Nat Cook
{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{For|the Australian beach volleyball player|Natalie Cook}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| name = Nat Cook
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image = Nat Cook MP 2022.jpg
| caption = Cook in 2021
| office1 = Minister for Human Services
| premier1 = Peter Malinauskas
| term_start1 = 24 March 2022
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 = Michelle Lensink
| successor1 =
| constituency_MP3 = Hurtle Vale
| parliament3 = South Australian
| term_start3 = 17 March 2018
| term_end3 =
| predecessor3 = New District
| successor3 =
| constituency_MP4 = Fisher
| parliament4 = South Australian
| term_start4 = 16 December 2014
| term_end4 = 17 March 2018
| predecessor4 = Bob Such
| successor4 = District Abolished
| majority4 =
| birthname = Natalie Fleur Cook
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Australia
| nationality =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Labor Party
| spouse = Neil Davis
| relations =
| alma_mater =
| profession = Nurse and politician
| education = Flinders University
| website = {{URL|http://www.natcook.com.au/}}
}}
Natalie Fleur Cook is an Australian politician and anti-violence campaigner. She became an anti-violence campaigner after the death of her son in a one-punch attack in 2008.
Cook is a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly, representing Hurtle Vale since the 2018 state election. She previously represented Fisher after winning the 2014 by-election, vacated by the death of independent member Bob Such. Cook was elected with a majority of 0.02%, a victory margin of nine votes. She represented the seat until it was abolished in the 2018 election.
Cook has served as the Minister for Human Services in the Malinauskas ministry since March 2022. Cook was previously the Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Urban Development from September 2017 until Labor's loss at the 2018 election, after which she was the Shadow Minister for Human Services in the Labor Opposition.{{Cite SA-parl|pid=4978|name=Hon Natalie (Nat) Fleur Cook|former=|access-date=10 November 2022}}
Anti-violence activism
In 2008 Cook's 17-year-old son Sam Davis was killed in a one-punch attack at a party. Soon after Cook and her partner, Neil Davis, founded the Sammy D Foundation, which runs school programs to spread an anti-violence message and provide positive role models to disadvantaged youth. Cook stood down from the board of the Sammy D Foundation after she was elected to Parliament.
Political career
On 20 October 2014 Cook was pre-selected as the Labor Party candidate for the seat of Fisher in the 2014 Fisher by-election, following the death of incumbent member Bob Such. Cook won the by-election by nine votes from a 7.3 percent two-party swing, resulting in the Weatherill Labor Government changing from minority to majority government. On a 0.02 percent margin it was the most marginal seat in parliament.
A redistribution of electoral boundaries occurs following each South Australian general election and it was decided in 2016 that the electoral division of Fisher would be abolished. Its electors were divided between the seats of Davenport, Heysen, Hurtle Vale, and Waite, with Hurtle Vale designated as Fisher's successor by the South Australian Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission. Cook successfully contested the 2018 general election (when the new boundaries came into effect) in Hurtle Vale, becoming its first representative. Despite Labor losing government, Cook received a swing towards her of 3.6% in two-party preferred terms, taking 55.3% of the two-party preferred vote.
Following Labor's victory at the 2022 election, Cook was appointed as Minister for Human Services in the Malinauskas ministry.
