Rowan Ramsey
Rowan Eric Ramsey (born 4 August 1956) is the Liberal Party of Australia member for the House of Representatives seat of Grey since the 2007 election, succeeding previous Liberal member Barry Wakelin. Grey covers most of rural South Australia − over 92 percent of the state by area.[1]
Rowan Ramsey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Grey | |
| Assumed office 24 November 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Barry Wakelin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rowan Eric Ramsey 4 August 1956 Kimba, South Australia, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Residence | Eyre Peninsula |
| Occupation | Farmer |
Ramsey is a member of the centre-right faction of the Liberal Party.[2]
Nuclear industrial development
In 2015 Ramsey commended the Government of South Australia for initiating the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission. Commencing in March 2015, the Commission was tasked to investigate the opportunities and risk of further nuclear industrial development for South Australia, which includes mining, processing, power generation and waste management. He said of the decision:
"I congratulate the Premier on this move; we simply cannot make sensible informed decisions about this industry if we don't talk about it."[3]
Ramsey supports the potential storage of low and intermediate level nuclear waste in his electorate of Grey. He intended to nominate his own property as a potential candidate site, but was advised not to by Minister Ian Macfarlane due to a perceived conflict of interest.[4] He told the media:
"I would be more than happy, for instance, to host it on my farm. But I wouldn't nominate my farm without actually speaking to my neighbours and having a community consultation."[5]
Up to four sites within his electorate have been nominated.[4]
Electoral performance
A ReachTEL seat-level opinion poll in the safe Liberal seat of Grey of 665 voters conducted by robocall on 9 June during the 2016 election campaign surprisingly found Nick Xenophon Team candidate Andrea Broadfoot leading the Liberals' Ramsey 54–46 on the two-candidate vote. Seat-level opinion polls in the other two rural Liberal South Australian seats revealed the Nick Xenophon Team also leading in both Mayo and Barker.[6][7]
Ramsey retained the seat at the 2016 election for Grey with a reduced margin of 1.95% over Broadfoot.[8] He comfortably retained the seat at the 2019 election for Grey with a margin of 13.32% (a two-party preferred swing of 5.57% toward him) over Labor, with Broadfoot finishing fourth.[9]
| Election | Division | First preference | Two-candidate vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Grey | 46.26% | 54.43% |
| 2010 | Grey | 55.78% | 61.16% |
| 2013 | Grey | 55.65% | 63.54% |
| 2016 | Grey | 42.74% | 51.95%[lower-alpha 1] |
| 58.63%[lower-alpha 2] | |||
| 2019 | Grey | 50.65% | 63.32% |
| 2022 | Grey | 42.18% | 60.07% |
Notes
- Over Nick Xenophon Team.
- over Labor.
References
- "Mr Rowan Ramsey MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- 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.
- Lewis, Bryn (17 March 2015). "Ramsey supports calls for nuclear waste site". WhyallaNewsOnline.com.au. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- Owen, Michael (9 May 2015). "Remote sites in South Australia offered for nuclear dump". The Australian. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- "Lib MP happy to store nuclear waste". NT News. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015.
- "Grey opinion poll 9 June". ReachTEL. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016.
- "ReachTEL: 50-50". The Poll Bludger. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016.
- "Grey, SA". Virtual Tally Room 2016. Australian Electoral Commission.
- "Grey, SA". Tally Room 2019. Australian Electoral Commission.