Peter Besseling
Encyclopedia
Peter Edward Besseling is an Australia
n politician. He was also a former professional rugby union player.
for the electoral district of Port Macquarie
in New South Wales
, which he won in the 2008 Port Macquarie by-election
following the resignation of former independent member Rob Oakeshott
who successfully ran for the federal division of Lyne
.
Mr Besseling, a former Waratahs second-rower and 1999 Ken Catchpole Medallist, had worked as a political adviser for his sometime rugby teammate Mr Oakeshott for the previous three years.
Besseling won the seat with 35.9 percent of the primary vote and 54.5 percent of the two party vote. Federal Liberal
Hume
MP Alby Schultz
was seen campaigning a few times for Besseling, referring to him as "the pick of the candidates", with similar support from Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan
, sparking anger and resentment within the coalition
.
, federal member for the Division of Lyne
.
Besseling's re-election campaign struck controversy when oil from his campaign bus caused an accident on the Oxley Highway that resulted in three people being seriously injured.
Besseling has since been employed by Rob Oakeshott
as a staffer.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was also a former professional rugby union player.
Political Career
He was an independent member in the New South Wales Legislative AssemblyNew South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
for the electoral district of Port Macquarie
Electoral district of Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Leslie Williams of the National Party....
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, which he won in the 2008 Port Macquarie by-election
Port Macquarie by-election, 2008
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Port Macquarie on 18 October 2008. This was triggered by the resignation of independent MP Rob Oakeshott who was elected to the federal seat of Lyne at a by-election the previous month.The writ for the Port Macquarie...
following the resignation of former independent member Rob Oakeshott
Rob Oakeshott
Robert James Murray "Rob" Oakeshott is an Australian politician. He is the independent Member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Lyne in New South Wales, which he won in the 2008 by-election following the resignation of former Nationals leader and Howard minister Mark Vaile...
who successfully ran for the federal division of Lyne
Division of Lyne
The Division of Lyne is an Australian electoral division located in the State of New South Wales. It lies on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales and includes the Local Government Areas of Gloucester, Greater Taree, Port Macquarie-Hastings and southern Kempsey...
.
Mr Besseling, a former Waratahs second-rower and 1999 Ken Catchpole Medallist, had worked as a political adviser for his sometime rugby teammate Mr Oakeshott for the previous three years.
Besseling won the seat with 35.9 percent of the primary vote and 54.5 percent of the two party vote. Federal Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
Hume
Division of Hume
The Division of Hume is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. The Division is located in the central part of the state, just north of the Australian Capital Territory. The Division covers a predominantly rural area, with agriculture and coal mining the main industries...
MP Alby Schultz
Alby Schultz
Albert John "Alby" Schultz , Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since October 1998, representing Hume, New South Wales. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and was a meat processing worker before entering politics...
was seen campaigning a few times for Besseling, referring to him as "the pick of the candidates", with similar support from Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan
Bill Heffernan
William Daniel Heffernan, more commonly known as Bill Heffernan, , Australian politician, has been a Liberal Party member of the Senate, representing the state of New South Wales, since September 1996.-Early life:...
, sparking anger and resentment within the coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
.
2011
In 2011 Besseling lost his seat to National Party candidate Leslie Williams. A swing of 11% against him was put down to his association to Rob OakeshottRob Oakeshott
Robert James Murray "Rob" Oakeshott is an Australian politician. He is the independent Member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Lyne in New South Wales, which he won in the 2008 by-election following the resignation of former Nationals leader and Howard minister Mark Vaile...
, federal member for the Division of Lyne
Division of Lyne
The Division of Lyne is an Australian electoral division located in the State of New South Wales. It lies on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales and includes the Local Government Areas of Gloucester, Greater Taree, Port Macquarie-Hastings and southern Kempsey...
.
Besseling's re-election campaign struck controversy when oil from his campaign bus caused an accident on the Oxley Highway that resulted in three people being seriously injured.
Besseling has since been employed by Rob Oakeshott
Rob Oakeshott
Robert James Murray "Rob" Oakeshott is an Australian politician. He is the independent Member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Lyne in New South Wales, which he won in the 2008 by-election following the resignation of former Nationals leader and Howard minister Mark Vaile...
as a staffer.