Jeremy Philip Dalhousie Edwards (born 27 March 1946), known as Jamie Edwards, is an Australian politician. He was a

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. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

member of 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 ...

from 2001 to 2005, representing the electorate of Greenough. Edwards was born in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the son of a farmer, and moved to Australia in 1967. He operated a secondhand furniture and white goods business before entering politics. He also served as shire president of the

Shire of Greenough The Shire of Greenough was a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth surrounding the city of Geraldton. The Shire covered an area of , and its seat of government was the outer Gerald ...

and as president of the Western Australian Municipal Association, a role in which he had a reputation as being outspoken. Edwards entered state politics at the 2001 state election, retaining held the seat of Greenough for the Liberal Party, which had been held by the party for sixty years, but where the party was facing a challenge from coalition partner the National Party. He was appointed Shadow Minister for Heritage and the Mid West upon his election, and added the Water Resources portfolio not long after. He was shifted to the roles of Shadow Minister for Local Government, Heritage and the Mid West in February 2003, and added the additional portfolio of Planning in May 2004. He vocally opposed the equalisation of the

age of consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally claim ...

for gay couples in December 2001, revealing that he had been sexually abused by a man as a thirteen-year-old. He was one of seven MPs to storm out of the chamber in protest at the passage of a motion opposing the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

in March 2003. Edwards faced another strong challenge from the National Party at the 2005 election, with a new National candidate in Geraldton radio host and former ABC TV weatherman

Grant Woodhams Grant Allen Woodhams (born 7 August 1952 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former politician. He was The Nationals member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from February 2005 to March 2013. Arriving in Western Austra ...

. The result was not known until eleven days after the election, but Woodhams emerged successful, defeating Edwards by 292 votes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Jamie 1946 births Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Living people Mayors of places in Western Australia British emigrants to Australia 21st-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors