Alistair Bruce Coe (born 9 January 1984) is an Australian politician and a former leader of the
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.
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and
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 the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
(ACT). He was a member of the
ACT Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory (known in short as the ACT Legislative Assembly) is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It sits in the Legislative Assembly Building on Civic Sq ...
from 2008 to 2021, representing the
Ginninderra electorate
The Ginninderra electorate is one of the five electorates for the unicameral 25-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It elects five members.
History
It was created in 1995, when the three-electorate, Hare-Clark electoral s ...
from 2008 to 2016 and the
Yerrabi electorate from 2016 to 2021.
[Canberra Liberals - official website](_blank)
/ref> As Opposition Leader Coe led the Liberal Party to defeat at the 2020 election. He chose not to re-contest the party's leadership position, and resigned from the Assembly in 2021.
Legislative Assembly
Coe's first speech in the ACT Legislative Assembly was on 9 December 2008.
His portfolio responsibilities from 2008 to 2012 were as Shadow Minister for Urban Services, for Transport Services, for Housing, for Heritage, and for Youth. From 2012, Coe's responsibilities included Shadow Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, for Planning & Infrastructure, for Transport, and for Heritage.
At the 2012 election
This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*3–4 January: ...
, Coe was returned with a quota
Quota may refer to:
Economics
* Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country
* Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture
* Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe
* Indi ...
of 0.9.
When Zed Seselja
Zdenko Matthew "Zed" Seselja (born 27 March 1977) is an Australian politician who was a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory from 2013 to 2022, representing the Liberal Party. He was the Minister for International Development and the Pa ...
, then 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 ...
, mounted a bid to win preselection
Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presele ...
for the Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for the 2013 Australian federal election
The 2013 Australian federal election to elect the members of the 44th Parliament of Australia took place on 7 September 2013. The centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition led by Opposition leader Tony Abbott of the Liberal Party of Aus ...
, Coe was elected as Deputy Leader of the Liberals.
Leader of the Opposition
In the wake of a fifth consecutive Liberal defeat in the 2016 election, former leader Jeremy Hanson
Jeremy David Hanson, Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia), CSC, Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, MLA (born 18 February 1967) is a former Australian Army officer and is an Australian politician with the Liberal Party of Austra ...
resigned, and Coe was elected as his replacement with Nicole Lawder
Nicole Ann Lawder (born 31 July 1962) is an Australian politician. She has been a Liberal member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since June 2013 and served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition from October 2016 to October ...
as his deputy.
During the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey
The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey was a national survey designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the postal service between 12 September and 7 November 2017. Unlike voting in e ...
, Coe was the only federal, state or territory party leader to oppose same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
.
Coe led the Canberra Liberals
The Liberal Party of Australia (Australian Capital Territory Division), branded as Canberra Liberals, is the division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The party has been in opposition in the ACT Legis ...
to the 2020 election. His party faced an uphill battle as soon as the campaign began, with the Greens declaring they would not support a Liberal coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
. This almost certainly meant that the Liberals had to win a majority in order to govern, something only ever done once in ACT history.
Ultimately, the Liberals were defeated at the election, losing 2 seats. Coe conceded on election night, when it became apparent that a Labor-Greens coalition would return to power. On 27 October 2020, Coe was replaced by Elizabeth Lee as Leader of the Canberra Liberals and Leader of the Opposition. On 24 January 2021 Coe announced his forthcoming resignation from the Legislative Assembly, which became effective on 12 March 2021.
Personal life
Alistair Coe and Yasmin were married on 9 March 2013, at St Paul's Church, Manuka
St Paul's Church is an Anglican church in the suburb of Griffith in Canberra, Australia. Founded in 1939, it is part of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. It is listed in the Australian Capital Territory Heritage Register as an "...e ...
. He identifies as member of the Anglican Church
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
and is pro-life.
He was the Deputy Chairman of the International Young Democrat Union
The International Young Democrat Union (IYDU) is a global alliance of centre-right political youth organisations and the youth wing of the International Democrat Union.
The IYDU in its current form was founded in March 1991 in Washington, D.C ...
in 2011.
See also
*2020 Australian Capital Territory general election
The 2020 Australian Capital Territory general election was held between 28 September and 17 October 2020 to elect all 25 members of the unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly.
The incumbent Labor/ Greens coalition government, led by Chief Minister ...
References
External links
Canberra Liberals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coe, Alistair
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
1984 births
Living people
Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
International Young Democrat Union chairs
21st-century Australian politicians