Darren James Webber (born 29 June 1981), an

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politician, was a member of the

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representing

Wyong Wyong () is a town in the Central Coast of New South Wales, located approximately 63 km SSW of Newcastle and 89 km NNE of Sydney. Established in 1888, it is one of the two administrative centres for the local government area. Hist ...

on the Central Coast for the

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from the

2011 New South Wales state election Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year-incumbent Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal–National Coalition opposition ...

until 19 February 2014 when he moved to the parliamentary

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and sat as an

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after the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard evidence that Webber may have breached electoral funding laws. He retired from politics in 2015.

Early career and background

With a family history in the area dating back over sixty years, Webber attended primary school at Berkeley Vale and attended Terrigal High School From year seven to year twelve, graduating in 1999, going onto a trade school at

. He was originally apprenticed as a

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butcher, but terminated that and became an apprentice electrician, apparently not finishing that apprenticeship either. Webber owned a business installing

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s and had a long involvement with local surf life saving clubs. While working, Webber was involved in a serious workplace accident and says he "experienced first hand the poor state of our hospitals", which subsequently led to his decision to run for office.

Political career

Preselected in 2010 by the Liberal Party, Webber is single and used this to his advantage during the election campaign by handing roses to potential voters on

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which fell a month before polling day. At the 2011 state election, Webber was elected with a swing of 14.3 points and won the seat with 52.6 per cent of the

two-party A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referr ...

vote, and is the first Liberal to represent Wyong. Webber's main opponent was the sitting

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member, David Harris. In February 2014, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) commenced investigating allegations of corrupt conduct. In response to the inquiry, the Liberal partyroom began the process of suspending MPs including Webber from the parliamentary party, even though they had just renominated for their seats. Before this process began, Webber and others resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as independents.Chris Hartcher, Darren Webber and Chris Spence step down from Liberal Party amid corruption claims

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, 2014-02-19. Webber did not contest the March 2015 state election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webber, Darren 1981 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Independent members of the Parliament of New South Wales 21st-century Australian politicians