Senator
David Van
Van in 2022
Senator for Victoria
Assumed office
1 July 2019
Personal details
Born (1964-11-14) 14 November 1964
Melbourne, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Liberal (until 2023)
ResidenceMelbourne
OccupationPolitician
Websitehttps://davidvan.com.au

David Van (born 14 November 1964)[1] is an Australian politician. He was elected as a member of the Liberal Party and was sworn in as a federal senator representing the state of Victoria on 1 July 2019.

In June 2023, Van was accused of sexual misconduct by Senator Lidia Thorpe and former Senator Amanda Stoker.[2] In response, he was expelled from the Liberal party room, and resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as an independent in the Senate.[2][3]

Early life

Van has an undergraduate degree in horticulture, and as part of his degree studied the regeneration of Australian bush post the Ash Wednesday fires in the Blackwood forest that was burned as part of the Trentham East fire complex.[4]

Career

Prior to entering politics, Van was the managing director of South Melbourne public relations firm the De Wintern Group since 2003 where he advised clients on Royal Commissions and other Government inquiries. He was a board director of the Australian Association of Franchisees. A St Kilda resident, he was also the co-convenor of neighbourhood group Friends of St Kilda Hill, which was outspoken about crime and safety, specifically in relation to the Gatwick Hotel boarding house and public housing.[5][6][7][8][9]

Van holds a Masters degree in International Relations from Monash University.[10]

Politics

Van was elected to the Senate at the 2019 federal election from the marginal third position on the Liberal ticket.[11] He was assigned a party role as "patron" for the Labor-held House seat of Dunkley.[7] In his first speech in September 2019, Van spoke of his belief in the "dignity of work", defended the coalition government's welfare policies, and stated that he believed in "free markets, freedom of speech, and most importantly in my view, getting government out of people's lives to the most practicable extent possible".[12]

Van has worked to ensure projects of national significance such as the 310 St Kilda Rd project are properly maintained, after using Senate Estimates to question the Department of Defence on the state of disrepair the site was in which helped prompt a government review.[13]

In 2020 and 2021, Van advocated for the LAND 8116 self-propelled artillery project contract to be awarded to Hanwha, who would build 30 self-propelled howitzers and 15 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles for the army in Geelong, Victoria.[14][15]

In February 2021, Van called for an independent review into ABC complaints.[16]

As Chair of the Parliamentary friends of Ukraine, Van has been a proponent for providing support for Ukraine, regularly raising Ukraine’s need for Australian support and the geopolitical impact of the war in Parliament and attending several rallies with the Ukrainian community.[17]

As of early 2022, Van is a member of several committees including the Joint Standing Committees for Trade & Investment Growth and Treaties, as well as Senate Select Committee for Foreign Interference through Social Media, Senate Committee on Environment & Communication and Legal & Constitutional Affairs.[1]

Van was a member of the centre-right faction of the Liberal Party during the Morrison government years,[18] but became factionally unaligned after the 2022 Australian federal election.[19]

Controversies

In November 2021, then Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was "disappointed" after claims that Van had made "growling and dog noises" at Senator Jacqui Lambie as she spoke during Senate Question Time, on the same day as the Sex Discrimination Commissioner released a report into harassment and workplace culture at Parliament House. Van later "apologised unreservedly" for interjecting but denied making "growling noises".[20]

Allegations of sexual misconduct

In June 2023, under parliamentary privilege, Senator Lidia Thorpe accused Van of sexual assault.

