Preceded by Rob Oakeshott Children Three Nationality Australian Alma mater University of Sydney | Political party The Nationals Name David Gillespie Spouse(s) Charlotte Gillespie Education University of Sydney | |
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Born 20 December 1957 (age 66)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia ( 1957-12-20 ) Role Member of the Australian House of Representatives Party National Party of Australia Office Member of the Australian Parliament since 2013 Profiles | ||
David Arthur Gillespie (born 20 December 1957) is an Australian politician. He has been a Nationals member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Lyne in New South Wales, since September 2013. Gillespie served as the Assistant Minister for Rural Health between July 2016 and January 2017 and has served as the Assistant Minister for Health since January 2017.
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Career
Gillespie was born in Canberra. He was a gastroenterologist for twenty years and, up until the 2013 election, was the director of physician training at Port Macquarie Base Hospital.
In 2010, he contested the seat of Lyne for the first time, representing the Nationals. His opponent, the incumbent independent member Rob Oakeshott, defeated him, but there was a 10-point swing towards the Nationals. Following Oakeshott's retirement at the 2013 federal election, Gillespie contested the seat again and won. Lyne had been a comfortably safe National seat in a traditional two-party matchup, so it was expected that it would revert to the Nationals once Oakeshott retired.
With the re-election of the Turnbull Government at the 2016 federal election, Gillespie was appointed as the Assistant Minister for Rural Health in the first arrangement of the Second Turnbull ministry and was promoted as the Assistant Minister for Health in a subsequent rearrangement of the ministry in January 2017.
Gillespie came under scrutiny after the High Court ruling in the Bob Day case. In April 2017, the High Court found that, under section 44(v) of the Australian Constitution, Senator Day had not been eligible to hold public office because of an indirect pecuniary relationship with the Australian government. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) opposition and some community groups believe that Gillespie also has an indirect financial relationship with the federal government, in that he owns a suburban shopping complex in Port Macquarie which leases a premises to an Australia Post licensee.
In July 2017, the ALP launched a High Court challenge to Gillespie's eligibility as an MP. The case was formally brought by Peter Alley, the ALP candidate for Gillespie's seat of Lyne at the 2016 federal election.
Personal
Gillespie is married to Charlotte, and they have three children. The family lives at Sancrox, west of Port Macquarie.