Fiona Nash facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Fiona Nash
Nash in 2017
Deputy Leader of the National Party
In office 11 February 2016 – 7 December 2017
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
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
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
Succeeded by	Jim Molan
Personal details
Born	Fiona Joy Morton (1965-05-06) 6 May 1965 (age 60) 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 who used to be a politician. She was a Senator for New South Wales from 2005 to 2017. She was part of the National Party. From 2016 to 2017, she was the party's deputy leader. She also served as a minister in the government led by Malcolm Turnbull.

Before becoming a politician, Fiona Nash was a farmer in Crowther, New South Wales. She was first elected to the Senate in 2004. She became the National Party's deputy Senate leader in 2008. Later, she held various important roles, including Assistant Minister for Health and Minister for Rural Health. She also looked after areas like regional development, communications, and local government.

Fiona Nash made history in February 2016. She became the first woman to be elected as the Deputy Leader of the National Party. Her time in politics ended in 2017. This happened because of a rule that says politicians cannot have dual citizenship. She was found to be a British citizen, which meant she could not be in parliament.

Early Life and Farming

Fiona Nash was born in Sydney, Australia, on 6 May 1965. Her mother was born in Sydney, and her father was from Scotland.

She studied at the Mitchell College of Advanced Education, which is now part of Charles Sturt University. In 1991, she and her husband, David Nash, bought a farm in Crowther, New South Wales. They were mixed farmers, meaning they grew crops and raised animals. They started by growing grain and raising Merino sheep for wool. Later, they changed to keeping sheep for other farmers and growing different crops. By 2011, their farm was about 600 acres. They used different parts of the farm for wheat, canola, hay, and sheep grazing.

Political Career

Fiona Nash joined the National Party in 1995. She quickly became active in the party. She was elected to the party's state council in New South Wales in 1997. In 1999, she joined the state executive. She also represented her party at the federal level.

Becoming a Senator

Fiona Nash was elected to the Australian Senate in the 2004 federal election. Her term as a Senator began on 1 July 2005. She was only the third woman from the National Party to become a Senator.

In 2008, she was given a role as a Shadow Parliamentary Secretary. This meant she helped the opposition party with water resources and conservation. However, she had to resign from this role. This happened after she supported a motion by the Australian Greens party. She voted with them to stop new tax breaks for carbon sinks.

After the 2010 election, she returned to the opposition team. She became the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education in September 2010.

Ministerial Roles

After the 2013 federal election, Fiona Nash became the Assistant Minister for Health. This was part of the government led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott. In 2014, there was a situation involving her chief of staff, Alastair Furnival. He had shares in a company that worked with politicians. This led to him resigning from his job.

On 21 September 2015, when Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister, Fiona Nash was given a new role. She became the Minister for Rural Health.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Minister

On 11 February 2016, Fiona Nash was elected as the Deputy Leader of the National Party. This was a very important moment because she was the first woman to hold this position. She took over from Barnaby Joyce.

Because she became Deputy Leader, Fiona Nash also joined the Cabinet. This is a group of the most important ministers in the government. She was given more responsibilities. She became the Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Regional Communications. In July 2016, she also became the Minister for Local Government and Territories.

Leaving Parliament

On 17 August 2017, Fiona Nash faced a challenge to her position. She found out that she was a British citizen. This happened because her father was born in Scotland. Australian law, specifically Section 44 of the Australian Constitution, says that a person cannot be a member of parliament if they are a citizen of another country.

She quickly tried to give up her British citizenship. However, on 27 October 2017, the High Court of Australia decided that she was not eligible to have been elected. This meant she had to leave parliament. Jim Molan took her place as a Senator.

Life After Politics

After leaving parliament, Fiona Nash continued to work in areas she cared about. In early 2018, she became a Strategic Adviser for Regional Development at Charles Sturt University.

In December 2021, she was appointed as Australia's first Regional Education Commissioner. This new role meant she would work to make education fairer for students in regional areas compared to those in cities.

Personal Life

Fiona Nash is married to David Nash. They have two sons.