David Winderlich

David Winderlich
Member of the Legislative Council
of South Australia
In office
17 February 2009 – 20 March 2010
Personal details
Born (1964-01-18) 18 January 1964 (age 60)
Adelaide, Australia
Political partyAustralian Democrats (2009)
Independent (2009–10)

David Nicholas Winderlich (born 18 January 1964), is an Australian teacher, public servant and politician who in February 2009 was the Australian Democrats nominee to fill a South Australian Legislative Council casual vacancy in a joint sitting of the Parliament of South Australia following the January 2009 parliamentary resignation of the incumbent Democrats member Sandra Kanck.[1][2] Becoming an independent after nine months, he was the last Democrat to have sat in any Australian parliament. He was not re-elected at the 2010 election.[1]

On 20 July 2009 Winderlich announced that, unless 1,000 new members joined the Democrats SA division by 23 November, he would leave the party and sit as an independent,[3] which eventuated on 7 October 2009.[4]

Winderlich announced that, as an independent, he would focus on three policy areas: governmental reform,[5][6] rights and freedoms, e.g., for bikies,[7] and a sustainable approach to the management of water resources in South Australia. In particular, he was opposed to the Port Stanvac Desalination Plant and to the Wellington Weir proposal.[8]

  1. ^ a b "David Nicholas Winderlich". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Sandra Myrtho Kanck". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Democrats MP divides party with 1,000-member ultimatum". ABC News. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Last Democrat goes from Aussie parliaments". ABC News. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  5. ^ "MP urges ICAC to plug crime fighting gap". ABC News. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Burnside CEO reappointment 'illegal'". ABC News. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Amendments to tough SA anti-bikie laws". The Age. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Wellington weir 'will speed up acidification'". ABC News. 14 March 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2022.