Tanya Davies

{{Short description|Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|honorific-suffix = MP

|image =

|constituency_MP =Badgerys Creek

|parliament = New South Wales

|term_start = 25 March 2023

|term_end =

|predecessor = New seat

|successor =

|majority = 11.3 points

|constituency_MP1 =Mulgoa

|parliament1 = New South Wales

|term_start1 = 26 March 2011

|term_end1 = 25 March 2023

|predecessor1= Diane Beamer

|successor1 = Seat abolished

|majority1 = 9.7 points

|office3 = Minister for Mental Health

|premier3 = Gladys Berejiklian

|term_start3 = 30 January 2017

|term_end3 = 23 March 2019

|predecessor3 = Pru Goward

|successor3 = Bronnie Taylor {{small|(as Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women)}}

|office4 = Minister for Women

|premier4 = Gladys Berejiklian

|term_start4 = 30 January 2017

|term_end4 = 23 March 2019

|predecessor4 = Pru Goward

|successor4 = Bronnie Taylor {{small|(as Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women)}}

|office5 = Minister for Ageing

|premier5 = Gladys Berejiklian

|term_start5 = 30 January 2017

|term_end5 = 23 March 2019

|predecessor5 = John Ajaka

|successor5 = John Sidoti {{small|(as Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans)}}

|birth_date =

|birth_place= {{NSWcity|Newcastle}}, New South Wales

|death_date =

|death_place=

|party = Liberal Party

|residence = Glenmore Park

|nationality= Australian

|occupation = Physiotherapist

|website =

|footnotes =

}}

Tanya Davies is an Australian politician who has served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the Liberal Party since 2011.{{cite NSW Parliament |id=57 |name=Mrs Tanya Davies, MP |access-date=4 April 2019}} She is a member of the conservative faction of the Liberal Party.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-04/liberal-party-meeting-could-be-most-contentious-in-20-years/11477990|title=Why Saturday's NSW Liberal Party State Council meeting will be 'most contentious' in 20 years|website=Amp.abc.net.au|access-date=9 February 2022}}

Davies was the New South Wales Minister for Mental Health, the Minister for Women and the Minister for Ageing from January 2017 until March 2019 in the first Berejiklian government.{{cite news|agency=AAP|title=Refreshed NSW cabinet sworn in|url=http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/01/30/refreshed-nsw-cabinet-to-be-sworn-in.html|access-date=30 January 2017|publisher=Sky News|location=Australia|date=30 January 2017}}{{cite news |author=Sas, Nick |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-31/cabinet-reshuffle-after-nsw-election-from-berejiklian/10956776 |title=Gladys Berejiklian says Liberal Party has no women problem as re-elected NSW Premier shuffles Cabinet |publisher=ABC News |location=Australia |date=31 March 2019 |access-date=3 April 2019 }}

Early years and background

Davies was born and raised in Newcastle and moved to Sydney aged 17, initially living with her grandparents at Regents Park for her university studies{{cite news

| first = Nikolaos | last = Stavrou

| url = http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/liberal-tanya-davies-overwhelmed-by-mulgoa-win/

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120703044726/http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/liberal-tanya-davies-overwhelmed-by-mulgoa-win/

| archivedate = 3 July 2012

| title = Liberal Tanya Davies overwhelmed by Mulgoa win

| newspaper = Penrith Press

| date = 28 March 2011

| access-date = 10 April 2011}} where she graduated with a degree in physiotherapy from the University of Sydney. Davies worked as a physiotherapist in the public health system before working in higher education institutions such as the University of Western Sydney and TAFE.{{cite web

|url = http://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/legislative-assembly/tanyadavies.html

|title = Tanya Davies

|work = 2011 Candidates

|publisher = Liberal Party

|access-date = 10 April 2011

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20110719030405/http://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/legislative-assembly/tanyadavies.html

|archivedate = 19 July 2011

|df = dmy-all

}} Elected to Penrith City Council in 2008, Davies served on Council until 2012.{{cite web

| url = http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=5537

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120322224550/http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=5537

| archivedate = 22 March 2012

| work = Councillors

| publisher = Penrith City Council

| title = Councillor Tanya Davies

| access-date = 10 April 2011}} Davies' husband, Mark Davies, also served on Penrith City Council and in 2012 was elected mayor of the City of Penrith. Davies has two children: the elder Laura and the younger Harry.{{cite news |url=http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/mark-davies-the-new-penrith-mayor/ |title=Mark Davies the new Penrith mayor |author=Schiller, Emma |date=25 September 2012 |work=Penrith Press |access-date=26 September 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003032238/http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/mark-davies-the-new-penrith-mayor/|archive-date=3 October 2012 }}

