Philip Donato (born 1972) is an Australian politician. He was a

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFF) is an Australian political party. It primarily advocates for increased funding and services for rural and regional Australia, protecting the right to farm, enhancing commercial and recreational fishi ...

member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

from November 2016 to December 2022, and subsequently an independent, representing the electorate of

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

.) Donato was a police officer and prosecutor before entering politics, and was elected at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

following the resignation of National Party MP

Andrew Gee Andrew Gee may refer to: * Andrew Gee (rugby league) * Andrew Gee (politician) See also * Osher Günsberg, Australian television personality formerly known as Andrew G {{hndis, Gee, Andrew ...

. He is the first member of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party to represent a lower house seat, joining Legislative Council members

Robert Borsak Robert Borsak (born 14 August 1953) is the leader of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFF). He represents the party in the New South Wales Legislative Council. He was chosen by the Shooters and Fishers Party to fill the New South Wa ...

and Robert Brown in the Parliament of New South Wales. On 12 December 2022, Donato resigned from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party following a dispute with the party's leadership, and announced he will contest the 2023 New South Wales state election as an Independent.https://www.orangenewsexaminer.com.au/post/phil-donato-quits-after-fallout-with-leader

References

1972 births Living people Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party politicians Independent members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Australian police officers Australian politicians of Italian descent 21st-century Australian politicians {{Australia-politician-stub