Brendon Grylls

Brendon Grylls
Grylls in September 2011
13th Leader of the National Party
in Western Australia
In office
9 August 2016 – 11 March 2017
DeputyMia Davies
Preceded byTerry Redman
Succeeded byMia Davies
In office
21 June 2005 – 19 November 2013
DeputyTerry Waldron
Preceded byMax Trenorden
Succeeded byTerry Redman
Member of the Legislative Assembly
of Western Australia
In office
9 March 2013 – 11 March 2017
Preceded byTom Stephens
Succeeded byKevin Michel
ConstituencyPilbara
In office
24 November 2001 – 6 September 2008
Preceded byHendy Cowan
Succeeded byNone (abolished)
ConstituencyMerredin
In office
6 September 2008 – 9 March 2013
Preceded byNone (new seat)
Succeeded byMia Davies
ConstituencyCentral Wheatbelt
Personal details
Born
Brendon John Grylls

(1973-06-05) 5 June 1973 (age 51)
Perth, Western Australia
Political partyNational

Brendon John Grylls (born 5 June 1973) is an Australian politician who was a National Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 2001 to 2017. Grylls became leader of the National Party in Western Australia from 2005 to 2013, and again from 2016, however he lost his seat at the state election in 2017.

Grylls was born in Perth, but was raised in Corrigin, a small town in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region. A farmer and small business owner, he was elected to the Corrigin Shire Council in 2000, but resigned the following year to contest the 2001 state election, winning the seat of Merredin. Grylls was elected state leader of the National Party in 2005, replacing Max Trenorden. At the 2008 state election, his seat was abolished in a redistribution, and he transferred to the new seat of Central Wheatbelt. The Nationals won the overall balance of power, and Grylls subsequently chose to support Colin Barnett as premier, allowing the Liberal Party to form a minority government. Grylls was appointed Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Lands in the Barnett ministry.

At the 2013 state election, Grylls transferred from ultra-safe Central Wheatbelt to the traditionally Labor-held seat of Pilbara; the move by Grylls would later prove to be the turning point in his bid to hold a seat in the Western Australia MLA and was prompted by a political strategy to test the National's appeal to the regions.[1] He was the first National to win the seat, which has historically been a safe seat for the Labor Party. Grylls resigned both from the ministry and as leader of the National Party in November 2013, citing a desire to focus on his personal life. He returned as party leader in August 2016, replacing Terry Redman, and was re-appointed to the ministry. He was defeated by the Labor candidate Kevin Michel when re-contesting Pilbara at the 2017 state election.[2]

  1. ^ "Brendon Grylls risks all in battle for the Pilbara". 26 February 2013.
  2. ^ Zaunmayr, Tom (14 March 2017). "Defeated Grylls' job hunt to keep family in Pilbara". The West Australian. Retrieved 14 March 2017.