Gavin Pearce

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Gavin Pearce
MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Braddon
Assumed office
18 May 2019
Preceded byJustine Keay
Personal details
Born (1967-12-21) 21 December 1967 (age 54)
Wynyard, Tasmania, Australia
Political partyLiberal
OccupationSoldier, farmer

Gavin Bruce Pearce[1] (born 21 December 1967)[2] is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election. He is a member of the Liberal Party and represents the Division of Braddon in Tasmania.

Early life[]

Pearce was born in Tasmania to a family which has "lived and farmed in the Sisters Creek region since the 1850s".[3] He served in the army for 20 years, and was stationed in East Timor for a period.[4] He later became the president of the Wynyard RSL branch. Prior to entering politics, Pearce farmed beef cattle at Lapoinya. He was vice-chair of the Yolla Producers Cooperative Society, based in Wynyard.[3]

Politics[]

In October 2018, Pearce won Liberal preselection for the Division of Braddon. He had previously stood for preselection at the 2018 Braddon by-election, but was defeated by former Liberal MP Brett Whiteley.[5]

At the 2019 federal election, Pearce defeated the incumbent Labor MP Justine Keay with a five-point swing on the two-party-preferred count.[6] It is the third consecutive federal election in which the incumbent MP has been defeated in Braddon.[7]

Personal life[]

Pearce met his first wife Amanda-Jane while they were both in the military. They had one son together before her death from lymphoma in 2009, aged 32.[4] As of 2019, he was engaged to Megan McGinty with whom he has one daughter.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "Qualification checklist" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Mr Gavin Pearce MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Mr Gavin Pearce MP". Tasmanian Liberals. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Remembering a fallen love". The Advocate. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  5. ^ "'Ordinary bloke' Gavin Pearce secured Liberal preselection for federal election". The Advocate. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Braddon (Key Seat)". ABC News. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Labor-held Braddon tipped to fall to Liberal Gavin Pearce". The Australian. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Gavin Pearce claims Braddon victory for Liberal on platform of health funding and jobs creation". The Advocate. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Braddon
2019–present 		Incumbent
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