David Van (born 14 November 1964)[1] is an Australian politician. He was elected as a member of the Liberal Party and was sworn in as a federal senator representing the state of Victoria on 1 July 2019.
In June 2023, Van was accused of sexual misconduct by Senator Lidia Thorpe and former Senator Amanda Stoker.[2] In response, he was expelled from the Liberal party room, and resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as an independent in the Senate.[2][3]
Early life
Van has an undergraduate degree in horticulture, and as part of his degree studied the regeneration of Australian bush post the Ash Wednesday fires in the Blackwood forest that was burned as part of the Trentham East fire complex.[4]
Career
Prior to entering politics, Van was the managing director of South Melbourne public relations firm the De Wintern Group since 2003 where he advised clients on Royal Commissions and other Government inquiries. He was a board director of the Australian Association of Franchisees. A St Kilda resident, he was also the co-convenor of neighbourhood group Friends of St Kilda Hill, which was outspoken about crime and safety, specifically in relation to the Gatwick Hotel boarding house and public housing.[5][6][7][8][9]
Van holds a Masters degree in International Relations from Monash University.[10]
Politics
Van was elected to the Senate at the 2019 federal election from the marginal third position on the Liberal ticket.[11] He was assigned a party role as "patron" for the Labor-held House seat of Dunkley.[7] In his first speech in September 2019, Van spoke of his belief in the "dignity of work", defended the coalition government's welfare policies, and stated that he believed in "free markets, freedom of speech, and most importantly in my view, getting government out of people's lives to the most practicable extent possible".[12]
Van has worked to ensure projects of national significance such as the 310 St Kilda Rd project[clarification needed] are properly maintained, after using Senate Estimates to question the Department of Defence on the state of disrepair the site was in which helped prompt a government review.[13]
In 2020 and 2021, Van advocated for the LAND 8116 self-propelled artillery project contract to be awarded to Hanwha, who would build 30 self-propelled howitzers and 15 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles for the army in Geelong, Victoria.[14][15]
In February 2021, Van called for an independent review into ABC complaints.[16]
As Chair of the Parliamentary friends of Ukraine, Van has been a proponent for providing support for Ukraine, regularly raising Ukraine’s need for Australian support and the geopolitical impact of the war in Parliament and attending several rallies with the Ukrainian community.[17]
As of early 2022, Van is a member of several committees including the Joint Standing Committees for Trade & Investment Growth and Treaties, as well as Senate Select Committee for Foreign Interference through Social Media, Senate Committee on Environment & Communication and Legal & Constitutional Affairs.[1]
Van was a member of the centre-right faction of the Liberal Party during the Morrison government years,[18] but became factionally unaligned after the 2022 Australian federal election.[19]
Controversies
In November 2021, then Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was "disappointed" after claims that Van had made "growling and dog noises" at Senator Jacqui Lambie as she spoke during Senate Question Time, on the same day as the Sex Discrimination Commissioner released a report into harassment and workplace culture at Parliament House. Van later "apologised unreservedly" for interjecting but denied making "growling noises".[20]
Former Liberal National Senator Amanda Stoker released a statement alleging that she had also been inappropriately touched by Van.[21][22] Stoker accused Van of squeezing her buttocks twice at a social gathering in November 2020. She said she raised the issue with Van the next day and he apologised.[23]
Van was expelled from the parliamentary Liberal party room by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton after additional allegations of misconduct were raised with him, requiring him to sit on the Senate cross bench. Van denies all of the allegations.[24][25] The following day on radio station 2GB Dutton urged him to resign, saying "I think it is in everyone’s best interest that he resign from the parliament and I hope he’s able to do that sooner than later. And, and seek the help that he needs".[26]
In July 2023 it was reported that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) undertook an extensive investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Senator Van while he was on an ADF parliament program voyage in July 2021, and that the office of then Prime Minister Scott Morrison was notified and declined to take any action.[27]
Alleged abuse of office
In December 2023, Van was reported as using "taxpayer funded resources for pleasure and private business endeavours". A Current Affair and The Age accused Van of using his parliamentary email address to discuss private business matters related to his former public relations firm, and using his official Instagram account to harass women.[28][29]
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