David Winderlich
{{Short description|Australian teacher, public servant and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = David Winderlich
| image = David_Winderlich.jpg
| office1 = Member of the Legislative Council
of South Australia
| term_start1 = 17 February 2009
| term_end1 = 20 March 2010
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1964|1|18}}
| birth_place = Adelaide, Australia
| nationality = Australian
| party = Australian Democrats (2009)
Independent (2009–10)
| website =
}}
David Nicholas Winderlich (born 18 January 1964), is an Australian teacher, public servant and politician who in February 2009 was the Australian Democrats nominee to fill a South Australian Legislative Council casual vacancy in a joint sitting of the Parliament of South Australia following the January 2009 parliamentary resignation of the incumbent Democrats member Sandra Kanck.{{Cite SA-parl|pid=3263|name=David Nicholas Winderlich|former=yes|access-date=20 December 2022}}{{Cite SA-parl|pid=625|name=Sandra Myrtho Kanck|former=yes|access-date=20 December 2022}} Becoming an independent after nine months, he was the last Democrat to have sat in any Australian parliament. He was not re-elected at the 2010 election.
On 20 July 2009 Winderlich announced that, unless 1,000 new members joined the Democrats SA division by 23 November, he would leave the party and sit as an independent,{{Cite news |date=2009-07-20 |title=Democrats MP divides party with 1,000-member ultimatum |language=en-AU |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-07-20/democrats-mp-divides-party-with-1000-member/1360780 |access-date=2022-12-20}} which eventuated on 7 October 2009.{{Cite news |date=2009-10-07 |title=Last Democrat goes from Aussie parliaments |language=en-AU |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-10-07/last-democrat-goes-from-aussie-parliaments/1094848 |access-date=2022-12-20}}
Winderlich announced that, as an independent, he would focus on three policy areas: governmental reform,{{Cite news |date=2009-03-15 |title=MP urges ICAC to plug crime fighting gap |language=en-AU |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-03-15/mp-urges-icac-to-plug-crime-fighting-gap/1619658 |access-date=2022-12-20}}{{Cite news |date=2009-07-01 |title=Burnside CEO reappointment 'illegal' |language=en-AU |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-07-02/burnside-ceo-reappointment-illegal/1339016 |access-date=2022-12-20}} rights and freedoms, e.g., for bikies,{{Cite web |date=2009-06-16 |title=Amendments to tough SA anti-bikie laws |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/amendments-to-tough-sa-antibikie-laws-20090617-cgy7.html |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=The Age |language=en}} and a sustainable approach to the management of water resources in South Australia. In particular, he was opposed to the Port Stanvac Desalination Plant and to the Wellington Weir proposal.{{Cite news |date=2009-03-14 |title=Wellington weir 'will speed up acidification' |language=en-AU |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-03-14/wellington-weir-will-speed-up-acidification/1618744 |access-date=2022-12-20}}