Damian Hale

Damian Hale
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Solomon
In office
24 November 2007 – 21 August 2010
Preceded byDave Tollner
Succeeded byNatasha Griggs
Personal details
Born (1969-12-28) 28 December 1969 (age 54)
Ipswich, Queensland
NationalityAustralian
Political partyAustralian Labor Party
OccupationAustralian rules footballer

Damian Francis Hale (born 28 December 1969) is a former Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Solomon from 2007 to 2010. He moved to the Northern Territory in 1974 and grew up in Maningrida, Katherine and Darwin, with his teacher parents, Bob and Bev Hale.

While growing up he was actively involved in sports, representing the Northern Territory in rugby league and Australian rules football.[1] He later coached St Mary's Football Club to three premierships (2003-5[2]) in the Northern Territory Football League. He has five children.[1]

Hale won the marginal seat of Solomon for the Australian Labor Party at the 2007 Australia federal election, defeating sitting Country Liberal Party member Dave Tollner.[3] Hale won an extremely close preselection process which included a letter of support from Labor leader Kevin Rudd despite Rudd having never met Hale.[4]

In June 2007 Hale was involved in an altercation with Fremantle Football Club player Chris Tarrant in a popular Darwin nightspot. Hale received a black eye when he was struck by Tarrant after intervening when the inebriated Tarrant exposed his buttocks to a female colleague of Hale.[5][6]

Hale contested the 2016 Northern Territory election in the seat of Blain, which had been vacated by Nathan Barrett. He finished first on the primary vote, ahead of former Country Liberal Party Chief Minister Terry Mills, who ran for his old seat as an independent. However, despite the massive Labor wave that swept through Darwin/Palmerston, Mills defeated Hale on CLP preferences.[7]

  1. ^ a b "ALP Profile". Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  2. ^ Rex Nixon (19 October 2007). "Northern Territory Football League - Premiership Placings 1971/2 to 2006/7". Full Points Footy. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2007.
  3. ^ "Labor wins Solomon". ABC. 11 December 2007.
  4. ^ Black and white labor[permanent dead link‍]; The Bulletin; 1 February 2007
  5. ^ Tarrant investigated over nightclub scuffle; ABC News (Australia); 18 June 2007
  6. ^ Tarrant faces fine, ban[permanent dead link‍]; The West Australian; 19 June 2007
  7. ^ "Lynne Walker closing gap after recount". Northern Territory News. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.