David Wickham Ridgway (born 14 November 1960) is a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who served as a member of the

South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the South Australian House of Assembly, ...

from 2002 to 2021, representing the Liberal Party of Australia (SA). Ridgway served as the Minister for Trade and Investment in the Marshall Ministry from 22 March 2018 to 26 July 2020, and as Minister for Tourism from March 2018 to January 2020.

Background

Ridgway was elected state president of the South Australian Rural Youth Movement in 1982–83. In 1984 he won a six-month youth study tour to the UK. This experience heightened his interest in politics, especially in primary industries and regional development. Ridgway began working on the family farm and at 19 he took on management of the family's horticultural business. After purchasing the business in 1997 with his wife Meredith, they expanded the operation to become the largest producer of gladioli corms in Australia and New Zealand.

Parliament

Ridgway was elected from fourth position on the Liberal ticket at the 2002 election and from first position on the Liberal ticket at the 2010 election. Ridgway was appointed a Shadow Parliamentary Secretary in 2005, and after the 2006 election was appointed Shadow Minister for Environment and Conservation, the River Murray and Urban Development & Planning, under the leadership of

Iain Evans Iain Frederick Evans (born 18 April 1959) is a former Australian politician. He was leader of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2006 to 2007. Early life Evans attended Heathfield Primary and subsequently He ...

. A leadership change in April 2007, in which

Martin Hamilton-Smith Martin Leslie James Hamilton-Smith (born 1 December 1953) is a former Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Waite from the 1997 election until his retirement in 2018. First elected as a candidate ...

assumed Liberal Party leadership, prompted a re-shuffle of the Party's Shadow Cabinet, at which point Ridgway was made Shadow Minister for Police and Mineral Resources Development, whilst retaining his Shadow Urban Development & Planning post. David Ridgway also assisted the Leader of the Opposition with the Multicultural Affairs portfolio. In February 2013, Ridgway was further promoted to the crucial portfolios of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Forests and Tourism. Between 2007 and 2018 Ridgway served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council. Following the 2018 state election Ridgway was appointed as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Ridgway was relieved of his Tourism ministerial responsibilities in the immediate aftermath of the devastation of

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

and other South Australian tourist areas during the 2019–20 bushfires when the Premier, Steven Marshall assumed that ministerial role on 11 January 2020. On 13 January 2020, by proclamation of the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Ridgway was relieved of the Tourism portfolio in his ministerial position. In July 2020, Ridgway resigned from cabinet, indicating he was unwilling to serve in a reshuffled ministry following the resignation of Stephan Knoll and Tim Whetstone over an expenses scandal. Ridgway resigned from the Legislative Council in June 2021 in order to be appointed as South Australia's Agent-General in London.

Personal life

He currently resides in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and has three children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridgway, David Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of South Australia 1960 births Living people Members of the South Australian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian politicians