Gary Blackwood (politician)
Encyclopedia
Gary John Blackwood is an Australia
n politician. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia
member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
since November 2006, representing the electorate of Narracan
.
. He studied economics and politics at Monash Secondary Teachers College, but after a year of national service in 1972, followed his father into the timber industry, operating his own timber transport and harvesting business from 1973 to 2003. He served as the chief executive officer of the Victorian Forest Harvesting and Cartage Council from 2003 until his election to parliament in 2006.
. He was the campaign manager for Russell Broadbent
during his successful bid for the federal seat of McMillan
at the 1996 federal election and for the failed Liberal campaign in Narracan at the 2002 state election. Blackwood returned to local politics in 2003, with his election as a Shire of Baw Baw councillor, a role he held until his election to parliament. He was also involved in his local branch, serving as treasurer of the party's Narracan electorate council from 2001 until 2006.
Blackwood was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Narracan at the 2006 state election, and faced a difficult race against two-term incumbent Ian Maxfield
, who held the seat with a margin of nearly 7%. Though the Liberals were badly beaten statewide, there was a strong swing against the government in the Gippsland region, and Blackwood achieved a narrow victory in one of the upset results of the election.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He has been a 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...
member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
since November 2006, representing the electorate of Narracan
Electoral district of Narracan
The Electoral district of Narracan is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It was first proclaimed in 1967 and has usually been held by the Liberal Party....
.
Early life
Blackwood was born and raised in WarragulWarragul, Victoria
Warragul is a rural centre with a population of 12,943 people east-southeast of Melbourne in Victoria. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north...
. He studied economics and politics at Monash Secondary Teachers College, but after a year of national service in 1972, followed his father into the timber industry, operating his own timber transport and harvesting business from 1973 to 2003. He served as the chief executive officer of the Victorian Forest Harvesting and Cartage Council from 2003 until his election to parliament in 2006.
Political career
Blackwood first became involved in politics in 1992, when he was elected for a term as a councillor for the Rural City of WarragulRural City of Warragul
The Rural City of Warragul was a Local Government Area located about east-southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1881 until 1994.-History:...
. He was the campaign manager for Russell Broadbent
Russell Broadbent
Russell Evan Broadbent , Australian politician, was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as member for the Division of McMillan, Victoria for the Liberal Party of Australia at the 2004 federal election. He previously represented the Division of Corinella 1990-93 and McMillan 1996-98...
during his successful bid for the federal seat of McMillan
Division of McMillan
The Division of McMillan is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the western part of the Gippsland region, which extends for the length of Victoria's eastern Bass Strait coastline. It includes the outer south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Pakenham, and also...
at the 1996 federal election and for the failed Liberal campaign in Narracan at the 2002 state election. Blackwood returned to local politics in 2003, with his election as a Shire of Baw Baw councillor, a role he held until his election to parliament. He was also involved in his local branch, serving as treasurer of the party's Narracan electorate council from 2001 until 2006.
Blackwood was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Narracan at the 2006 state election, and faced a difficult race against two-term incumbent Ian Maxfield
Ian Maxfield
Ian John Maxfield is a former Australian politician.Born in Warragul, Victoria, he graduated from Drouin High School in 1976. In 1979 he received an A Grade Electrical Mechanic and Motor Control from Noble Park TAFE and became an electrician. In 1986 he became an organiser with the Shop Assistants...
, who held the seat with a margin of nearly 7%. Though the Liberals were badly beaten statewide, there was a strong swing against the government in the Gippsland region, and Blackwood achieved a narrow victory in one of the upset results of the election.