David Crisafulli

David Frank Crisafulli (; born 14 April 1979) is an Australian politician currently serving as the 41st Premier of Queensland since 28 October 2024 and leader of the Liberal National Party (LNP) since 12 November 2020. He has been the member of the Legislative Assembly for Broadwater since 2017 when he ousted the sitting member, Verity Barton, during pre-selection. He was the member for Mundingburra from 2012 to 2015, holding ministerial portfolios in the Newman government.

Crisafulli led the LNP into the 2024 Queensland state election. With the LNP winning a majority in the Queensland Parliament, he became the 41st Premier of Queensland on 28 October 2024. Crisafulli is the first Premier to have Italian heritage.

Early life and career

Crisafulli was born on 14 April 1979 in Ingham, Queensland. He is one of two children born to Karen and Antonino "Tony" Crisafulli; his parents are both of Italian origin. His father's family originates from the village of Novara di Sicilia in Sicily, Italy. His paternal grandfather Francesco Crisafulli immigrated to Australia in 1960 to work as a cane-cutter and later established his own sugarcane farm on the Herbert River.

Crisafulli was raised in Ingham, where he attended Canossa Primary School and Gilroy Santa Maria College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism degree from James Cook University in Townsville in 2000. While at university he also worked full-time as a cadet reporter at the '' Herbert River Express''.

In 2000, Crisafulli moved into television, becoming a journalist with '' WIN News'' in Townsville, and was made chief of staff of the Townsville newsroom in 2002. During that time, he also worked as a correspondent for ''The Australian'' and '' Sunday Mail'' newspapers, did weekly work for DMG Regional Radio as a newsreader, and lectured in journalism at James Cook University.

Politics

In 2003, Crisafulli was appointed a ministerial media advisor to the then Howard government Minister and Liberal Senator for Queensland, Ian Macdonald. In 2004, Crisafulli successfully stood for what was then the 100% Labor Party-controlled Townsville City Council, on a conservative platform. He became the youngest person ever elected to the council. In 2008, when the Townsville and Thuringowa councils were merged, he stood as a candidate at the first election for the enlarged council. Crisafulli made a deal with Les Tyrell, the former mayor of Thuringowa, to stand in partnership for the mayor and deputy mayor positions; Tyrell won election as mayor and Crisafulli as deputy mayor. He served as deputy mayor until his resignation in 2012 to stand for a seat in the Queensland Parliament. During his second term on Council, he became the chairman of the Townsville City Council Planning Committee.

In the 2012 Queensland state election, Crisafulli was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in the seat of Mundingburra, as a member of the Liberal National party. He was appointed the Minister for Local Government in the new Newman government. In February 2013, his role was expanded when he became Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. He re-contested Mundingburra at the 2015 Queensland state election but was defeated by the Labor candidate Coralee O'Rourke.

Following his 2015 election loss, Crisafulli and his family relocated to Hope Island on Queensland's Gold Coast. He subsequently ran a small business giving advice about dealing with government and business development opportunities.

In May 2017, he defeated incumbent Broadwater MP Verity Barton for LNP preselection to contest the 2017 election, and subsequently won the Broadwater seat. In December 2017, after the election of Deb Frecklington as Leader of the Opposition, Crisafulli was appointed the Shadow Minister for Environment, Science and the Great Barrier Reef, and Shadow Minister for Tourism.

On 12 November 2020, Crisafulli became Leader of the Opposition in Queensland, after the Liberal National Party elected him as party leader following the resignation of Deb Frecklington.

Premier of Queensland (2024–present)

Crisafulli led the LNP into the 2024 Queensland state election. The LNP gained a 51 seat majority in the Queensland Parliament, and he subsequently became the 41st Premier of Queensland.

Crisafulli was sworn in as Queensland's 41st Premier by Governor Jeannette Young on 28 October, alongside his deputy Jarrod Bleijie. The pair formed an interim ministry, with the full ministry sworn in later that week.

Crisafuli has prioritised curbing youth crimes as part of his electoral campaign promise during his premiership, with the slogan "adult crime, adult time", promising and eventually implementing adult sentences for youth crimes during his premiership that garnered criticism, with even a United Nations report criticizing it as "incompatible with basic child rights"

Political views

Crisafulli claims and describes his political views as centrist and decentralist.

Crisafulli opposes allowing trans women to compete against cisgender women in sport and voted for an unsuccessful bill tabled by Katter's Australian Party (KAP) leader Robbie Katter that sought to ban trans women from playing women's sports in Queensland.

Crisafulli personally opposed the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but decided not to campaign against it and members of the LNP were given a free vote on the issue.

Crisafulli has said, that in the event he was elected as premier, he would not roll back Indigenous treaty legislation. This was despite facing pressure from the LNP grassroots to do so. However, on 19 October 2023, a few days after the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum Crisafulli announced the LNP will be dropping its support for Treaty.

Crisafulli opposed the ''Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2018,'' which decriminalised abortion in Queensland, and the ''Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2021'', which legalised voluntary assisted dying. Both Bills were passed in conscience votes (50–41 and 60–29 respectively). During the 2024 election campaign, he stated he supported a "woman's right to choose" and noted that six years had passed since the bill was voted on.

After becoming Premier, Crisafulli banned discussions and debate on abortion in parliament for four years.

Crisafulli is a skeptic of nuclear energy, despite the federal opposition Coalition's affirmative stance towards modular nuclear reactors.

During his electoral campaign and premiership, Crisafuli is known for being tough on curbing youth crimes, promising during the election campaign on implementing a solitary confinement for said offenders, running slogans such as "adult crime, adult time", where youth offender can be sentenced with adult sentences, which was eventually implemented during his premiership and garnered criticism, with even a United Nations report criticizing it as "incompatible with basic child rights"

Personal life

Crisafulli lives in Hope Island with his wife Tegan and their two children. He owns a cane farm near Ingham. He is a supporter of the North Queensland Cowboys rugby league club.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crisafulli, David
1979 births
Living people
Australian monarchists
Australian politicians of Italian descent
Liberal National Party of Queensland politicians
Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
21st-century Australian politicians
People from Ingham, Queensland
Australian journalists