David Scott Thomson is a former Australian politician. He was the National Country Party

National Party of Australia

The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...

 (later the National Party) member for the House of Representatives

Australian House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....

 seat of Leichhardt

Division of Leichhardt

The Division of Leichhardt is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was first proclaimed in 1949. It is one of Australia's largest electorates, covering an area stretching from Cairns to Cape York and the Torres Strait, including the Torres Strait Islands.-About the...

 from the 1975 election

Australian federal election, 1975

Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1975. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election following a double dissolution of both Houses....

 until his defeat by John Gayler

John Gayler

John Gayler was an Australian politician. Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, he was a solicitor before entering politics. In 1983, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Leichhardt. He held the seat until his retirement in 1993.-References:...

 at the 1983 election

Australian federal election, 1983

Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...

. He was Minister for Science and the Environment

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts (Australia)

The current Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities is Tony Burke, who took over from Peter Garrett . The Minister and department change took effect in the Second Gillard Ministry on 14 September 2010...

 from December 1979 until November 1980 and then Minister for Science and Technology

Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (Australia)

The current Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research is Kim Carr, appointed on 3 December 2007. He administers his portfolio through the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.-List of Ministers for Industry :...

 until the Fraser

Malcolm Fraser

John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...

government's defeat at the 1983 election.

In 1985, David took part in an oral history interview for the Parliamentary Bicentenary Publications Project recorded by his son, Alistair Thomson.