Wyatt Roy

The Honourable Wyatt Roy MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Longman
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 August 2010
Preceded by	Jon Sullivan
Majority	7.7%
Personal details
Born	22 May 1990 Buderim, Queensland, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal National
Website	http://www.wyattroy.com.au/

Wyatt Beau Roy (born 22 May 1990) is an Australian politician. He has served as the Assistant Minister for Innovation since September 2015. He has been a Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) member of the Australian House of Representatives since August 2010, representing the electorate of Longman.^[1] At 20 years of age, he was the youngest person ever to be elected to an Australian parliament. The federal record was previously held by Edwin Corboy, who was 22 when elected in 1918. He also became the youngest Minister in the history of the Commonwealth, being appointed to the ministry at the age of 25.

Personal life

Roy was raised on a strawberry farm north of Brisbane. He has two older half-brothers and a younger sister.^[2] Roy attended Matthew Flinders Anglican College on the Sunshine Coast, and studied at Melbourne's La Trobe University before returning to his home state to study political science and international relations at the University of Queensland, although did not graduate.^[3]

Political career

Prior to the election, there was speculation that the Liberal National Party did not want Roy endorsed as the candidate for Longman, because of his youth. However, both Liberal leader Tony Abbott and Nationals leader Warren Truss publicly endorsed Roy.^[4][5]

Roy's campaign was not without incident. His electoral success may have been helped by a gaffe made by his Labor opponent and incumbent member, Jon Sullivan. In the closing week of the 2010 federal election campaign, Sullivan gained national media attention due to a blunder where he criticised the father of a seven-year-old child with a disability for waiting two years on a Queensland Health waiting list, responding to a question at a candidates' forum with a counter-question.^[6] Sullivan apologised to the father at the first available opportunity^[7] and dismissed the significance of the gaffe, in the days following his defeat.^[8] A week earlier, one of Roy's campaign volunteers was involved in an incident, captured on video. The footage shows a member of Roy's campaign team hitting a Labor supporter in the face while campaigning. The LNP claimed the attack was provoked and brought about by the Labor campaign worker holding a giant L-plate sign next to a poster of Roy.^[9]

Roy is a supporter of same-sex marriage in Australia^[10] and supports a conscience vote on the issue in parliament.^[11]

In 2015, Wyatt Roy was appointed as Assistant Minister for Innovation, an outer ministry position assisting the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science.^[12]

See also

• Baby of the House, an unofficial title given to the youngest member of a parliamentary house

References

1. http://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=M2X aph.gov.au Commonwealth of Australia
2. Maley, Jacqueline (31 August 2013). "No mother's boy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
3. Barrett, Rosanne (24 August 2010). "Youngest MP not all about money". The Australian. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
4. Nancarrow, Dan (15 June 2010). "Abbott backs political tyro Wyatt Roy". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
5. Singer, Melissa; Mitchell, Alex (22 August 2010). "About a Roy: Wyatt set to be youngest ever MP". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
6. Dickinson, Alex (20 August 2010). "MP Jon Sullivan jeered after 'cruel' words to father of disabled child". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
7. Marshall, Candice (20 August 2010). "Longman MP apologises for disabilities remark". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 25 August 2010.
8. Roberts, Glenn (24 August 2010). "Sullivan denies gaffe was to blame". Caboolture Shire Herald. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
9. Tatnell, Paul (16 August 2010). "Wyatt's gunning to be youngest MP at 20 ... but saves the marginal punch lines". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
10. "Coalition MP Wyatt Roy, 23, supports gay marriage". news.com.au. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
11. "Same-sex marriage debate to reignite in Federal Parliament". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
12. Viellaris, Renee (21 September 2015). "Queenslanders Steven Ciobo, Stuart Robert, Mal Brough, Peter Dutton, Wyatt Roy and George Brandis named in new ministry". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 21 September 2015.

External links

• Official website