Rob Oakeshott
Encyclopedia
Robert James Murray "Rob" Oakeshott (born 14 December 1969) is an Australian politician. He is the independent
Member of the House of Representatives
for the Division of Lyne
in New South Wales, which he won in the 2008 by-election
following the resignation of former Nationals
leader and Howard
minister Mark Vaile
. Elected as the Nationals candidate for the state seat of Port Macquarie
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
in 1996, he left the party to become an independent in 2002, and retained the seat until 2008, when he resigned to run as an independent candidate in the Lyne by-election. Oakeshott describes his views as economically conservative and socially progressive.
. His father, also named Rob Oakeshott, is still a doctor in the area and his grandfather Captain John Oakeshott was a prisoner of war and survived the Sandakan Death Marches
.
Oakeshott attended Barker College
as a high school student and was a boarder in his latter years there. He then studied at the University of Sydney
. He was a resident of St. Andrew's College when the Principal, Peter Cameron
, was convicted of heresy by the Presbyterian Church of Australia
. Oakeshott describes Cameron as an influence on his thinking:
During his time at university he did unpaid work experience for Federal Liberal MP Philip Ruddock
. Oakeshott graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
with Honours in Government in 1992. He then worked as an administrative officer at the Road Transport Forum, for the lobbying company Resolutions, as a staffer for National Party
Leader Mark Vaile
and in public relations for the Coalition in Canberra before his own election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
at a by-election on 30 November 1996 after the retirement of National Party member Wendy Machin
on 28 August, winning 46.71% of the primary vote against John Barrett, a former Liberal Party
candidate who stood as an independent after the Liberals, then led by Peter Collins
, decided not to run a candidate. At his election, he was the youngest member of the NSW Legislative Assembly.
He stood again at the 1999 election, increasing his primary vote to 56.05%. Under Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski
, on 19 April 1999 he was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation and the Shadow Minister for Fisheries and Ports. Following a Shadow Cabinet reshuffle on 1 February 2000, Oakeshott lost Fisheries and Ports and took on the shadow portfolio of Gaming and Racing. However, he had become increasingly dissatisfied with the National Party, stating that he was the youngest person at most meetings he attended, and found himself in opposition to many of the party's policies.
Almost immediately after joining the Parliamentary party, he identified a number of points of disagreement, including racism within the party, his republicanism, the National's conservative drug policy and the influence of property developers in the party. At the 1999 vote over a safe injecting room trial, he was pressured to hold the party line and considered leaving politics altogether. He later said that he should have examined the National's ideology more closely:
He also questioned the relevance of the Nationals in an electorate transformed by demographic change and the growth of tourism.
Oakeshott resigned from the National Party and as Shadow Minister on 9 March 2002. He subsequently retained the seat as an independent at the 2003 New South Wales State election, gaining 69.75% of the primary vote, compared to 14% for the National Party candidate.
During his tenure as the state member for Port Macquarie Oakeshott completed a law degree at Macquarie University.
, but he did not nominate.
In April 2008, following the defeat of the Howard Government
, Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan
approached Oakeshott to consider standing as a joint Liberal-National candidate should Mark Vaile retire and a by-election be called. He did not comment at the time because Vaile had not announced his intentions. After Vaile announced his resignation from Parliament on 19 July 2008, triggering a Lyne by-election
, Oakeshott announced that he would consider standing for the seat.
Oakeshott resigned as the independent MP for Port Macquarie
in order to run as an independent candidate at the federal by-election for Lyne. This triggered a Port Macquarie by-election.
Oakeshott was considered the strong favourite for the Lyne by-election: he was placed at $1.16 by Centrebet and $1.15 by Sportingbet to take the seat. He won virtually every booth in the electorate, receiving around two thirds of the primary vote and three quarters of the two-party vote. The extent of his primary vote saw him receive more than $100,000 in electoral reimbursements from the Australian Electoral Commission
.
In his first term, Oakeshott voted 32 times with the ruling Labor
government (including in support of the proposed emission trading scheme) and 9 times with the opposition. He has explained that this record was not indicative of support for Labor's policy platform but rather because he believed in allowing governments to govern.
Oakeshott was re-elected in the 2010 Australian federal election. With neither Labor nor the Liberal/National Coalition
having enough members to form government on their own, he became one of a number of independents whose support was sought by both sides in a bid to form a minority government. Amongst the legislation that he supported was the proposed emissions trading scheme. Oakeshott decided with the other incumbent independents, Bob Katter
and Tony Windsor
, to negotiate as a bloc. While holding different opinions on the issue of climate change, all three have highlighted broadband as a policy important to them. Oakeshott has also said he was interested in establishing a stable government and raised concerns that a 76-seat government was "a by-election away from trouble", and to avoid this he has proposed that a government be formed with ministers from both of the usually antagonistic major parties. If no stable government capable of governing for the full three-year term could be formed, he has recommended that the government should call a new election.
