Gavin Pearce

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.

Gavin Pearce MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Braddon
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 May 2019
Preceded by	Justine Keay
Personal details
Born	21 December 1967 Wynyard, Tasmania, Australia
Political party	Liberal
Occupation	Soldier, farmer

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. "Mr Gavin Pearce MP". Tasmanian Liberals. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
4. "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.