David Anthony Edward Scaife (born 16 December 1988) is an Australian politician, who was elected as a

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 ...

member for Cockburn in the

Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth. The Legisla ...

at the 2021 state election.

Early life and education

David Scaife was born on 16 December 1988 in

Subiaco, Western Australia Subiaco (known colloquially as Subi) is an inner-Western suburbs (Perth), western suburb of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is approximately west of Perth's central business district, in the City of Subiaco local government area. H ...

to Roy Edward Walter Scaife, a public servant, and Catherine Mary Scaife (née Rowe). He went to Australind Primary School from 1993 to 2000, and

Australind Senior High School Australind Senior High School is a comprehensive public co-educational high day school, located in Australind, a regional centre in the South West region, south of Perth, Western Australia. Overview The campus is made up of modern buildings ...

from 2001 to 2005. He was one of 23 students in 2005 to achieve a perfect

Tertiary Entrance Rank The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) was a tertiary entrance score used in several Australian states, the ACT and the Northern Territory as a tool for selection to universities in Australia. As of 2010, it has been replaced by the Australian Tertiary ...

score of 99.95. He studied for a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

from 2006 to 2012, and a Master of Laws at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

in 2019 and 2020.

Politics

Scaife joined the Australian Labor Party (WA) in 2005. He joined the

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), or more fully the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian trade union. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manufacturing se ...

in 2008, making him part of the

Labor Left The Labor Left, also known as the Progressive Left or Socialist Left, is political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It competes with the more economically liberal Labor Right faction. The Labor Left operates autonomously in each s ...

faction. He worked in the office of Senator

Louise Pratt Louise Clare Pratt (born 18 April 1972) is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for Western Australia since 2016, and previously from 2008 to 2014. She is a member of the Labor Party, and served as a member of the Western Australian ...

from August 2008 to November 2012. After that, he worked for the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union until March 2013. He was president of WA Young Labor in 2012. From August 2013 to August 2016, he worked as a lawyer for

Slater and Gordon Lawyers Slater & Gordon Lawyers is a law firm in Australia. The firm was founded in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1935 by a barrister and solicitor from Irymple, Victoria, Hugh Lyons Gordon, and Labor politician Bill Slater. The firm is one of Australia's ...

. From August 2016 until March 2017, he worked as a legal practise director for Eureka Lawyers. Scaife contested the

electoral district of Murray-Wellington Murray-Wellington is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia. The seat's current member is Labor MLA Robyn Clarke. Originally known as Murray, it was one of the original 30 seats contest ...

for Labor in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, but lost. He later contested the

electoral district of Cockburn Cockburn is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia. The district is based in Perth's south-western suburbs. Politically, it is a safe Labor seat. Geography Cockburn is located in the sou ...

for Labor at the 2021 state election, after its incumbent Labor member

Fran Logan Francis Michael Logan (born 25 February 1956) is a former politician in Western Australia, who was the Minister for Emergency Services and Corrective Services in the McGowan Labor Government from 2017 to 2021, . He was elected to the south west ...

retired. He comfortably won the safe Labor seat, with 68.2% of the primary vote.

Personal life

Scaife grew up in regional Western Australia and is married to Ellie Whiteaker, the Assistant State Secretary of WA Labor. He currently lives in Yangebup.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scaife, David 1988 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Labor Left politicians Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly 21st-century Australian politicians University of Western Australia alumni Alumni of University College London