Patrick John Conaghan (born 31 January 1971) is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

for Cowper in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, representing the Nationals since 2019.

Early career

Conaghan was born in Kempsey, New South Wales and was educated at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill in Sydney. Prior to entering federal politics, he worked as a police officer in Kempsey before being transferred to Sydney as a detective and later on as a

police prosecutor In certain jurisdictions, police prosecutors are employed by the police, as counsel for the prosecution, to present cases in court. Without robust safeguards, the lack of prosecutorial independence can result in a prosecuting environment which cre ...

. He was also a councillor for Tunks Ward of North Sydney Council from 2004 to 2008, serving alongside future Member for North Sydney, Trent Zimmerman. After departing law enforcement, Conaghan became a lawyer and established his own practice specialising in criminal defence, Conaghan Lawyers before being elected.

Politics

Conaghan was elected to the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

for the electoral division of Cowper at the 2019 Australian federal election, succeeding retiring incumbent

Luke Hartsuyker Luke Hartsuyker ( ; born 28 April 1959) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives from 2001 to 2019, representing the Division of Cowper in New South Wales for the Nat ...

. In August 2022, Conaghan attracted media attention after remarks about Australian Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather for not wearing a tie in Parliament House and objecting to the "state of undress". Conaghan would continue to complain about the MP's attire despite Speaker

Milton Dick Dugald Milton Dick (born 21 July 1972) is an Australian politician serving as the 32nd and current speaker of the Australian House of Representatives since 2022. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he has been the member of parliamen ...

's dismissal of the concern and would later say in a statement that "This is not a barbecue. This is question time in the Australian parliament. What next, board shorts and thongs? Maybe a onesie in winter". According to the House of Representatives Practice rulebook, attire is at discretion of the Speaker in the House of Representatives. In 2023, Conaghan conducted a survey, titled ''Pat's Biggest Survey 2023'', where respondents from Cowper were polled about national issues. The poll showed high levels of support in Cowper for celebrating

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...

on 26 January and

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by ...

Personal life

Conaghan lives in Port Macquarie, New South Wales with his wife, Ilona, and their two children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conaghan, Pat 1971 births 21st-century Australian lawyers Australian barristers Australian MPs 2019–2022 Australian MPs 2022–2025 Australian MPs 2025–2028 Australian police officers Australian prosecutors Criminal defense lawyers Living people Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Cowper National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia New South Wales local councillors North Sydney Council Police detectives People educated at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill People from Kempsey, New South Wales