in 2005 that she was "very fearful of the power of David Clarke...because he has around him a significant group of people who are absolutely fixated on their agenda, and a very narrow agenda." Similarly, former Member for HawkesburyElectoral district of Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Steven Pringle, formerly of the Liberal Party of Australia, who contested the 2007 election as an independent but was defeated by Ray Williams of the Liberal Party of...
, Steven Pringle
Steven Pringle
Steven Bruce Scott Pringle is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2003 to 2007, representing the electorate of Hawkesbury....
also attributes his disendorsement to Clarke.
In early 2007, Clarke successfully sued Melbourne University Press for defamation at the District Court of New South Wales after the publication of a book, The Education of a Young Liberal, by former member of the Liberal Party's small 'l' liberal faction (known as "The Group"). The defendant publisher conceded that imputations of political extremism were defamatory, and the court held that the book further defamed Clarke by slurs on his character. Sharri Markson writes that "[I]t's when talking about topics other than politics that he [i.e. Clarke] show the softer side … seems unafraid to be emotional about his family … I'm left wondering whether its possible that one of the most feared men in the NSW Liberal Party is just a big softie." Clarke claims that his Catholic views on social policy issues are broadly consistent with the rest of the community.
NSW Labor MP Kristina Keneally
Kristina Keneally
Kristina Kerscher Keneally MP, is an Australian politician and was the 42nd Premier of New South Wales. She was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales and thus Premier in 2009, but went on to lose government to the Liberal/National Coalition at the March 2011 state election...
expressed a view in New South Wales Parliament with parliamentary privilege protecting her from lawsuits that Clarke "effect[ed] a right-wing takeover of Liberal Party branches. David Clarke is the godfather of the Extremist Right of the Liberal Party."
Connection to Young Liberals
Journalist Mark AaronsMark Aarons
Mark Aarons is an Australian journalist and author. He was a political adviser to NSW Premier Bob Carr.Aarons was born in Newcastle, New South Wales but was brought up in Sydney. He was educated at Fairfield Boys High School and North Sydney Boys High School.He is the son of the late Laurie...
and others have claimed that Clarke has a significant influence on the Young Liberals
Young Liberals (Australia)
The Young Liberal Movement is the youth division of the Liberal Party of Australia, and membership is open to those between 16 and 30 years of age. Members of Young Liberals have full party-membership, and have the choice of which part they join...
. Alex Hawke
Alex Hawke
Alexander George "Alex" Hawke MP , an Australian politician, is a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing Mitchell, in north-western metropolitan Sydney, for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2007...
, a former national president of the Young Liberals
Young Liberals (Australia)
The Young Liberal Movement is the youth division of the Liberal Party of Australia, and membership is open to those between 16 and 30 years of age. Members of Young Liberals have full party-membership, and have the choice of which part they join...
and now a federal MP, was his parliamentary staffer. There has been much media coverage of the connection between Clarke and Hawke because of the preselection of Hawke to the Federal seat of Mitchell
Division of Mitchell
The Division of Mitchell is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the north-west suburbs of Sydney, and includes the entire suburbs of Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, Bella Vista, Box Hill, Kellyville, Nelson and Winston Hills...
in June 2007. By October 2009 onwards, it has been reported that Hawke and Clarke had fallen out and become rivals leading to a factional war.
Kyle Kutasi, former Young Liberal and former President of the Sydney University Liberal Club
Sydney University Liberal Club
The Sydney University Liberal Club is student association, operating under the auspices of the University of Sydney Union . The club hosts a range of policy debates, social events, campaign workshops, student election campaigns, and guest speaker events with Member of Parliament . It is an...
is Clarke's son-in-law.
External links
- The Hon. David John Clarke, LLB (Syd), MLC 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...
- David Clarke MLC website