Joanna Gash
Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox officeholder
Joanna Gash Template:Post-nominals (born 21 July 1944) is an Australian former politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Gilmore for the Liberal Party from 1996 to 2013.
In 2012, Gash was directly elected as Mayor of Shoalhaven in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales. In 2016, she lost the mayoralty to Greens candidate Amanda Findley.
Personal life
Gash was born in Groningen in the Netherlands, and emigrated to Australia when she was six. She was educated at Institute of Administration in Sydney. Before entering politics she was a Regional Manager with the Tourism Commission of New South Wales, a guest house co-proprietor,<ref name=parl>Template:Cite web</ref> and a Councillor of the Wingecarribee Shire Council. She was for many years a scripture and Sunday School teacher and spent many weekends at the Church of England Camps at the Port Hacking River (Camp Howard).Template:Citation needed
Political career
Gash was elected to Federal Parliament at the 1996 federal election. In January 2012, she announced that she would not be contesting the next federal election. At the same time, she announced her intention to stand for the mayoral position at the Shoalhaven City Council elections, due to be held in September 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gash was successful, winning the directly elected role with 63.19% of the vote.<ref name=mayor>Template:Cite web</ref> She also led a ticket that saw nine other Councillors elected to the thirteenTemplate:Endashmember Shoalhaven City Council.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following her election as mayor, there was criticism about her constitutional ability to hold office as a federal Member of Parliament and to hold an office of profit under the crown, as Mayor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gash vigorously defended her position.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
She sought re-election as mayor of City of Shoalhaven at the 2016 NSW Local Council Elections, but lost her position following a massive swing, which saw her lose about half of the vote she won at the 2012 election. Amanda Findley of the Australian Greens was elected as mayor,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with Gash being elected as a Ward 2 councillor.
In the 2019 federal election contest for the seat of Gilmore, which she formerly represented, Gash, together with her successor Ann Sudmalis, endorsed the National Party candidate Katrina Hodgkinson<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> over the Prime Minister Scott Morrison's "captain's pick" candidate for the Liberal Party, Warren Mundine. The seat was the only one gained by the Labor Party in the election.
Honours and awards
In 2017, Gash was appointed a member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the Parliament of Australia, to local government, and to the community of the Shoalhaven.<ref name=AM.gen.div.A-L>Template:Cite web</ref>
References
External links
Template:S-start Template:S-par Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-end Template:Authority control
- 1944 births
- Living people
- Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Gilmore
- Dutch emigrants to Australia
- People who lost Dutch citizenship
- Naturalised citizens of Australia
- Politicians from Groningen (city)
- Women members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Mayors of places in New South Wales
- Women mayors of places in New South Wales
- 21st-century Australian women politicians
- Members of the Order of Australia
- 20th-century Australian women politicians
- Australian MPs 1996–1998
- Australian MPs 1998–2001
- Australian MPs 2001–2004
- Australian MPs 2004–2007
- Australian MPs 2007–2010
- Australian MPs 2010–2013