David Gibson (Australian politician)

David Gibson
Chair, State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee
In office 15 November 2012 – 31 January 2015
Preceded by	Ted Malone
Minister for Police and Community Safety of Queensland
In office 3 April 2012 – 16 April 2012
Premier	Campbell Newman
Preceded by	Neil Roberts (Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services)
Succeeded by	Jack Dempsey
Member of the Queensland Parliament for Gympie
In office 9 September 2006 – 31 January 2015
Preceded by	Elisa Roberts
Succeeded by	Tony Perrett
Personal details
Born	David Francis Gibson (1967-10-13) 13 October 1967 Fremantle, Western Australia
Political party	Liberal National (2008–present)
Other political affiliations	National (2006–2008)
Awards	Australian Defence Medal
Military service
Service/branch	Australian Army
Rank	Captain

David Francis Gibson (born 13 October 1967) is a former Australian politician and the current Chairman of the Board of Deaf Services Queensland.^[1]

In 2006, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the National Party member for Gympie, defeating sitting independent Elisa Roberts, a former One Nation MP. He joined the Liberal National Party when it formed in September 2008. In January 2015 Mr Gibson retired from State politics.^[2]

Early life

David was born in Fremantle, Western Australia, as the eldest of two children to deaf parents. As a child of deaf adults he took on the role of interpreting for his parents to help them communicate in a hearing world.

Early career

Gibson began his military career in 1985 as an Army Reserve Private in the West Australian University Regiment whilst still at high school. In 1986 he entered the Royal Military College Duntroon and graduated serving as an Army officer for 8½ years before embarking on a career in media marketing and management. In 2001 he started working for the APN Newspaper The NewsMail as its Newspaper Sales and Marketing Manager. In June 2004 he was promoted as to the position of general manager of the APN publication The Gympie Times in Gympie, Queensland.

Parliamentary career

David was elected to the Queensland Parliament at the September 2006 state election, winning the safe Independent seat of Gympie for the National Party from a field of seven candidates. In the 52nd Parliament he served on the Public Accounts Committee. Promoted to shadow cabinet 16 months after entering Parliament he took on the responsibilities as Shadow Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change & Innovation, and Shadow Minister for Clean Energy Strategy. Re-elected in the March 2009 state election, the electorate of Gympie was the safest seat in the Parliament. He held the senior portfolio as the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Planning until September 2010.

He was the first member of any Parliament in Australia to give a maiden speech in sign language and many give him credit for lobbying to bring the National Week of Deaf People activities into the Parliament, including the provisions of interpreters for question time and a debate between members of the deaf community and members of parliament on disability issues in 2009.^[3] David was also the first MP to engage a Deaf student as an intern.^[4]

Following the LNP's winning government in the 2012 state election David was promoted to minister for Police and Community Safety.^[5]

Prior to the 2012 state election, he was the Shadow Minister for Local Government and the Shadow Minister for Sport.

On 16 April 2012, Gibson resigned over allegations he had driven with a suspended licence.^[6] On 3 July 2012, Gibson pleaded guilty to driving whilst his license was suspended and was disqualified from driving for one month and fined $300.^[7]

On 18 July 2012, the Newman government unveiled a ‘blueprint’ to reinvigorate the Mary Valley, after the previous Labor Government's failed Traveston Crossing Dam project and appointed Gibson to chair the Mary Valley Economic Development Advisory Group. .^[8]

On 15 November 2012, Gibson was appointed to chair the State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee.^[9]

Community activities

Gibson was a member of the Gympie Apex club and has held executive roles on local P&Cs at his children’s schools and various community organisations.

He is a director of Deaf Services Queensland.^[10]

Personal

He is married and has five children: four sons and a daughter.

See also

• Politics of Australia

References

External links