Former Liberal National Senator Amanda Stoker released a statement alleging that she had also been inappropriately touched by Van.[21][22] Stoker accused Van of squeezing her buttocks twice at a social gathering in November 2020. She said she raised the issue with Van the next day and he apologised.[23]

Van was expelled from the parliamentary Liberal party room by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton after additional allegations of misconduct were raised with him, requiring him to sit on the Senate cross bench. Van denies all of the allegations.[24][25] The following day on radio station 2GB Dutton urged him to resign, saying "I think it is in everyone’s best interest that he resign from the parliament and I hope he’s able to do that sooner than later. And, and seek the help that he needs".[26]

In July 2023 it was reported that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) undertook an extensive investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Senator Van while he was on an ADF parliament program voyage in July 2021, and that the office of then Prime Minister Scott Morrison was notified and declined to take any action.[27]

Alleged abuse of office

In December 2023, Van was reported as using "taxpayer funded resources for pleasure and private business endeavours". A Current Affair and The Age accused Van of using his parliamentary email address to discuss private business matters related to his former public relations firm, and using his official Instagram account to harass women.[28][29]

References

  1. 1 2 "Senator David Van". Parliament of Australia.
  2. 1 2 Remeikis, Amy (16 June 2023). "Peter Dutton calls for Liberal senator to resign after third inappropriate touching allegation". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Senator David Van resigns from Liberal Party following allegations of inappropriate behaviour". ABC News. 17 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Statement - Australian Bushfires". Senator David Van. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "Victoria". The Poll Bludger. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Board Members". Australian Association of Franchisees. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Lunch with new Dunkley patron Senator David Van". Committee for Greater Frankston. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "Gatwick saga plot twist". Caulfield Glen Eira / Port Phillip Leader. 6 November 2018.
  9. ↑ "Social housing breakdown". Caulfield Glen Eira / Port Phillip Leader. 5 March 2019.
  10. ↑ "About". Senator David Van. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Derryn Hinch, Labor lose out as Victorian Senate spots are finalised". The Australian. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  12. ↑ Coughlan, Matt (10 September 2019). "Liberal senator aims to defends democracy". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Car, Sean. "At last! Progress on 310 St Kilda Rd as Morrison Government announces review". Southbank News. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "Hanhwa Defence Australia unveils redback and signs MOU with Victorian Government". Geelong Advertiser.
  15. ↑ Fowler, Michael (12 January 2021). "Victoria and Korean manufacturer fight Queensland for $27b defence contract". The Age.
  16. ↑ Vitorovich, Lilly (14 February 2021). "Senator David Van calls for independent review of ABC complaints". The Australian. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022.
  17. ↑ Van, David. "Europe can't pass the buck on Ukraine". Lowy Institute.
  18. ↑ Massola, James (20 March 2021). "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  19. ↑ Massola, James. "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "Scott Morrison 'disappointed' by David Van's interjections after claims he made 'dog noises' at Jacqui Lambie". TheGuardian.com. December 2021.
  21. ↑ Massola, James; Thompson, Angus; Crowe, Alex (15 June 2023). "Former senator Amanda Stoker accuses Van of sexual harassment". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  22. ↑ Visentin, Lisa (15 June 2023). "One step forward, two back: The dark days of 2021 return to parliament". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  23. ↑ "David van update: Dutton says another allegation raised against Senator David van after allegations from former Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker and Senator Lidia Thorpe".
  24. ↑ Hegarty, Nicole; Borys, Stephanie (14 June 2023). "Lidia Thorpe in the Senate accuses Liberal David Van of sexual assault, but later withdraws comments". ABC News. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  25. ↑ Remeikis, Amy (15 June 2023). "Australia politics live: Peter Dutton says David Van will no longer sit in Liberal party room". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  26. ↑ May, Natasha (16 June 2023). "Australia news live: Thorpe says reaction to her allegations showed 'systemic racism'; AGL lifts power bills 30% and reveals $285m profit". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  27. ↑ https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/scott-morrisons-pmo-knew-of-serious-david-van-allegations/news-story/36bd0191369b092ff4a71fa18273b608 (subscription required)
  28. ↑ "Senator David Van faces scrutiny over 'Senator six-pack' Instagram messages". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  29. ↑ Sakkal, Paul (4 December 2023). "'Senator sixpack' David Van used official Instagram to chat up women". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
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