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{{
{{For|the English journalist|Robert Oakeshott}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox
|image = Rob Oakeshott Portrait 2010.jpg
|name = Rob Oakeshott
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|term_end = 5 August 2013
|predecessor = [[Mark Vaile]]
|successor = [[David Gillespie (Australian politician)|David Gillespie]]
|constituency_MP2 = [[Electoral district of Port Macquarie|Port Macquarie]]
|parliament2 = New South Wales
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|birth_place = [[Lismore, New South Wales|Lismore]], New South Wales
|residence = [[Port Macquarie, New South Wales|Port Macquarie]], New South Wales
|alma_mater = [[University of Sydney]] <br /> [[Macquarie University]] <br /> [[University of Wollongong]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/federal-election-2016/rob-oakeshott-and-his-kitchen-cabinet-running-a-diy-campaign/news-story/18d677657fafb92094a03d29d46b9955?login=1|title=
|occupation = Political staffer
|profession =
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}}
'''Robert James Murray Oakeshott''' (born 14 December 1969) is
Oakeshott began his political career in state politics. Originally elected as the National Party candidate for the state seat of [[electoral district of Port Macquarie|Port Macquarie]] in the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]] in 1996, he left the party to become an [[Independent politician|Independent]] in 2002. Oakeshott retained the seat until 2008, when he resigned to contest the federal seat of Lyne, which he won with a large margin. He retained Lyne at the [[2010 Australian federal election
The 2010 election resulted in a [[hung parliament]], with the diverse [[crossbench]] holding the balance of power. Oakeshott, [[Tony Windsor]] and other crossbenchers agreed to back the incumbent [[Julia Gillard|Gillard]] [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] government to form [[minority government]], providing it with [[confidence and supply]], while retaining the right to vote on [[conscience vote|conscience]] in any other matters.
Oakeshott retired at the [[2013 Australian federal election
On 15 January 2019, Oakeshott announced his candidacy for the seat of [[Division of Cowper|
▲On 15 January 2019, Oakeshott announced his candidacy for the seat of [[Division of Cowper| Cowper]] at the [[2019 Australian federal election]].<ref name="Cowper">https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/rob-oakeshott-enters-federal-election-race-20190114-p50rc7.html</ref>
==Early life and career ==
Oakeshott was born in [[Lismore, New South Wales|Lismore]]. His father, also named Rob Oakeshott, was a doctor in the area until his death in 2016 and his grandfather Captain John Oakeshott was a prisoner of war and survived the [[Sandakan Death Marches]].<ref name="NSW Parliament">{{
Oakeshott attended [[Barker College]] for his secondary schooling, and was a boarder in his later years there. He then studied a Bachelor of Arts at the [[University of Sydney]].<ref name="NSW Parliament"/> While there, he was a resident of [[St. Andrew's College, Sydney|St. Andrew's College]] when the Principal, [[Peter Cameron (minister)|Peter Cameron]], was convicted of heresy by the [[Presbyterian Church of Australia]].<ref name="Uncompromising Heretic"/><ref name="Cameron">{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2010/s2991306.htm |title= Oakeshott: from independent to kingmaker|author= Sales, Leigh|date=23 August 2010 |work= [[Lateline]]|publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|
{{quote|text=As a student he was a pretty interesting fellow but standing on his digs over some of the speeches and some of the sermons he used to give. And in his parting speech to the students, he said, "I hope the great lesson I've taught you as the leader of this college is that you've got to stand up for what you believe in regardless of the consequences."|sign=Rob Oakeshott|source=Lateline, 23 August 2010<ref name="Cameron"/>}}
Oakeshott graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Government in 1992.<ref name="NSW Parliament"/> He then worked as an administrative officer at the Road Transport Forum, for the lobbying company Resolutions, as a staffer for future [[National Party of Australia|National Party]] Leader [[Mark Vaile]], and in public relations for the Coalition in Canberra before his own election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.<ref name="NSW Parliament"/><ref name="Public relations">{{cite web |url= http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/far-from-an-outsider-or-innocent-20100912-156uu.html|title= Far from an outsider or innocent|author= Paul Sheehan|date= 13 September 2010|work= Sydney Morning Herald|publisher= Fairfax|
==NSW parliament==
He was elected as the National Party member for [[Electoral district of Port Macquarie|Port Macquarie]] at a by-election on 30 November 1996 after the retirement of National Party member [[Wendy Machin]] on 28 August, winning 46.71% of the primary vote against John Barrett, a former [[Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division)|Liberal Party]] candidate who stood as an independent after the Liberals, then led by [[Peter Collins (New South Wales politician)|Peter Collins]], decided not to run a candidate. However, the Nationals lost almost six percent of their primary vote from 1995, and their two-party majority fell to a marginal four percent.<ref name="1996 by-election">{{cite web | title=State Electoral District – Port Macquarie Results 1996 (byelection) | publisher = [[New South Wales Electoral Commission]]| url = http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/state_government_elections/election_results/district_index/port_macquarie/results/1996_byelection |
