Garry Edwards

Garry Edwards
Member of the New South Wales Parliament
for Swansea
In office
26 March 2011 – 6 March 2015
Preceded byRobert Coombs
Succeeded byYasmin Catley
Personal details
Born
Garry Keith Edwards

(1950-09-06) 6 September 1950
Sydney
NationalityAustralian
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations
Liberal (until 2014)
ResidenceBelmont, New South Wales
OccupationProperty conveyancer

Garry Keith Edwards (born 6 September 1950) is a former Australian politician who represented the electoral district of Swansea in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party from 2011 to 2015.[1]

Early career and background

A property conveyancer, Edwards was elected to Council for the City of Lake Macquarie in 2008 and serves as Deputy Mayor.[2] He is an active member of the Belmont 16 ft Sailing Club and serves as Director of the Club. He is also a patron of Swansea Football Club.

Political career

Edwards won the previously very safe Labor seat from the incumbent member Robert Coombs at the 2011 state election following a previous attempt for the seat at the 2007 state election. Edwards was elected with a swing of 14.0 points and won the seat with 51.1 per cent of the two-party vote.[3][4] Following his election, Edwards stated that he was yet to make a decision about whether he will continue to sit both on Council and as a member of parliament.[5]

On 14 August 2014, Edwards stood aside from the parliamentary Liberal Party following the ICAC testimony of Newcastle mayor and property developer Jeff McCloy, who told the Commission he had donated $1,800 cash-in-hand to Edwards' campaign. It is illegal in New South Wales to receive political donations from property developers.[6]

Edwards stood as an independent candidate for the seat Swansea at the 2015 state election. He received 14% of the primary vote and lost the seat to the Labor candidate Yasmin Catley.

References

  1. ^ "Mr Garry Keith Edwards". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Liberal Party Announces Garry Edwards as Candidate for Swansea". Media release. Liberal Party. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  3. ^ Green, Antony (5 April 2011). "Swansea". NSW Votes 2011. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  4. ^ Kirkwood, Ian (2 April 2011). "MP promises on police". The Newcastle Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  5. ^ Kirkwood, Ian (2 April 2011). "Back to polls for Lake voters". The Newcastle Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  6. ^ Whitbourn, Michaela (14 August 2014). "Swansea MP Garry Edwards becomes the latest Liberal to stand aside after ICAC revelations". Sydney Morning Herald.