Political career

In 2011 Davies contested the then Labor seat of Mulgoa in Sydney's western suburbs.{{cite news

| first = Nikolaos | last = Stavrou

| title = Liberals conquer Penrith and Nepean regions

| url = http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/liberals-conquer-penrith-and-nepean-regions/

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120319233123/http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/liberals-conquer-penrith-and-nepean-regions/

| archivedate = 19 March 2012

| newspaper = Penrith Press

| date = 26 March 2011

| access-date = 26 April 2011}} She was elected with a swing of 23.2 points, winning the seat with 62 per cent of the two-party.{{cite news

| url = https://www.abc.net.au/elections/nsw/2011/guide/mulg.htm

| title = Mulgoa

| work = NSW Votes 2011

| publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation

| author = Green, Antony

| author-link = Antony Green

| date = 5 April 2011

| access-date = 26 April 2011}} Davies' Labor opponent was Prue Car, now Deputy Premier of NSW.{{cite news |title=Subscription |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/prue-car-opens-up-about-her-life-and-her-plans-as-the-deputy-premier-of-nsw/news-story/cad33cc08a6eb50f90778fc632e2a107 |access-date=31 July 2023 |work=The Daily Telegraph}} Diane Beamer, who was the sitting Labor member, had retired from politics after holding the seat and its predecessor, Badgerys Creek, for 16 years.

In 2017 Davies was appointed the Minister for Mental Health, the Minister for Women and the Minister for Ageing in the Berejiklian government. In June 2018, Davies voted against a bill that would create {{convert|150|m|adj=on}} "safe access zones" outside abortion clinics.{{cite news |last=Visentin |first=Lisa |date=8 June 2018 |title=Abortion clinic 'safe access zones' become law in NSW |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/abortion-clinic-safe-access-zones-become-law-in-nsw-20180607-p4zk18.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=Sydney |access-date=8 June 2018 }} She is an opponent of legal abortion and was one of two Liberal Party members who threatened to leave the government if amendments were not made on a 2019 bill to decriminalise abortion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/03/nsw-liberal-mps-threaten-to-move-to-crossbench-over-abortion-bill|title=MPs' threat over abortion bill could push NSW Liberals into minority government|website=Amp.theguardian.com|access-date=9 February 2022}}

Davies was re-elected at the 2019 state election, but was not reappointed to the Second Berejiklian ministry.

The 2020 redistribution undertaken for the 2023 New South Wales state election was finalised in 2021, where the district of Mulgoa was effectively renamed Badgerys Creek.{{cite web|title=Names and boundaries of electoral districts |url= https://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/redistribution/Final-boundaries-and-names|website=Elections.nsw.gov.au|access-date=31 August 2021}} While the Perrottet government was defeated at the election, Davies was comfortably elected to the new district. {{Cite web |title=Badgerys Creek - NSW Electorate, Candidates, Results |url=https://abc.net.au/news/elections/nsw/2023/guide/badg |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=abc.net.au |language=en-AU}}

=Opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates=

In January 2022 she spoke at a ‘Prayer and pushback’ forum moderated by a former Hillsong Church pastor and featuring anti-vax speakers, where, contrary to policies of state and federal government, she spoke against COVID-19 vaccinations for children.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/christensen-tells-anti-vax-event-he-wants-to-prod-the-powerful-20220121-p59q4s.html|title=Christensen tells anti-vax event he wants to 'prod the powerful'|first=Cameron|last=Atfield|date=21 January 2022|newspaper=The Age|access-date=9 February 2022}}

Davies spoke again at an ‘anti-vaccination rally’ in March 2022, where among other things she criticised the Perrottet government’s handling of vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions.{{Cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/22/nsw-liberal-mp-criticised-after-speaking-at-anti-vaccination-rally?CMP=GTAU_email | title=NSW Liberal MP criticised after speaking at anti-vaccination rally | website=TheGuardian.com | date=22 March 2022 }}

= Mark Davies =

Husband and Penrith City Councillor Mark Davies has nominated for preselection as the Liberal Party candidate for Lindsay. This sets up another showdown between the current Liberal MP, Melissa McIntosh and Mr Davies after previously having challenged Ms McIntosh for the nomination for the May 2022 Federal Election.{{Cite news |last=Karp |first=Paul |last2=Rose |first2=Tamsin |date=2023-07-18 |title=Alex Hawke and Sussan Ley among Liberal MPs facing preselection challenges |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/18/alex-hawke-and-sussan-ley-among-liberal-mps-facing-preselection-challenges |access-date=2023-07-19 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Sarah |date=2021-05-24 |title=Scott Morrison facing preselection headache with sitting Liberal MPs in the firing line |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/may/25/scott-morrison-facing-preselection-headache-with-sitting-liberal-mps-in-the-firing-line |access-date=2023-07-19 |issn=0261-3077}}