Zak Kirkup facts for kids

Zak Richard Francis Kirkup (born 23 February 1987) is an Australian former politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. He served as a representative for the area of Dawesville from 2017 to 2021.

In November 2020, Kirkup became the leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party. This also made him the Leader of the Opposition. He led his party into the 2021 state election. However, they lost by a very large amount. He made a rare decision to say his party would lose two weeks before the election. He lost his own seat of Dawesville to Lisa Munday. This made him the first major party leader in Western Australia to lose his own seat in 88 years. After the election, Kirkup decided to leave politics.

Early Life and Family Background

Zak Kirkup was born in Perth, Western Australia. His mother, Penni Hulston, was from New Zealand. His father, Rob Kirkup, was Australian. Zak's grandfather on his father's side was an Aboriginal person. He was part of the Yamatji people from the Mid West region.

Zak grew up in the eastern suburbs near Midland. He went to Woodlupine Primary School in Forrestfield. He also attended Governor Stirling Senior High School in Woodbridge.

Zak Kirkup's Political Career

Kirkup started his career working for politicians. He was a research assistant for Matt Birney, who was the state opposition leader at the time. He also worked for Senator Judith Adams. Later, he was an adviser on environmental issues for Premier Colin Barnett.

After the 2013 state election, Kirkup worked in the private sector. He was a consultant for a building company called BGC.

In April 2016, Kirkup was chosen by the Liberal Party to run for the seat of Dawesville. He took over from Kim Hames, who was retiring. In the 2017 election, Kirkup won the seat by only 343 votes. He was one of only thirteen Liberal members in the parliament.

In 2020, Kirkup became the leader of the Liberal Party. This happened after Liza Harvey resigned. He was the only person to run for the leadership, so he was elected without opposition.

Premier Mark McGowan said that Kirkup and the Liberal Party were a "big risk" to the state. He also said that the party had changed leaders too often. McGowan also mentioned that Kirkup seemed to lack experience. He said the Liberals were "inexperienced, risky and divided."

On 25 February 2021, just 16 days before the 2021 Western Australian state election, Kirkup said he did not expect the Liberal Party to win. He said his main goal was to make sure the Liberals could still be a strong opposition. This was a very unusual move for a major political party leader in Australia.

In the election, Kirkup lost his seat of Dawesville to Lisa Munday. He lost by a large amount of votes.

Life After Politics

After the 2021 election, Kirkup moved to Subiaco, Western Australia. Around May 2021, he helped start a business called Kolbang Pty. Ltd. This company is an electrical contracting business run by Aboriginal people. He later became the business editor for the National Indigenous Times newspaper.

Personal Life

Zak Kirkup got married in February 2018. He and his wife separated in October 2019.

In December 2020, Kirkup shared that he had been diagnosed with depression. He had received treatment for it. He said that he understood the feelings he had experienced and that he had gotten help.

See also

• List of Indigenous Australian politicians