Chris Spence (politician)

Chris Spence MP
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for The Entrance
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 March 2011
Preceded by	Grant McBride
Majority	12.5% (2011)
Personal details
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Residence	The Entrance, New South Wales
Occupation	Politician
Website	Parliamentary webpage

Christopher Edward Francis (Chris) Spence MP (born ca. 1975), an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing The Entrance for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011.

Early career and background

Before becoming an MP, Spence came to prominence when he played a key role in what became known as the Iguanagate Affair,^[1] in which the New South Wales Minister for Education, John Della Bosca and his wife, federal politician Belinda Neal were accused of threatening and abusing the staff of Iguana Joe's restaurant.^[2] Spence provided the paperwork, and witnessed the statutory declarations of six employees of Iguana Joe's restaurant which was presented as evidence against Della Bosca and Neal.^[3] The scandal resulted in John Della Bosca being stood down from his ministerial position, and Belinda Neal being sent to anger management counselling.

Politcal career

Spence joined the Liberal Party in his 30's, working as Electoral Officer for Liberal politician Chris Hartcher.^[2] In November, 2009, he was preselected as the Liberal Party's candidate for The Entrance. Spence's endorsement caused uproar in the New South Wales Parliament over his former One Nation political involvement.^[4] In Parliament, the Premier, Nathan Rees attacked the Liberal Party for selecting Spence as a candidate.^[5] Eric Roozendaal said it represented a rise in extremism in the Liberal Party, and called for Spence to be disendorsed as a candidate.^[2]

At the 2011 state election, Spence was elected with a swing of 11.1 per cent and won the seat with 62.5 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis.^[6] Following the earlier announcement that Grant McBride, the sitting member would not re-contest the election, Spence's main opponent was David Mehan, representing Labor.

References

1. ^ "Four Liberals vying for Bennelong seat". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 20 November 2009. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/20/2749259.htm. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "One Nation candidate must go, says ALP". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). 24 November 2009. http://www.smh.com.au/national/one-nation-candidate-must-go-says-alp-20091123-iz87.html. 
3. ^ "Neal in hot seat as staffer Melissa Batten in police talks". The Daily Telegraph (News Limited). 17 June 2008. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/indepth/belinda-neal-still-in-hot-seat/story-e6frewqr-1111116653823. 
4. ^ "One Nation divides Parliament again". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 24 November 2009. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/24/2752360.htm. 
5. ^ Jones, Gemma (26 November 2009). "Nathan Rees in trouble over manure attack". The Daily Telegraph (News Limited). http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26401904-5001021,00.html. 
6. ^ Green, Antony (5 April 2011). "The Entrance". NSW Votes 2011. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/elections/nsw/2011/guide/tent.htm. Retrieved 17 May 2011. 

Parliament of New South Wales
Preceded by Grant McBride	Member for The Entrance 2011–present	Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Spence, Chris
Alternative names	Spence, Christopher Edward
Short description
Date of birth	1975
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death