Brendon Grylls

Brendon John Grylls (born 5 June 1973) is an Australian politician who has been a National Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia since 2001. He is the party's current leader, having previously also served as leader between 2005 and 2013.

Grylls was born in Perth, but was raised in Corrigin, a small town in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region. A farmer and small business owner, he was elected to the Corrigin Shire Council in 2000, but resigned the following year to contest the 2001 state election, winning the seat of Merredin. Grylls was elected state leader of the National Party in 2005, replacing Max Trenorden. At the 2008 state election, his seat was abolished in a redistribution, and he transferred to the new seat of Central Wheatbelt. The Nationals won the overall balance of power, and Grylls subsequently chose to support Colin Barnett as premier, allowing the Liberal Party to form a minority government. Grylls was appointed Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Lands in the Barnett ministry.

At the 2013 state election, Grylls transferred from Central Wheatbelt to the seat of Pilbara. He was the first National to win the seat, which has historically been a safe seat for the Labor Party. Grylls resigned both from the ministry and as leader of the National Party in November 2013, citing a desire to focus on his personal life. He returned as party leader in August 2016, replacing Terry Redman, and was re-appointed to the ministry.

Biography

Early life

Brendon Grylls was born on 5 June 1973 in Perth, Western Australia. He was educated at Corrigin District High School and Wesley College, Perth.^[1][2]

Career

His political career began in November 2001 when he contested and won a by-election caused by the retirement of the member for Merredin, former Nationals leader Hendy Cowan. Following a redistribution in 2008, Merredin was largely incorporated into the new Central Wheatbelt Electoral district.

Grylls served as the Shadow Minister for Environment and the Wheatbelt in the Liberal-National Coalition prior to the 2005 election. In June 2005 he successfully challenged then leader Max Trenorden to become the new leader of the Parliamentary National Party of Australia (WA).

He vacated the Electoral district of Central Wheatbelt at the 2013 state election, and contested the Electoral district of Pilbara against Kelly Howlett of the Australian Labor Party, who had replaced the retiring sitting member Tom Stephens.^[3] Grylls easily won with seat with 61.5% of the two-party-preferred vote.^[4]

On 17 November 2013, he announced he would be resigning as leader of the WA Nationals, and from the Barnett cabinet.^[5]

Political views

After becoming party leader, Grylls pushed for an independent National Party and refused to enter into a coalition with either of the major parties before the 2008 state election.

During vote counting on election night, when it was apparent that the party was likely to hold a balance of power, possibly in both houses, Grylls reiterated his stance of requiring that the government deliver 25 per cent of mining and petroleum royalties for reinvestment in regional projects, as outlined in the Royalties for Regions policy. He also said that he would have no problem forming a coalition with the Australian Labor Party if it promised to deliver under the policy.^[6]

After the Liberal–National Coalition came to power, he implemented the Royalties for Regions scheme, which sees the equivalent of 25 per cent of the state's mining and petroleum royalty revenue (capped at $1 billion per annum) invested into Western Australia's regional infrastructure, services and projects.^[7]

References