Denis Napthine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Denis Napthine
|
|
|---|---|
Napthine in 2013
|
|
| 47th Premier of Victoria | |
| In office 6 March 2013 – 4 December 2014 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Alex Chernov |
| Deputy | Peter Ryan |
| Preceded by | Ted Baillieu |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Andrews |
| Leader of the Opposition of Victoria | |
| In office 26 October 1999 – 20 August 2002 |
|
| Premier | Steve Bracks |
| Deputy | Louise Asher |
| Preceded by | Jeff Kennett |
| Succeeded by | Robert Doyle |
| Leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria | |
| In office 6 March 2013 – 4 December 2014 |
|
| Deputy | Louise Asher |
| Preceded by | Ted Baillieu |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Guy |
| In office 26 October 1999 – 20 August 2002 |
|
| Deputy | Louise Asher |
| Preceded by | Jeff Kennett |
| Succeeded by | Robert Doyle |
| Minister for Regional Cities and Racing | |
| In office 13 March 2013 – 4 December 2014 |
|
| Premier | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Martin Pakula (Racing) |
| Minister for the Arts | |
| In office 6 March 2013 – 13 March 2013 |
|
| Premier | Himself |
| Preceded by | Ted Baillieu |
| Succeeded by | Heidi Victoria |
| Minister for Ports, Regional Cities, Racing and Major Projects | |
| In office 2 December 2010 – 13 March 2013 |
|
| Premier | Ted Baillieu Himself |
| Preceded by | Tim Pallas (Ports, Major Projects) Rob Hulls (Racing) |
| Succeeded by | David Hodgett (Ports, Major Projects) |
| Treasurer of Victoria | |
| In office 7 October 1999 – 20 October 1999 |
|
| Premier | Jeff Kennett |
| Preceded by | Alan Stockdale |
| Succeeded by | Steve Bracks |
| Minister for Youth and Community Services | |
| In office 30 March 1996 – 18 September 1999 |
|
| Premier | Jeff Kennett |
| Preceded by | Vin Heffernan (Youth) Michael John (Community) |
| Succeeded by | Jacinta Allan (Youth) Christine Campbell (Community) |
| Member of Parliament for South-West Coast |
|
| In office 30 November 2002 – 3 September 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | Roma Britnell |
| Member of the Victorian Parliament for Portland |
|
| In office 1 October 1988 – 30 November 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Digby Crozier |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Denis Vincent Napthine
6 March 1952 Geelong, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Peggy |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne Deakin University |
| Profession | Veterinarian |
| Signature |  |
Denis Vincent Napthine (born 6 March 1952) is an Australian former politician and veterinarian. He served as the 47th Premier of Victoria from 2013 to 2014. He was also the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia in Victoria.
Mr. Napthine was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, which is like the state parliament. He represented the area of Portland from 1988 to 2002. Later, he represented South-West Coast from 2002 to 2015.
He became the leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria on 6 March 2013. On the same day, he became the Premier. His party lost the state election on 29 November 2014. After this, he stepped down as leader, and Matthew Guy took his place.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Denis Napthine was born in 1952 in Geelong, Victoria. He was the third of ten children in his family.
He went to Winchelsea Primary School and then Chanel College in Geelong. After school, he studied to become a veterinarian at the University of Melbourne. He earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in veterinary science. Later, he also completed a master's degree in business administration from Deakin University.
Political Journey
Denis Napthine was first elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1988. He represented the country area of Portland. He was re-elected several times in 1992, 1996, and 1999.
In 1992, he became a Parliamentary Secretary for Health. In 1996, he was promoted to Minister for Youth and Community Services. He held this role in Jeff Kennett's Liberal government until 1999.
After the Liberal Party lost the 1999 election, Jeff Kennett resigned as leader. Denis Napthine was then chosen to be the new leader. During his time as the leader of the opposition, the Liberal and National parties in Victoria separated for a while.
The Liberal Party did not do well in public opinion polls under his leadership. Before the 2002 state election, Robert Doyle challenged him for the leadership. Mr. Doyle won by a small number of votes. In that election, Napthine ran in a new area called South-West Coast. He won, but with a much smaller lead. He was re-elected in 2006 with a larger lead.
When the Liberals won the 2010 Victorian election, Napthine became a minister in the government led by Ted Baillieu. He was in charge of Ports, Racing, Regional Cities, and Major Projects.
Becoming Premier of Victoria
.jpg)
On 6 March 2013, Ted Baillieu resigned as Premier of Victoria. On his 61st birthday, Denis Napthine was chosen by the Liberal Party to be the new leader and Premier. At that time, the government became a "minority government." This meant they had fewer seats than the opposition, but they could still govern with the support of an independent politician.
In June 2014, there was some political instability. A member of parliament, Geoff Shaw, was suspended for eleven days and fined for misusing his parliamentary car and fuel card. This event caused some challenges for Napthine's government.
In September 2014, Napthine's government signed a large contract for a road project called the East West Link. This project was very expensive and caused a lot of discussion. The contract included a promise to pay the construction companies a large amount of money if the project was cancelled. When a new government took over, they decided to stop the project. This meant the state had to pay a significant amount of money to the companies, which led to criticism. The total cost of the project was much higher than first estimated.
After Being Premier
On 29 November 2014, after the Victorian state election, Denis Napthine's party lost to the Labor party, led by Daniel Andrews.
Napthine had planned to stay in parliament for the full term. However, on 31 August 2015, he announced he was leaving the Victorian Parliament. This led to a special election in his area of South-West Coast.
Personal Life
Denis Napthine is married to Peggy, and they have three children. His younger brother, Simon, also ran for a political position in 2004 but was not successful.
Since he was a child, Denis Napthine has supported the Geelong Football Club, a team in the Australian Football League.
One of his ancestors, Joseph Potaski, was a convict who came to Australia a long time ago.
See also
- 2014 Victorian state election
