Mark Francis McArdle (born 21 December 1956) is an Australian politician and former

Deputy Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in Queensland. He was a Member of the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

between 2004 and 2020, representing the electorate of

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is acce ...

on the Sunshine Coast. Initially a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

member, in 2007 he became the party leader and the following year oversaw a merger with the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

that produced the Liberal National Party. McArdle has held many parliamentary party positions, including stints as a Shadow Minister for Justice, State Development & Innovation; Emergency Services; Seniors; and Local Government. He has also served the Shadow Attorney General and the Parliamentary Liberal Party Whip.

Political career

Member of Parliament

McArdle was first elected to Parliament at the 2004 Queensland State Election, succeeding former Deputy Premier Joan Sheldon.Mark McArdle Biography , Queensland Parliament
In the 2006 Queensland election, McArdle was returned as the Member for Caloundra, taking a 2.6-point swing in his favour, and increasing his margin to 3.9%. Following electoral redistributions in 2008 prior to the 2009 state election, McArdle's margin was reduced to 1.9%. He was returned to Parliament again in the 2012 State Election. At the 2015 state election, Mark McArdle successfully defeated

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate Jason Hunt to retain his state seat, despite a swing of over 20% against him. He was returned to his seat again, in the 2017 Queensland Elections. In June 2019 McArdle announced he would retire at the

2020 Queensland state election The 2020 Queensland state election was held on 31 October to elect all 93 members to the 57th Parliament of Queensland, 57th Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The Queensland Labor, Labor Party was returned to government for a third-term, led ...

in October.

Ministerial Portfolios & Parliamentary Positions

McArdle served as the State Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party and the Deputy Opposition Leader, between 2007 and 2009. He was installed as a compromise candidate in the Leadership Contest of December 2007, after a deadlock between supporters of former leader

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and young challenger

Tim Nicholls Timothy James Nicholls (born 6 April 1965) is an Australian politician and a former leader of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He served as the Treasurer of Queensland and the Minister for Trade of that state between March/April 2012 ...

. He was made Deputy Leader of the Liberal National Party after the Queensland Liberal Party merged with the Queensland National Party. After the 2009 Queensland election, Mark McArdle vacated his position as Deputy Leader, as did Leader

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. Days later,

John-Paul Langbroek John-Paul Honoré Langbroek is an Australian politician who has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland representing the centre-right Liberal Party and its successor, the right-wing Liberal National Party, in the seat of Surfers ...

was elected Leader with

as Deputy Leader. Additional to his Parliamentary Party responsibilities, McArdle assumed the role of Shadow Minister for Health in August 2008, until the LNP's emphatic victory in 2012. Following the party leadership change, McArdle remained in his position as Shadow Minister for Health. After the Liberal National Party's

landslide win A landslide victory is an election result in which the winning candidate or party achieves a decisive victory by an overwhelming margin, securing a very large majority of votes or seats far beyond the typical competitive outcome. The term became ...

in the

2012 Queensland state election The 2012 Queensland state election was held on 24 March 2012 to elect all 89 members of the Legislative Assembly, a unicameral parliament. The Labor Party (ALP), led by Premier Anna Bligh, was defeated by the opposition Liberal National P ...

, McArdle was appointed as Minister for Energy and Water Supply by Premier

Campbell Newman Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is an Australian former politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Que ...

, overseeing long-awaited and modernising reforms in energy and

water security The aim of water security is to maximize the benefits of water for humans and ecosystems. The second aim is to limit the risks of destructive impacts of water to an acceptable level. These risks include too much water (flood), too little water (d ...

, after a series of natural disasters and an historical drought. In 2013, he revealed that he had

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

, and took time off from his portfolio to battle the disease.

Party Involvement

McArdle has held many party positions as well, including as Chair of the Fisher Federal Divisional Council; Chair of the Fisher Business Branch; and as a Member of the State Executive of the then Liberal Party.

2006 Election Controversy

Prior to the 2006 Election, McArdle, by then an emerging force within the Parliament, came under sustained criticism from the Labor Party and local media for his role in the collapse of mortgage schemes run by Boyce Garrick Lawyers. Premier

Peter Beattie Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952) is an Australian former politician who served as the 36th Premier of Queensland, in office from 1998 to 2007. He was the state leader of the Labor Party from 1996 to 2007. Beattie was born in Syd ...

claimed that his role in the collapse made him unfit for such a leadership position. McArdle responded by pointing out that he was cleared of any fault in the collapse by the Queensland Law Society in its investigation in 2001. He ultimately retained his seat.

Activities

McArdle takes an active role in the administration of his portfolio. He regularly attends relevant conferences and meets with key industry executives. Australian Domestic Gas Outlook 2014
, List of confirmed speakers

References

External links

Ministerial Diary for Mark McArdle

Liberal National Party of Queensland
{{DEFAULTSORT:McArdle, Mark 1956 births Living people Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland Liberal National Party of Queensland politicians Australian solicitors 21st-century Australian politicians Deputy opposition leaders