Zak Kirkup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zak Kirkup
35th Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia Elections: 2021
In office 24 November 2020 – 13 March 2021
Premier	Mark McGowan
Deputy	Libby Mettam
Preceded by	Liza Harvey
Succeeded by	Mia Davies
Leader of the Liberal Party of Western Australia
In office 24 November 2020 – 13 March 2021
Deputy	Libby Mettam
Preceded by	Liza Harvey
Succeeded by	David Honey
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for Dawesville
In office 11 March 2017 – 13 March 2021
Preceded by	Kim Hames
Succeeded by	Lisa Munday
Party leadership positions Manager of Opposition Business In office 27 June 2019 – 24 November 2020 Leader Liza Harvey Preceded by Dean Nalder Succeeded by Peter Katsambanis Deputy State Director of Campaign Support In office 2008 – 2015 Serving with Ben Morton Leader Colin Barnett Succeeded by Sam Calabrese
Personal details
Born	(1987-02-23) 23 February 1987 (age 38) Midland, Western Australia
Political party	Liberal
Residence	Subiaco, Western Australia
Education	Governor Stirling Senior High School
Alma mater	Murdoch University
Occupation	Consultant, business owner
Profession	Policy advisor Politician

Zak Richard Francis Kirkup, born on February 23, 1987, is an Australian former politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Liberal Party. He served as a representative for the electoral district of Dawesville in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2021.

In November 2020, Kirkup was chosen as the leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party. This made him the Leader of the Opposition. He led his party into the 2021 state election. The party faced a very big loss in this election. He made a rare decision to say he expected to lose two weeks before the election. He lost his own seat of Dawesville to Lisa Munday from the Labor Party. This made him the first major party leader in Western Australia to lose their seat in 88 years. Soon after the election, Kirkup announced he was leaving politics.

Early Life and Background

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

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

Starting a Political Career

Kirkup began his career working for politicians. He was a research assistant for Matt Birney, who was the state leader of the opposition at the time. Later, he worked in Senator Judith Adams's office. He also helped with election campaigns.

He served as a deputy state director for campaigns. He also worked as an advisor 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.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In April 2016, Kirkup was chosen by the Liberal Party to run for the state seat of Dawesville. He took over from Kim Hames, who was retiring. In the 2017 election, Kirkup won the seat by a small number of votes. He was one of only thirteen Liberal members in the parliament. Only four of these were in areas outside the main city.

Leading the Liberal Party

In 2020, after Liza Harvey resigned, Zak Kirkup decided to run for leader of the Liberal Party. Some people worried about his chances because he had won his seat by a small margin. However, Kirkup said he was ready for the challenge. He was elected leader of the Liberal Party without anyone else running against him.

Premier Mark McGowan commented on the Liberal Party's leadership changes. He said the party was "inexperienced, risky and divided." He also noted that they did not have many new policies ready for the upcoming election.

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

In the election, the Labor Party won by a large margin across Western Australia. Kirkup lost his seat of Dawesville to Labor's Lisa Munday. He received much fewer votes than before.

Life After Politics

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

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 experienced and had gotten help.