David Fawcett

Senator David Fawcett
Senator for South Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 July 2011
Member of the Australian Parliament for Wakefield
In office 9 October 2004 – 24 November 2007
Preceded by	Neil Andrew
Succeeded by	Nick Champion
Personal details
Born	23 October 1963 (1963-10-23) (age 48) Narrabri, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Alma mater	University of New South Wales
Occupation	Pilot
Religion	Baptist
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1982–2004
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Awards	Australian Defence Medal Defence Long Service Medal (with clasp)

David Julian Fawcett (born 23 October 1963, Narrabri, New South Wales) is an Australian politician and member of the Australian Senate. He was elected to the House of Representatives as member for the division of Wakefield in South Australia for the Liberal Party of Australia at the 2004 federal election. Despite an extensive campaign in 2007 he was unseated by a significant margin. At the 2010 federal election he was elected as a Liberal senator for South Australia.^{[1] [2]}

Before politics

Fawcett spent part of his childhood in Thailand where his father worked as an agricultural scientist.

Fawcett was an officer with the Australian Army from 1982 to 2004. He was educated at Royal Military College, Duntroon and the University of New South Wales, where he graduated in science.

He trained as a pilot and became a helicopter pilot for 1st Aviation Regiment. He was involved in operations across Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The next phase of his career was as a flying instructor, learning this role at the RAF Central Flying School in England. He served at the Australian School of Army Aviation and became Senior Flying Instructor for Utility and Reconnaissance Helicopters.

In 1993 he returned to the UK, studying at the Empire Test Pilots' School to become a test pilot. He was posted to Royal Australian Air Force Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) at Edinburgh, South Australia as an Army helicopter test pilot. He held a number of positions in ARDU and the Defence Acquisition Organisation, culminating in his final appointment as Commanding Officer, responsible for flight test programs for all of the Australian Defence Force aircraft. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before leaving the ADF to enter politics.

Personal life

Fawcett is married with two children. His family roots are in Kapunda, South Australia and completed high school at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide before joining the army. He has been involved in leadership positions at Clovercrest Baptist Church in Adelaide and Tyndale Christian School in Sydney.^{[citation needed]} He has been a contributing member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Australian Flight Test Society.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

1. ^ "Senate Results - South Australia - 2010 Federal Election". http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/ssa-results.htm. Retrieved 15 September 2010. 
2. ^ "Family First misses out on Senate seat in South Australia". http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/family-first-misses-out-on-senate-seat-in-south-australia/story-fn3dxity-1225924022216. Retrieved 15 September 2010. 

References

• "Mr David Fawcett MP". Commonwealth of Australia. 2007-02-23. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070203022145/http://www.aph.gov.au/D_Fawcett_MP/. Retrieved 2007-02-24. 
• "David Fawcett MP". David Fawcett. http://www.davidfawcett.net/. Retrieved 2007-02-24. 

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Neil Andrew	Member for Wakefield 2004–2007	Succeeded by Nick Champion

Persondata
Name	Fawcett, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	23 October 1963
Place of birth	Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia
Date of death
Place of death