On 7 September 2010, Oakeshott gave his backing to the formation of a Labor minority government. After announcing his decision, he stated that he had been offered a ministry by Julia Gillard and would be considering the offer. On 10 September 2010 he announced that he had turned down becoming the minister for Regional Australia, a portfolio created because of the agreement between himself, Tony Windsor and the ALP. Oakeshott later released a statement saying that he would accept nomination to be the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
if he were nominated by another member, provided proposed Parliamentary reforms were put into place. In the event, he was not nominated, but Harry Jenkins
was elected unopposed as speaker.
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Member of the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
for the Division of Lyne
Division of Lyne
The Division of Lyne is an Australian electoral division located in the State of New South Wales. It lies on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales and includes the Local Government Areas of Gloucester, Greater Taree, Port Macquarie-Hastings and southern Kempsey...
in New South Wales, which he won in the 2008 by-election
Lyne by-election, 2008
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Lyne on 6 September 2008. This was triggered by the resignation of National Party MP Mark Vaile. The by-election was held on the same day as the Mayo by-election, and the Western Australian state election.The writ for the...
following the resignation of former Nationals
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...
leader and Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
minister Mark Vaile
Mark Vaile
Mark Anthony James Vaile , Australian politician, is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and former leader of the National Party of Australia.-Early life:...
. Elected as the Nationals candidate for the state seat of Port Macquarie
Electoral district of Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Leslie Williams of the National Party....
in 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...
in 1996, he left the party to become an independent in 2002, and retained the seat until 2008, when he resigned to run as an independent candidate in the Lyne by-election. Oakeshott describes his views as economically conservative and socially progressive.
Early career and influences
Oakeshott was born in LismoreLismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
. His father, also named Rob Oakeshott, is still a doctor in the area and his grandfather Captain John Oakeshott was a prisoner of war and survived the Sandakan Death Marches
Sandakan Death Marches
The Sandakan Death Marches were a series of forced marches in Borneo from Sandakan to Ranau which resulted in the deaths of more than 3,600 Indonesian civilian slave labourers and 2,400 Allied prisoners of war held captive by the Empire of Japan during the Pacific campaign of World War II at prison...
.
Oakeshott attended Barker College
Barker College
Barker College is an independent Anglican, day and boarding school, located in Hornsby, a North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1890 by the Reverend Henry Plume at Kurrajong Heights, Barker is an all-boys school from Kindergarten to Year 9, and co-educational from...
as a high school student and was a boarder in his latter years there. He then studied at 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 was a resident of St. Andrew's College when the Principal, Peter Cameron
Peter Cameron (minister)
Dr. Peter Cameron is a Scottish Presbyterian minister, theologian, lawyer, and although said to be the only churchman to be branded as a heretic in the 20th century for challenging Christian beliefs, was only one of the more notable.-Early life:...
, was convicted of heresy by the Presbyterian Church of Australia
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
. Oakeshott describes Cameron as an influence on his thinking:
During his time at university he did unpaid work experience for Federal Liberal MP Philip Ruddock
Philip Ruddock
Philip Maxwell Ruddock is an Australian politician who is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Berowra, New South Wales, for the Liberal Party of Australia...
. Oakeshott graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
with Honours in Government in 1992. He then worked as an administrative officer at the Road Transport Forum, for the lobbying company Resolutions, as a staffer for National Party
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...
Leader Mark Vaile
Mark Vaile
Mark Anthony James Vaile , Australian politician, is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and former leader of the National Party of Australia.-Early life:...
and in public relations for the Coalition in Canberra before his own election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
NSW Parliament
He was elected as the National Party member for Port MacquarieElectoral district of Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Leslie Williams of the National Party....
at a by-election on 30 November 1996 after the retirement of National Party member Wendy Machin
Wendy Machin
Wendy Machin , is the president of the National Roads and Motorists' Association . She was the first woman member of the National Party of Australia elected to the New South Wales Parliament and was Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Roads and Assisting the...
on 28 August, winning 46.71% of the primary vote against John Barrett, a former Liberal Party
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...
candidate who stood as an independent after the Liberals, then led by Peter Collins
Peter Collins (Australian politician)
Peter Edward James Collins, AM, RFD, QC was the Leader of the Opposition in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 4 April 1995 to 8 December 1998.-Early years and background:...
, decided not to run a candidate. At his election, he was the youngest member of the NSW Legislative Assembly.
He stood again at the 1999 election, increasing his primary vote to 56.05%. Under Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski
Kerry Chikarovski
Kerry Anne Chikarovski was leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. She served as Leader of the Opposition between 1998 and 2002....
, on 19 April 1999 he was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation and the Shadow Minister for Fisheries and Ports. Following a Shadow Cabinet reshuffle on 1 February 2000, Oakeshott lost Fisheries and Ports and took on the shadow portfolio of Gaming and Racing. However, he had become increasingly dissatisfied with the National Party, stating that he was the youngest person at most meetings he attended, and found himself in opposition to many of the party's policies.
