David Leyonhjelm

David Leyonhjelm
Senator for New South Wales
In office
1 July 2014 – 1 March 2019
Preceded byUrsula Stephens
Succeeded byDuncan Spender
Chairman of Outdoor Recreation Party
In office
4 March 2011 – 10 August 2017
Succeeded byParty dissolved
Chairman of the Shooters Party
In office
27 March 1999 – 26 February 2005
Preceded byJohn Tingle
Succeeded byRobert Brown
Personal details
Born
David Ean Leyonhjelm[1]

(1952-04-01) 1 April 1952 (age 72)
Nhill, Victoria, Australia
Political partyLiberal Democratic (2005–present)
Other political
affiliations
Labor (1969–1975)
Liberal (1975–1996)
Shooters Party (1996–2005)
Outdoor Recreation Party (2005–2017)
Domestic partnerAmanda Downes
Residence(s)Sydney, Australia
EducationDandenong High School
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne (BVSc)
Macquarie University (LLB, MBA)
OccupationPrivate Veterinarian
(Self-employed)
Agribusiness consultant
(Baron Strategic Services)
ProfessionVeterinarian
businessman
WebsiteOfficial Website
Military service
Branch/serviceAustralian Army Reserve
Years of service1982–1983[2]

David Ean Leyonhjelm ( /ˈlənhɛlm/ "lion-helm"; born 1 April 1952) is an Australian former politician. He was a Senator for New South Wales, representing the Liberal Democratic Party from 2014 to 2019. Having been elected at the 2013 federal election, he took office on 1 July 2014, and was re-elected in the 2016 full Senate election.[3] He resigned from the Senate in March 2019 to stand for the Legislative Council at the 2019 New South Wales state election, but failed to be elected.[4] Before being elected to federal parliament, Leyonhjelm worked as a veterinarian and then as an agribusiness consultant. He also writes columns for several Australian publications, with a concentration on rural issues.

  1. ^ Government Gazette of Western Australia, 3 June 1983, p 1715
  2. ^ "Former Senator David Leyonhjelm". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  3. ^ "New South Wales Senators have been decided – Australian Electoral Commission". Aec.gov.au. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  4. ^ "David Leyonhjelm misses out on NSW Upper House seat". The New Daily. 15 April 2019.