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Danna Vale

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The Honourable
Danna Vale
Minister for Veterans' Affairs
In office
26 November 2001 – 26 October 2004
Prime MinisterJohn Howard
Preceded byBruce Scott
Succeeded byDe-Anne Kelly
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Hughes
In office
2 March 1996 – 19 July 2010
Preceded byRobert Tickner
Succeeded byCraig Kelly
Personal details
Born
Danna Sue Ward

(1944-11-14) 14 November 1944 (age 80)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyLiberal Party of Australia
SpouseRobert Vale
OccupationSolicitor

Danna Sue Vale (née Ward; born 14 November 1944) is a former Australian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, she served as Minister for Veterans' Affairs in the Howard Government from 2001 to 2004, the first woman to hold the position. She was a member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2010, holding the New South Wales seat of Hughes.

Early life

Vale was born in Sydney on 14 November 1944. Following her marriage she was a stay-at-home mother for a number of years, eventually enrolling to study law at the University of Sydney in 1984. She graduated in 1988 with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws, subsequently working as a solicitor until her election to parliament.[1]

Political career

Vale was first elected to the House of Representatives for Hughes, New South Wales in March 1996, re-elected in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007. Following re-election in 2001, she was appointed Minister for Veterans' Affairs (26 November 2001 to 22 October 2004) and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence (26 November 2001 to 29 September 2003).

Vale was first elected in Hughes when she defeated the sitting ALP member and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Robert Tickner, a defeat that has been largely attributed to his handling of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge controversy.

Vale notably opposed several of the Howard Government's policies and proposals, often on local issues, in particular the proposed construction of a second Sydney airport at Holsworthy and a nuclear waste processing plant at Lucas Heights, both of which would have been located in her electorate. In the government's second term, she spoke against mandatory sentencing of juveniles in the Northern Territory.[2] In June 2009, Vale was one of four Liberal MPs to support a Labor move to abolish the practice of charging asylum seekers the cost of their detention.[3]

She was a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Science and Innovation[4] established to look at the technology of geosequestration of carbon dioxide. The committee reported in August 2007. However, Vale was one of four MPs issuing a dissenting report in which they stated, "We do not believe the evidence unequivocally supports the hypothesis of anthropogenic global warming". Among the evidence cited in the dissenting report were claims of global warming on other planets including Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune and Triton (a moon of Neptune).[5] Vale was ridiculed in The Sydney Morning Herald[6] and the local media[7] for her views.

In 2004, Vale unwittingly became involved in the "cash for comment affair" when she mistakenly faxed a letter of support, meant for radio talkback host Alan Jones of 2GB, to Jones' former station 2UE. At the time, questions were being raised about the impartiality of David Flint, the head of the Australian Broadcasting Authority, when a letter of praise from Flint to Jones was revealed after the ABA had cleared Jones of wrongdoing.[8] Vale's letter, urging Jones to "stay brave and true", was lampooned by the ABC TV program Media Watch, which adopted "Stay Brave and True" as its unofficial motto.[9]

In 2006, Vale suggested that Australia is going to become a Muslim nation, as a result of Australians "aborting themselves out of existence"[10] She made these comments in supporting a Coalition-backed amendment to a bill on the abortion drug RU486, and expressing concern at the rate of abortion by Australian women.[11]

In August 2009 Vale announced she would not re-contest her seat at the 2010 federal election.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Hon Danna Vale MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  2. ^ Danna Vale to quit politics at next poll: Turnbull, The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 August 2009.
  3. ^ Narushima, Yuko: Regret, redemption as MPs put end to detention debt, The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 June 2009.
  4. ^ Current members, Standing Committee on Science and Innovation, Parliament of Australia, 17 October 2007.
  5. ^ Between a Rock and a Hard Place the science of geosequestration Archived 29 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, House Standing Committee on Science and Innovation, Parliament of Australia, 13 August 2007.
  6. ^ Crabb, Annabel: Aliens in the house from the Planet Propaganda, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 August 2007.
  7. ^ "Your View", St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, 28 August 2007.
  8. ^ Vale misdirects letter of support for Jones, ABC News, 29 April 2004.
  9. ^ Brave and true (and magnetic), Media Watch (ABC TV), 10 May 2004.
  10. ^ Muslim nation 'not possible': Vanstone, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 2006.
  11. ^ MP raises Islamisation fear in RU486 debate, ABC News, 13 February 2006.
  12. ^ "Danna Vale to quit politics at next poll". The Age. 4 August 2009.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Veterans' Affairs
2001–04 		Succeeded by
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Hughes
1996–2010 		Succeeded by
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