He stood again at the 1999 election, increasing his primary vote to 56.05% and his two-party vote to 66.6%, enough to revert Port Macquarie to its traditional status as a safe National seat.<ref name="1999 election">{{cite web | title=State Electoral District – Port Macquarie Results 1999 | publisher = [[New South Wales Electoral Commission]] | url = http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/state_government_elections/election_results/district_index/port_macquarie/results/1999 |
Almost immediately after his election to the legislature, Oakeshott identified a number of points of disagreement. He was not at home with the party's strong conservatism on social policy; he recalled being "massively heavied" not to support a Labor bill for a safe injecting room trial. He was also unnerved by a senior National claiming that "blacks and poofters (homosexuals)" were gaining too much influence in the party; he took particular offence to the former because his wife is of South Seas descent. He was also pressured to fall into line on the Nationals' staunch opposition to [[1999 Australian republic referendum
He later said that he should have done "more due diligence" on the Nationals' ideology, saying that he would have never joined the party had he known about its conservative bent. He only did so because he was a budding political consultant and "they're the party around here, I'm a young bloke, I need a job." (Port Macquarie and its predecessor seat, [[electoral district of Oxley|Oxley]], had been in the hands of a conservative party without interruption since 1927, and in the hands of the Nationals for all but six years since 1944.) He added that he didn't think the Nationals didn't do "enough due diligence on me" prior to clearing him to stand for Port Macquarie.<ref name="Ideology"/> He also questioned the relevance of the Nationals in an electorate transformed by demographic change and the growth of tourism.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Clune |first= David |date=December 2002 |title= Australian Political Chronicle: January–June 2002 |journal= Australian Journal of Politics and History |volume= 48 |issue= 4 |page= 549 |issn=0004-9522}}</ref> Increasingly, he concluded that as long as he remained in the National party room, he would be "a square peg in a round hole." He believed that he had three options–spend a decade in the legislature as a "robotron" National member, quit politics, or run as an independent.<ref name="Ideology"/>
Oakeshott resigned from both the shadow cabinet and the National Party on 9 March 2002.<ref name="MP Wanted"/><ref name="NSW Parliament"/><ref name="Uncompromising Heretic"/><ref name="Antony Green">{{cite web |url= http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/lyne.htm |title= Lyne |author= Green, Antony |year= 2010 |work= The Green Guide |publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|
During his tenure as the state member for Port Macquarie Oakeshott completed a law degree at Macquarie University.<ref name="Macquarie University Graduate Register">{{cite web | title = Macquarie University Graduate Register 2008 | publisher = [[Macquarie University]] | url = http://www.graduation.mq.edu.au/gradregister.htm |
==Federal parliament==
There were suggestions that Oakeshott would stand as an independent candidate at the [[2004 Australian federal election
===First term===
In April 2008, following the defeat of the [[Howard
On 5 August 2008 Oakeshott resigned from the NSW parliament to stand as an independent candidate at the federal by-election for Lyne.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/06/2325482.htm |title=By-elections pressure Coalition's unity|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=6 August 2008 |
Oakeshott won virtually every booth in the electorate, receiving about two-thirds of the primary vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vtr.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-13827-130.htm|title=Lyne by-election 2008|publisher=[[Australian Electoral Commission]]|year=2008|
In his first term, Oakeshott voted 32 times with the ruling [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] government (including in support of the proposed [[emission trading scheme]]) and nine times with the opposition. He has explained that this record was not indicative of support for Labor's policy platform, but rather because he believed in allowing governments to govern.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/federal-election/profile-rob-oakeshott-20100822-13azm.html|title=Profile: Rob Oakeshott|author=Arup, Tom|work=[[The Age]]|publisher=[[Fairfax Media]]|date=23 August 2010|
===Second term – support for minority government===
Oakeshott was re-elected in the [[
