Fiona Nash facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fiona Nash
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Nash in 2017
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| Deputy Leader of the National Party | |
| In office 11 February 2016 – 7 December 2017 |
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| Leader | Barnaby Joyce |
| Preceded by | Barnaby Joyce |
| Succeeded by | Bridget McKenzie |
| Minister for Local Government and Territories | |
| In office 19 July 2016 – 27 October 2017 |
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| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Paul Fletcher (as Minister for Territories, Local Government and Major Projects) |
| Succeeded by | Darren Chester |
| Minister for Regional Development | |
| In office 18 February 2016 – 27 October 2017 |
|
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Warren Truss (as Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development) |
| Succeeded by | Darren Chester |
| Minister for Regional Communications | |
| In office 18 February 2016 – 27 October 2017 |
|
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Sharon Bird (2013) |
| Succeeded by | Bridget McKenzie |
| Minister for Rural Health | |
| In office 21 September 2015 – 19 July 2016 |
|
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Bridget McKenzie (2017) |
| Assistant Minister for Health | |
| In office 18 September 2013 – 21 September 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Christopher Pyne (as Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing) |
| Succeeded by | Ken Wyatt |
| Senator for New South Wales | |
| In office 1 July 2005 – 27 October 2017 |
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| Succeeded by | Jim Molan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Fiona Joy Morton
6 May 1965 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | National |
| Spouse |
David Nash
(m. 1989) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Mitchell College of Advanced Education |
| Occupation | Farmer Politician |
Fiona Joy Nash (born 6 May 1965) is an Australian former politician and farmer. She was a Senator for New South Wales from 2005 to 2017. She represented the National Party.
Fiona Nash was also the Deputy Leader of the National Party from 2016 to 2017. During this time, she was a cabinet minister in the Turnbull government. Before becoming a politician, she worked as a farmer. Her political career ended in 2017 due to a rule about politicians holding only Australian citizenship.
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Early Life and Farming Career
Fiona Nash was born in Sydney, Australia, on 6 May 1965. Her mother was born in Sydney, and her father was born in Scotland. Her parents met in the United Kingdom.
Fiona studied at the Mitchell College of Advanced Education. In 1991, she and her husband, David Nash, bought a farm in Crowther, New South Wales. They grew different crops and raised Merino sheep. Later, they focused on sheep agistment (where farmers pay to graze their animals on another's land) and grew various crops like wheat and canola.
Journey into Politics
Fiona Nash joined the National Party in 1995. She became involved in the party's leadership in New South Wales. From 1999 to 2004, she worked for several federal ministers from the National Party.
Becoming a Senator
Nash was elected to the Australian Senate in the 2004 federal election. Her term as a Senator began on 1 July 2005. She was one of the few women from her party to become a Senator.
In 2008, she was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Water Resources and Conservation. She later disagreed with her party on a vote about tax breaks for carbon sinks. She voted with other Senators to block the tax breaks.
After the 2010 election, she returned to the Opposition frontbench. She was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education in September 2010.
Ministerial Roles
After the 2013 federal election, Fiona Nash became the Assistant Minister for Health. In 2014, her chief of staff resigned after questions were raised about his business interests. The Senate also looked into the matter.
On 21 September 2015, when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister, Nash was appointed Minister for Rural Health. This role focused on health services in country areas.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Minister
On 11 February 2016, Fiona Nash was elected Deputy Leader of the National Party. She was the first woman to hold this important position. She took over from Barnaby Joyce, who became the party leader.
Because she became Deputy Leader, Nash was also appointed to the Cabinet. This meant she was part of the main group of ministers who make big decisions for the country. She was given new roles, including Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Regional Communications. On 19 July 2016, she also became Minister for Local Government and Territories.
Parliamentary Eligibility and Departure
In August 2017, Fiona Nash's eligibility to be in parliament was questioned. She found out that she was a British citizen because her father was born in Scotland. Australian law, specifically Section 44 of the Australian Constitution, says that a person cannot be elected to parliament if they are a citizen of another country.
She quickly gave up her British citizenship. However, the High Court of Australia looked into her case and others like it. On 27 October 2017, the court decided that Fiona Nash was not eligible to have been elected. Because of this, she had to leave parliament. Jim Molan replaced her as Senator.
Life After Politics
After leaving parliament, Fiona Nash took on a new role in early 2018. She became a Strategic Adviser for Regional Development at Charles Sturt University.
In December 2021, she was appointed Australia's first Regional Education Commissioner. This role involves working to make education fairer for students in regional and country areas compared to those in cities.
Personal Life
Fiona Nash is married to David Nash. They have two sons.
