Luke Simpkins

Simpkins was born in Sydney, and attended Sydney Boys High School from 1976–1981.{{cite web |title=Members of parliament and legislatures |url=https://www.shsobu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/mps.pdf |publisher=Sydney High School Old Boys Union |accessdate=3 September 2019}} He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales and a Graduate Certificate in Security Management from Edith Cowan University. He was a member of the Australian Federal Police from 1986 to 1987, an army officer from 1988 to 2002, a security consultant 2003 to 2004 and 2007, and a ministerial adviser from 2005 to 2006. His army service included a stint as a cadet at the Royal Military College, Duntroon from 1988 to 1989, and as an officer in the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police from 1989 to 2002; when he resigned in 2002, he was a commissioned officer with the rank of major.{{cite web | url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=HWE | title=Mr Luke Simpkins MP | publisher=Parliament of Australia | accessdate=19 November 2014}}{{cite web | url=http://www.lukesimpkinsmp.com/about-luke/ | title=About Luke | publisher=Luke Simpkins MP | accessdate=19 November 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129051223/http://www.lukesimpkinsmp.com/about-luke/ | archive-date=29 November 2014 | url-status=dead }} Simpkins is also a former Australian and State representative in the sport of rowing, having won two national and six state championships.{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/mp-profiles/cowa.htm | title=Q & A: Seat Profiles: Cowan | publisher=ABC TV | accessdate=19 November 2014}}

Simpkins first attempted to enter politics in 2004, contesting the seat of Cowan at the 2004 federal election for the Liberal Party against veteran Labor incumbent Graham Edwards. He was defeated by Edwards, but received an unexpectedly strong vote, receiving an 8.2% primary vote swing towards him, with the result being unclear for several days.{{cite web | url=http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-12246-237.htm | title=Election 2004 – WA Division – Cowan | publisher=Australian Electoral Commission | accessdate=19 November 2014}}{{cite news | title=Liberal swing felt across the state | work=The West Australian | date=11 October 2004 }}

Edwards retired at the 2007 election, and Simpkins won the seat against new Labor candidate Liz Prime with a 2.5% swing, one of only four pro-Coalition swings in Australia and one of only two new House seats won by the Liberal Party.{{cite news | title=All politics is local for Liberal hero | work=Australian Financial Review | date=26 November 2007 | author=Burrell, Andrew}}{{cite web|url=http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/Website/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-13745-237.htm |title=House of Representatives Division First Preferences |publisher=Results.aec.gov.au |date= |accessdate=2012-06-02}} He was re-elected with a 4.75% swing against former Lord Mayor of Perth Chas Hopkins at the 2010 election, and again with a slight swing against at the 2013 election.{{cite web | url=http://results.aec.gov.au/15508/Website/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-15508-237.htm | title=Election 2010 – WA Division – Cowan | publisher=Australian Electoral Commission | accessdate=19 November 2014}}{{cite web | url=http://results.aec.gov.au/17496/Website/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-17496-237.htm | title=Election 2013 – WA Division – Cowan | publisher=Australian Electoral Commission | accessdate=19 November 2014}}

On 6 February 2015 Simpkins announced that he would move a motion, at a meeting of the party room, for a spill of the federal Liberal Party's leadership positions (the motion was seconded by fellow WA Liberal Don Randall). Simpkins stated that such a motion would give Liberal members of parliament and senators the opportunity to either endorse the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott or "seek a new direction."[https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/26215571/wa-liberal-mp-to-move-spill-motion-against-tony-abbott/ The West Australian 6 February 2015.] Accessed 6 February 2015. The meeting was held on 9 February 2015 and the spill motion was defeated 61 votes to 39.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/tony-abbott-keeps-liberal-leadership-failed-spill-motion/6079006 ABC News 9 February 2015.] Accessed 9 February 2015.

At the 2016 election, Simpkins suffered a 5.20% swing against him and was defeated by Labor candidate Anne Aly.{{cite web | url=https://results.aec.gov.au/20499/Website/HouseDivisionPage-20499-237.htm | title=2016 Federal Election - Cowan, WA | publisher=Australian Electoral Commission | accessdate=11 February 2019}} During the election campaign, Liberal Justice Minister Michael Keenan was accused of starting a smear campaign against Aly.{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/election-2016-liberal-michael-keenan-attacks-labors-anne-aly-over-taxpayerfunded-antiterror-work-20160623-gpq3qa.html|title=Election 2016: Liberal Michael Keenan attacks Labor's Anne Aly over government-funded anti-terror work|last=Hunter|first=Fergus|date=2016-06-23|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-07-14}} Simpkins joined in the campaign targeting Aly for her previous work in counter-terrorism, despite having written to her, in 2015 before she was a Labor candidate, to convey his admiration for her work including the "content of your media interviews and approach to the threat of radicalisation".{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/counterterrorism-expert-anne-aly-is-australias-first-federal-female-muslim-mp-20161117-gsreyp.html|title=Counter-terrorism expert Anne Aly: 'I dream of a future in which I'm no longer needed'|last=Callaghan|first=Greg|date=2016-11-18|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-07-14}}

Simpkins is an outspoken social conservative. He was one of six Liberal MPs (including fellow West Australian MPs Wilson Tuckey, Dennis Jensen and the late Don Randall as well as Sophie Mirabella and the late Alby Schultz) to leave the house in protest to the apology to the Stolen Generations. Simpkins declared that he worried "that it could lock in negativity about the future", that indigenous people were no longer denied employment opportunities, and that he would "again back children being taken in this situation".{{cite news | title=Healing the wounds | work=The Canberra Times | date=14 February 2008 | author=Fraser, Andrew}}{{cite news | title=Coalition clears way for Parliament apology on Stolen Generation | work=The West Australian | date=7 February 2008 }}

He has attacked halal food, declaring in 2011 that "by having Australians unwittingly eating Halal food, then we are all one step down the path of conversion, and that is a step we should only make with full knowledge and not be imposed upon us unknowingly."{{cite news | title=Sausage debate flares up locally | work=Wanneroo Times | date=29 November 2011 }}{{cite news | title=MP's halal claim | work=The West Australian | date=26 November 2011 }} His position was criticised by Labor MP Chris Bowen.{{cite news|author1=NICK BUTTERLY|title=Halal meat converting Aussies: MP|url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/12032577/halal-meat-converting-aussies-mp/|accessdate=7 February 2015|work=THE WEST AUSTRALIAN|date=25 November 2011}}

Simpkins has supported banning the burqa in Australia.{{cite news | title=WA Liberal MP backs calls to ban the burqa | work=The West Australian | date=20 September 2014 | author=Tillett, Andrew}} He has also supported sleep deprivation torture as a means of gaining information,{{cite news | title=MP supports sleep deprivation torture | work=The Herald-Sun | date=23 February 2010 }} and he opposes same-sex marriage.{{cite news | title=Too early for same sex marriage vote | work=Wanneroo Times | date=7 December 2010 }}

In 2017, after his defeat, Simpkins reportedly joined Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives party.{{cite news|title=Simpkins defects to Bernardi|newspaper=The West Australian|date=12 April 2017}}

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Category:1964 births

Category:Australian Army officers

Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives

Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Cowan

Category:Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates

Category:People educated at Sydney Boys High School

Category:Australian MPs 2007–2010

Category:Australian MPs 2010–2013

Category:Australian MPs 2013–2016