References
{{reflist|refs =
{{cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/elections/sa/2014/fisher/|title = 2014 Fisher By-election|first = Antony|last = Green|author-link = Antony Green|work = ABC News|date = October 2014|access-date = 18 March 2018}}
{{cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa-election-2018/guide/dave/|title = SA Election 2018 – Electorate: Davenport|first = Antony|last = Green|author-link = Antony Green|year = 2018|access-date = 18 March 2018|work = ABC News}}
{{cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa-election-2018/guide/heys/|title = SA Election 2018 – Electorate: Heysen|first = Antony|last = Green|author-link = Antony Green|year = 2018|access-date = 18 March 2018|work = ABC News}}
{{cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa-election-2018/guide/hurt/|title = SA Election 2018 – Electorate: Hurtle Vale|first = Antony|last = Green|author-link = Antony Green|year = 2018|access-date = 18 March 2018|work = ABC News}}
{{cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-13/labor-win-fisher-weatherill-majority-government-sa-by-election/5965332|title = Fisher by-election win for Labor gives Weatherill Government majority in SA|work = ABC News|date = 13 December 2014|access-date = 18 March 2018}}
{{cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa-election-2018/guide/wait/|title = SA Election 2018 – Electorate: Waite|first = Antony|last = Green|author-link = Antony Green|year = 2018|access-date = 18 March 2018|work = ABC News}}
{{cite news|url = http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/labor-claims-victory-in-fisher-by-election/story-fni6uo1m-1227154891548|title = Labor claims victory in Fisher by-election|newspaper = The Advertiser|date = 13 December 2014}}
{{cite news|last = Wills|first = Daniel|title = Voters to go to the polls in Bob Such's seat of Fisher on December 6 as Liberal Iain Evans also retires and triggers Davenport by-election|newspaper = The Advertiser|url = http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/voters-to-go-to-the-polls-in-bob-suchs-seat-of-fisher-on-december-6-as-liberal-iain-evans-also-retires-and-triggers-davenport-byelection/news-story/60438fb4ee451668a3102d07133e7aa6|access-date = 22 January 2016|date = 20 October 2014}}
{{cite web|date = 15 December 2014|title = 2014 Fisher by-election – Final Distribution of Preferences|url = http://ecsa.sa.gov.au/component/edocman/?task=document.download&id=974&Itemid=0|publisher = Electoral Commission of South Australia|url-status = live|archive-date = 26 March 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150326224128/http://ecsa.sa.gov.au/component/edocman/?task=document.download&id=974&Itemid=0|access-date = 18 March 2018|quote = In the recount conducted on 15 December 2014, Harris received 10275 votes and Cook received 10284 votes.}}
{{cite web|title = 2016 Report of the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission|publisher = South Australian Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission|date = 7 December 2016|url = http://edbc.sa.gov.au/redistributions/2016/2016-final-redistribution-report/edbc-final-redistribution-report-2016-pdf/download.html|page = 16|access-date = 18 March 2018|quote = A by-election for the district of Fisher was held on 6 December 2014. The Labor candidate won the seat over the Liberal candidate, with a margin of nine votes.}}
{{cite news|last = Novak|first = Lauren|date = 11 February 2015|title = New Labor MP Nat Cook stands down from Sammy D Foundation board so it cannot be used as 'political ammunition'|newspaper = The Advertiser|url = http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/new-labor-mp-nat-cook-stands-down-from-sammy-d-foundation-board-so-it-cannot-be-used-as-political-ammunition/news-story/4bac02b30de070779d79016fecce6032|access-date = 22 January 2016}}
{{cite news|last = Harris|first = Lia|title = Sam Davis' parents spread the anti-violence message|newspaper = The Advertiser|date = 30 April 2013|url = http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sam-davis-parents-spread-the-anti-violence-message/story-e6frea83-1226632637672|access-date = 22 January 2015}}
{{cite web|url = https://www2.parliament.sa.gov.au/formermembers/Detail.aspx?pid=2819|title = Former Member of Parliament Details – Hon Bob Such|access-date = 18 March 2018|year = 2014|publisher = Parliament of South Australia|quote = Member for Fisher from 25 November 1989 to 11 October 2014 (his death)}}
}}
External links
- {{cite SA-parl |pid=4978 |name=Cook, Nat |former=yes |access-date=19 August 2022}}
- [http://sa.alp.org.au/alp/state-mps/nat-cook Parliamentary Profile: SA Labor website]
- [http://www.sammydfoundation.org.au/ Sammy D Foundation]
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-sa-la}}
{{s-bef|before=Bob Such}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Fisher|years=2014–2018}}
{{s-non|reason=Abolished}}
{{s-new|seat}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Hurtle Vale | years=2018–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Michelle Lensink}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister for Human Services | years=2022–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{Cabinet of South Australia}}
{{SACurrentMHAs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Nat}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Members of the South Australian House of Assembly
Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of South Australia
Category:Labor Left politicians
Category:21st-century Australian politicians
Category:21st-century Australian women politicians
Category:Women members of the South Australian House of Assembly