David Gillespie (politician)

Turnbull Government

After the re-election of the Turnbull Government at the 2016 federal election, Gillespie was appointed Assistant Minister for Rural Health in the a ministerial reshuffle.^[4] He was promoted to Assistant Minister for Health in a subsequent rearrangement of the ministry in January 2017.^[5] Gillespie has argued for politicians who represent electorates larger than 10,000 square kilometres (such as his own) to receive additional expenses.^[6]

In February 2018, Gillespie was briefly a candidate to replace Barnaby Joyce as National Party leader.^[7] After finding a lack of support for his candidacy within the party room, he withdrew from the race and endorsed Michael McCormack, the only other announced candidate.^[8]

Parliamentary eligibility

Gillespie came under scrutiny after the High Court ruling in the Bob Day case. In April 2017, the High Court found that, under section 44(v) of the Australian Constitution, Senator Day had not been eligible to hold public office because of an indirect pecuniary relationship with the Australian government. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) opposition and some community groups believe that Gillespie also has an indirect financial relationship with the federal government, in that he owns a suburban shopping complex in Port Macquarie which leases a premises to an Australia Post licensee.^[9] In July 2017, the ALP launched a High Court challenge to Gillespie's eligibility as an MP. The case was formally brought by Peter Alley, the ALP candidate for Gillespie's seat of Lyne at the 2016 federal election.^[9] Gillespie sold his interest in the shopping complex in early 2018, which would ensure his eligibility in a by-election if the court ruled that he was ineligible at the time of the 2016 election.^[10] On 21 March 2018 the seven members of the High Court determined unanimously that it does not have the jurisdiction to hear the case, unless this matter is referred to it by parliament.^[11]