Darren Chester

Darren Jeffrey Chester (born 13 September 1967) is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the House of Representatives for Gippsland in Victoria, representing the Nationals since 2008. Chester has served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Defence Personnel since 5 March 2018 (2018-03-05), following a rearrangement of the second Turnbull Ministry.[2] He was also Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC until May 2019.[3]

The Honourable Darren Chester MP
Minister for Veterans' Affairs & Defence Personnel
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 March 2018 (2018-03-05)
Prime Minister	Malcolm Turnbull Scott Morrison
Preceded by	Michael McCormack
Member of the Australian Parliament for Gippsland
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 June 2008
Preceded by	Peter McGauran
Minister for Regional Development
In office 27 October 2017 – 20 December 2017
Prime Minister	Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded by	Fiona Nash
Succeeded by	John McVeigh (as Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government)
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
In office 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) – 20 December 2017
Prime Minister	Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded by	Warren Truss (Infrastructure and Regional Development)
Succeeded by	Barnaby Joyce
Assistant Minister for Defence
In office 21 September 2015 – 18 February 2016
Prime Minister	Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded by	Stuart Robert
Succeeded by	Michael McCormack
Minister for Local Government and Territories
In office 27 July 2017 – 20 December 2017
Prime Minister	Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded by	Fiona Nash
Succeeded by	John McVeigh (as Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government)
Personal details
Born	Darren Jeffrey Chester (1967-09-13) 13 September 1967 Sale, Victoria, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	The Nationals
Spouse(s)	Julie Chester
Children	Morgan, Jamieson, Clancy, Lachlan[1]
Occupation	Journalist, Political advisor
Website	darrenchester.com.au

Chester served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence in the Abbott ministry from September 2013 to September 2015.[4] In the Turnbull Government he was appointed Assistant Minister for Defence from 21 September 2015;[3] and between 18 February 2016 and 20 December 2017, Chester served as the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport following a rearrangement in the First Turnbull Ministry.[5][6] He briefly served in the Second Turnbull Ministry as the acting Minister for Regional Development and as the acting Minister for Local Government and Territories between October and December 2017, following the resignation of Fiona Nash.[7]

Chester was viewed as a potential candidate to replace Barnaby Joyce as National Party leader in February 2018; however he chose not to contest the leadership.[8]

Career

Chester was born in Sale, Victoria, the son of a plumber, and was one of five children.

Prior to entering federal politics, he worked as a newspaper and television journalist throughout Gippsland and was chief of staff to Peter Ryan, the leader of the Nationals in the Victorian state parliament. Chester contested Gippsland East as the National Party candidate at the 2002 Victorian state election, losing to independent Craig Ingram.[9] In 2004, he unsuccessfully stood for National Party preselection for the Senate position held by Julian McGauran. McGauran retained his party endorsement and was re-elected later that year, only to defect to the Liberals in 2006.[10]

Chester was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2008 by-election caused by the resignation of Peter McGauran, and re-elected at the 2010 and 2013 elections.

He was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Regional Transport in September 2010;[11] and appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence in September 2013.[4]

In June 2015 he became the first member of the National Party to announce support for same-sex marriage and a conscience vote on the issue for members of the Coalition.[12] The move catalysed a public breakdown in Chester's relationship with his local Nationals branches in Gippsland, who moved a motion to revoke his party endorsement for the 2016 election. Chaotic scenes ensued at a Gippsland Nationals branch meeting where Chester was reported to have verbally abused local party members, with Chester subsequently attacking The Australian newspaper for its coverage of the controversy.[13][14]

Public scrutiny of taxpayer-funded travel allowances usage by MPs has embroiled Chester in controversy. The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that between 2008 and 2016, Chester charged taxpayers $407,000 on private air charters to travel to Canberra for parliamentary sittings, despite most MPs using normal commercial air services or driving.[15] On 27 January 2016, Chester charged taxpayers $876 for a work trip to Melbourne on which he completed the purchase of a two-bedroom apartment in Ivanhoe as an investment property and to later attended a Melbourne Victory soccer match.[16]

During the ongoing leadership tensions between Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack after the former resigned in February 2018 and the latter became federal leader, Chester has been a prominent leader of the McCormack faction and was notably rewarded with a ministerial appointment when McCormack first become leader. He won a subsequent promotion to Cabinet after McCormack narrowly defeated a leadership challenge by Joyce in February 2020. It would later emerge in May 2020 during the recriminations over McCormack's refusal to support a planned run for federal parliament by popular NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro in the 2020 Eden-Monaro by-election that Chester was in a WhatsApp group where messages about Barilaro and his wife were exchanged with colleagues Damian Drum and Kevin Hogan.[17]

Personal

Chester lives in Lakes Entrance with his wife, Julie,[18] and their four children, Morgan, Jamieson, Clancy and Lachlan.[1]

References

1. Chester, Darren (26 August 2008). "First Speech to Parliament" (PDF). Hansard: House of Representatives. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
2. Turnbull, Malcolm (1 March 2018). "Changes to the Ministry" (Press release). Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018. The Hon Darren Chester MP will return to the Ministry as Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel and Minister Assisting for the Centenary of ANZAC.
3. "Parliament of Australia website for Darren Chester". Retrieved 25 September 2015.
4. "Tony Abbott's cabinet and outer ministry". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
5. Massola, James (13 February 2016). "Cabinet reshuffle: Malcolm Turnbull announces new frontbench as Mal Brough resigns". The Age. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
6. "Ministerial Swearing-in Ceremony". Events. Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
7. Turnbull, Malcolm (19 December 2017). "Ministerial Arrangements" (Press release). Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018. I take this opportunity to thank Darren Chester for his significant contributions to the Cabinet as the outgoing Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. I know that we will all continue to call on his wisdom and experience.
8. McIlroy, Tom (23 February 2018). "Nationals leadership: who could replace Barnaby Joyce?". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
9. "Gippsland East District". State Election 2002. Victorian Electoral Commission. 2002. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008.
10. Wright, Tony (28 June 2008). "Timely political payback by McGauran?". The Age.
11. Parliament House Library Archived 17 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
12. "Darren Chester first National MP to announce support for same-sex marriage". ABC News. Australia. 9 June 2015.
13. Ferguson, John (21 July 2015). "Nationals MP Chester faces sack over gay marriage row". The Australian. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
14. Ferguson, John (24 July 2015). "Gay marriage: Bid to sack Nationals MP Darren Chester". The Australian. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
15. "Two MPs run up $200,000 tab on private flights to work in Canberra". Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. 28 January 2017.
16. "Cabinet minister Darren Chester picked up keys to new investment property on taxpayer-funded Melbourne trip". Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. 10 January 2017.
17. https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6154546327001
18. "About Darren Chester". Darren Chester MP. Darren Chester. 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.

External links

• Parliamentary biography
• First Speech to Parliament – Google Video
• First Speech to Parliament – Text
• Search or browse Hansard for Darren Chester at OpenAustralia.org

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Peter McGauran	Member for Gippsland 2008–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Michael McCormack	Minister for Veterans' Affairs 2018–present	Incumbent
	Minister for Defence Personnel 2018–present
	Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC 2018–2019	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Warren Truss as Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development	Minister for Infrastructure and Transport 2016–2017	Succeeded by Barnaby Joyce
Preceded by Stuart Robert	Assistant Minister for Defence 2015–2016	Succeeded by Michael McCormack