Almost immediately after joining the Parliamentary party, he identified a number of points of disagreement, including racism within the party, his republicanism, the National's conservative drug policy and the influence of property developers in the party. At the 1999 vote over a safe injecting room trial, he was pressured to hold the party line and considered leaving politics altogether. He later said that he should have examined the National's ideology more closely:
He also questioned the relevance of the Nationals in an electorate transformed by demographic change and the growth of tourism.
Oakeshott resigned from the National Party and as Shadow Minister on 9 March 2002. He subsequently retained the seat as an independent at the 2003 New South Wales State election, gaining 69.75% of the primary vote, compared to 14% for the National Party candidate.
During his tenure as the state member for Port Macquarie Oakeshott completed a law degree at Macquarie University.
Federal politics
There were suggestions that Oakeshott would stand as an independent candidate at the 2004 federal election against his former boss and National Party leader Mark Vaile in the seat of LyneDivision of Lyne
The Division of Lyne is an Australian electoral division located in the State of New South Wales. It lies on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales and includes the Local Government Areas of Gloucester, Greater Taree, Port Macquarie-Hastings and southern Kempsey...
, but he did not nominate.
In April 2008, following the defeat of the Howard Government
Howard Government
The Howard Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the Australian House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government...
, Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan
Bill Heffernan
William Daniel Heffernan, more commonly known as Bill Heffernan, , Australian politician, has been a Liberal Party member of the Senate, representing the state of New South Wales, since September 1996.-Early life:...
approached Oakeshott to consider standing as a joint Liberal-National candidate should Mark Vaile retire and a by-election be called. He did not comment at the time because Vaile had not announced his intentions. After Vaile announced his resignation from Parliament on 19 July 2008, triggering a Lyne by-election
Lyne by-election, 2008
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Lyne on 6 September 2008. This was triggered by the resignation of National Party MP Mark Vaile. The by-election was held on the same day as the Mayo by-election, and the Western Australian state election.The writ for the...
, Oakeshott announced that he would consider standing for the seat.
Oakeshott resigned as the independent MP for Port Macquarie
Electoral district of Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Leslie Williams of the National Party....
in order to run as an independent candidate at the federal by-election for Lyne. This triggered a Port Macquarie by-election.
Oakeshott was considered the strong favourite for the Lyne by-election: he was placed at $1.16 by Centrebet and $1.15 by Sportingbet to take the seat. He won virtually every booth in the electorate, receiving around two thirds of the primary vote and three quarters of the two-party vote. The extent of his primary vote saw him receive more than $100,000 in electoral reimbursements from the Australian Electoral Commission
Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...
.
In his first term, Oakeshott voted 32 times with the ruling 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...
government (including in support of the proposed emission trading scheme) and 9 times with the opposition. He has explained that this record was not indicative of support for Labor's policy platform but rather because he believed in allowing governments to govern.
Oakeshott was re-elected in the 2010 Australian federal election. With neither Labor nor the Liberal/National Coalition
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...
having enough members to form government on their own, he became one of a number of independents whose support was sought by both sides in a bid to form a minority government. Amongst the legislation that he supported was the proposed emissions trading scheme. Oakeshott decided with the other incumbent independents, Bob Katter
Bob Katter
Robert Carl "Bob" Katter is an Australian federal politician, a member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1993 for the Division of Kennedy, and the leader of Katter's Australian Party...
and Tony Windsor
Tony Windsor
Antony Harold Curties "Tony" Windsor , an Australian politician, is an independent member of the House of Representatives since 2001, representing the Division of New England, New South Wales...
, to negotiate as a bloc. While holding different opinions on the issue of climate change, all three have highlighted broadband as a policy important to them. Oakeshott has also said he was interested in establishing a stable government and raised concerns that a 76-seat government was "a by-election away from trouble", and to avoid this he has proposed that a government be formed with ministers from both of the usually antagonistic major parties. If no stable government capable of governing for the full three-year term could be formed, he has recommended that the government should call a new election.
On 7 September 2010, Oakeshott gave his backing to the formation of a Labor minority government. After announcing his decision, he stated that he had been offered a ministry by Julia Gillard and would be considering the offer. On 10 September 2010 he announced that he had turned down becoming the minister for Regional Australia, a portfolio created because of the agreement between himself, Tony Windsor and the ALP. Oakeshott later released a statement saying that he would accept nomination to be the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Parliament of Australia. The presiding officer in the upper house is the President of the Senate....
if he were nominated by another member, provided proposed Parliamentary reforms were put into place. In the event, he was not nominated, but Harry Jenkins
Harry Jenkins
Henry Alfred "Harry" Jenkins , an Australian politician, is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Scullin, Victoria, since the 1986 by-election for the Australian Labor Party...
was elected unopposed as speaker.