On 7 September 2010, Oakeshott gave his backing to the formation of a Labor minority government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/07/3005028.htm|title=Labor clings to power|date=7 September 2010|work=ABC News online|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|
Shortly before the [[Australian Labor Party leadership spill, 2012]], Oakeshott stated that he would not, as a matter of course, continue to support the minority Labor
Oakeshott's support for Labor didn't play well with his constituents. Despite his large personal majority, both his federal and state electorates were still comfortably safe National seats in "traditional" two-party matchups. Proving this, Besseling lost Port Macquarie to the Nationals' [[Leslie Williams (politician)|Leslie Williams]] at the [[2011 New South Wales state election
====Immigration legislation====
In February 2012, Oakeshott introduced a [[private member's bill]] to allow the Australian [[Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)|Minister of Immigration]] to authorise sending asylum seekers to any country that is part of the [[Bali Process]]. In June 2012, following the sinking of two asylum seeker boats in the Indian Ocean within a week that resulted in significant loss of life, the bill was brought up for immediate debate in the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-unclear-if-any-lost-from-stricken-boat-20120627-211ro.html|title=PM unclear if any lost from stricken boat|date=27 June 2012|work=Sydney Morning Herald|
===Retirement===
Oakeshott retired from politics prior to the [[2013 Australian federal election|2013 federal election]], and did not contest his seat.<ref name="APH34">{{Cite Au Parliament|mpid=IYS|name=Mr Robert Oakeshott MP|access-date=2022-08-01}}</ref> It was subsequently won by the National Party candidate [[David Gillespie (Australian politician)|David Gillespie]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/throsby/rob-oakeshott/5978618|title=Robb Oakeshott|publisher=ABC|date=17 January 2015}}</ref>
===Comeback===
In June 2016, Oakeshott announced his candidacy for a return to federal politics at the [[2016 Australian federal election
In January 2019, Oakeshott announced he would stand again in Cowper at the [[2019 Australian federal election]].<ref name="Cowper"/> He was unsuccessful in his bid to win the seat.<ref name="2019 Poll">{{cite news|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/poverty-on-the-agenda-for-newly-elected-cowper-mp-pat-conaghan/news-story/f604967eab375b97acc97c31492fadbd?nk=e3f5402b2b0fafbb081b5415b6b1db7c-1558251809|author=Higgins, Ean |title='Gutted' Rob Oakeshott points the finger at Nationals over Cowper loss|publisher=[[The Weekend Australian]]|date=19 May 2019|access-date=19 May 2019}}</ref>
In October 2021 Oakeshott was named as an advisor for climate fund, [[Climate 200]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-01|title=Windsor and Oakeshott ride again in push to bring climate to forefront|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/10/01/windsor-and-oakeshott-ride-again-in-climate-push/|access-date=2021-10-13|website=Crikey|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Post-politics==
In 2017, Oakeshott was among the first batch of students to begin studying a undergraduate medical degree at [[University of New South Wales]]'s new Rural Clinical School Campus in [[Port Macquarie]]. He graduated in November 2022. Oakeshott said he aimed to work as a regional general practitioner in the Port Macquarie area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-18/former-mp-rob-oakeshott-graduates-with-a-medical-degree/101670584|title=Former independent politician Rob Oakeshott embraces new medical career on the NSW Mid North coast|publisher=ABC News|date=18 November 2022}}</ref>
==Private life==
In May 2012, Oakeshott revealed that he suffers from [[Graves' disease]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/oakeshott-diagnosed-with-incurable-disease-20120512-1yjvu.html|title=Oakeshott diagnosed with incurable disease|last=Thomson|first=Phillip|date=13 May 2012|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|
==References==
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==External links==
*[http://www.oakeshott.com.au/ Rob Oakeshott official website]
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-nsw-la}}
{{succession box | title=[[Electoral district of Port Macquarie|Member for Port Macquarie]]| before=[[Wendy Machin]]|after= [[Peter Besseling]]| years=1996–2008}}
{{s-par|au}}
{{succession box | title=[[Division of Lyne|Member for Lyne]] | before=[[Mark Vaile]] | after=[[David Gillespie (Australian politician)|David Gillespie]]| years=2008–2013}}
{{s-end}}
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[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Independent members of the Parliament of New South Wales]]
[[Category:National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Australian republicans]]
[[Category:Independent members of the Parliament of Australia]]
[[Category:Macquarie Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Lyne]]
[[Category:People from Lismore, New South Wales]]
[[Category:University of Sydney alumni]]
[[Category:People educated at Barker College]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian politicians]]
[[Category:University of Wollongong alumni]]
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