Luke Howarth
Luke Howarth | |
---|---|
![]() Howarth visiting Woody Point Pharmacy in the electorate of Petrie | |
Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services | |
Assumed office 22 December 2020 | |
Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services | |
In office 29 May 2019 – 22 December 2020 | |
Succeeded by | Michael Sukkar |
Member of Parliament for Petrie | |
Assumed office 7 September 2013 | |
Preceded by | Yvette D'Ath |
Personal details | |
Born | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | 6 June 1972
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | LNP |
Occupation | Small Businessman |
Luke Ronald Howarth (born 6 June 1972) is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2013 federal election, representing the Division of Petrie. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, and sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament.[1]
Early life and education[]
Howarth was born in Brisbane, Queensland in 1972, to Ron and Denise Howarth, and grew up in Bracken Ridge. Howarth has one sister.[2][3]
He married his wife Louise in 1999, and they have three sons.[2]
Howarth joined the LNP when he was 19 years old.[2]
Career[]
After leaving school, Howarth's first job was working at Barry Bull's Toombul Music.[2] He worked at Sony Australia as a sales rep from 1993 to 2001.[4] In 2002, Howarth joined his family's pest control business, alongside his mother, father and wife.[2]
Political career[]
In 2004, Howarth ran in the Queensland state election in the electoral district of Sandgate against the incumbent Labor MP Gordon Nuttall, however was unsuccessful despite a 10% swing to him.[2][5]
At the 2013 federal election Howarth narrowly won the seat of Petrie with a 0.5% margin, defeating the sitting ALP member, Yvette D'Ath, who had held the seat since the 2007 federal election.[6] He was reelected at the 2016 federal election, with an increased 1.6% margin. In line with other Liberal National Party candidates in Queensland, there was a significant swing in the 2019 election, increasing the margin to 8.4%.[7][8]
In August 2018, Howarth played a key role in the leadership spill which removed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull from his position.[9]
In July 2019, Howarth spoke to ABC Radio National in his newly appointed role as the Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services. Howarth announced he wanted to "put a positive spin on [homelessness][10]". He claimed that homelessness had reduced in the area of rough sleeping over the past 15 years from 8,926 people in 2001 to 8,200 people in 2016 despite a 20% increase in the population. However, this claim has mixed verdicts, as the figures disguise a sharp rebound in the number of rough sleepers over the most recent five-year period, where the 2011 census put the number of rough sleepers at 6,810 (a rate of 3.2 people per 10,000 of population) and risen by 20% to 8,200 (a rate of 3.5 per 10,000) by 2016.[11][12]
In December 2020, Howarth became the Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services.[13]
References[]
- ^ "Luke Howarth Candidate for Petrie". Liberal Party of Australia. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Moore, Tony (25 October 2013). "Luke, not Clive, Queensland's newest conservative MP". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ "ParlInfo - GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH : Address-in-Reply". parlinfo.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Hon Luke Howarth MP". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 16 July 2019.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ "Sandgate - 2004 - Election Archive - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ "Petrie - Australia Votes | Federal Election 2013 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ "Electorate: Petrie". Australia Votes. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Petrie (Key Seat) - Federal Election 2019 Electorate, Candidates, Results | Australia Votes - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ Koziol, Michael (14 April 2019). "The battle for Petrie: Labor smells blood, but One Nation could be kingmakers". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (9 July 2019). "Community housing minister Luke Howarth wants a 'positive spin' on homelessness". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ "Minister for Housing Luke Howarth wants a 'positive spin' on homelessness". www.msn.com. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ Check, RMIT ABC Fact (15 July 2019). "Why Luke Howarth's claims on homelessness in Australia get mixed verdicts". ABC News. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ "Media Statement 18 Dec Prime Minister". Prime Minister of Australia. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- 1972 births
- Living people
- Liberal National Party of Queensland members of the Parliament of Australia
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Petrie
- 21st-century Australian politicians