Susan Davies
Encyclopedia
Susan Margaret Davies is a former Australia
n politician.
She was born in Mirboo North
, Victoria
, to parents Richard Llewellyn (dec) and Jean Margaret Davies (dec). She attended Leongatha
High School (1966–70) and Watsonia
High School in 1971, when she completed her Higher School Certificate. She received a Bachelor of Arts
and a Diploma of Education
in 1976 from Latrobe University. She subsequently became a secondary school teacher, and began farming in addition to this in 1989.
Davies joined the Australian Labor Party
in 1993,as part of the rural protest against Kennett government funding and service cuts, and was the Labor candidate for Gippsland West
in the 1996 Victorian state election. Sitting Liberal
MP Alan Brown
resigned less than a year after the state election, precipitating a bi-election. When the Labor party declined to stand a candidate for the very safe Liberal seat, she resigned from the Labor Party and contested the by-election as an independent
, emerging victorious. She held her seat in the 1999 state election, holding the balance of power with 2 other rural Independents when a significant, mostly rural, and very anti-Kennett- government swing lead to a hung parliament. She played a key role in developing the Independents' Charter, which the 3 Independents used as a basis for selecting Steve Bracks and the Labor Party as the new minority government. She served on the Public Accounts and Estimates committee during the following parliamentary term. Prior to the 2002 election her seat of Gippsland West was abolished. She contested the notionally Liberal seat of Bass
, but lost to the Liberal candidate, Ken Smith
.
She later rejoined the Labor Party and contested the 2004 federal election as the Labor candidate for La Trobe
. She was defeated by the Liberal candidate, Jason Wood.
Susan now runs a small farm in South Gippsland, is part of a local food producers' network and Korumburra landcare, and is a director on several organisations, including Chairing Energy Innovation Co-operative Ltd, which promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency measures as a response to climate change and peak oil.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician.
She was born in Mirboo North
Mirboo North, Victoria
Mirboo North is a town in Victoria, Australia, located east of Melbourne, with a population of 2688. It is in the South Gippsland Shire local government area....
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, to parents Richard Llewellyn (dec) and Jean Margaret Davies (dec). She attended Leongatha
Leongatha, Victoria
Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. The town is the commercial, religious, educational and civic centre of the region. At the 2006 census, Leongatha had a population of 4,504.The Murray...
High School (1966–70) and Watsonia
Watsonia, Victoria
Watsonia is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Watsonia had a population of 4905.-History:...
High School in 1971, when she completed her Higher School Certificate. She received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and a Diploma of Education
Diploma of Education
The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom...
in 1976 from Latrobe University. She subsequently became a secondary school teacher, and began farming in addition to this in 1989.
Davies joined the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
in 1993,as part of the rural protest against Kennett government funding and service cuts, and was the Labor candidate for Gippsland West
Electoral district of Gippsland West
ĦThe electoral district of Gippsland West was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria.-Members for Gippsland West:-External links:...
in the 1996 Victorian state election. Sitting Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
MP Alan Brown
Alan Brown (Australian politician)
Alan John Brown , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly and Leader of the Opposition from 1989 to 1991....
resigned less than a year after the state election, precipitating a bi-election. When the Labor party declined to stand a candidate for the very safe Liberal seat, she resigned from the Labor Party and contested the by-election as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, emerging victorious. She held her seat in the 1999 state election, holding the balance of power with 2 other rural Independents when a significant, mostly rural, and very anti-Kennett- government swing lead to a hung parliament. She played a key role in developing the Independents' Charter, which the 3 Independents used as a basis for selecting Steve Bracks and the Labor Party as the new minority government. She served on the Public Accounts and Estimates committee during the following parliamentary term. Prior to the 2002 election her seat of Gippsland West was abolished. She contested the notionally Liberal seat of Bass
Electoral district of Bass
The Electoral district of Bass is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is covers a diverse range of terrority, from outer suburban Pakenham to the rural towns of Lang Lang and Nar Nar Goon to the coastal tourist centres of Phillip Island and Inverloch. It is named after...
, but lost to the Liberal candidate, Ken Smith
Ken Smith (politician)
Kenneth Maurice Smith is an Australian politician who is currently the member for Bass in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly....
.
She later rejoined the Labor Party and contested the 2004 federal election as the Labor candidate for La Trobe
Division of La Trobe
The Division of La Trobe is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the outer eastern/south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was originally located closer to the city, but redistributions moved it further south-east. It originally included the suburbs of Croydon,...
. She was defeated by the Liberal candidate, Jason Wood.
Susan now runs a small farm in South Gippsland, is part of a local food producers' network and Korumburra landcare, and is a director on several organisations, including Chairing Energy Innovation Co-operative Ltd, which promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency measures as a response to climate change and peak oil.