{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Danna Vale | honorific_suffix = | image = Danna Vale.jpg | office = Minister for Veterans' Affairs | prime_minister = John Howard | term_start = 26 November 2001 | term_end = 26 October 2004 | predecessor = Bruce Scott | successor = De-Anne Kelly | constituency_MP2 = Hughes | parliament2 = Australian | predecessor2 = Robert Tickner | successor2 = Craig Kelly | term_start2 = 2 March 1996 | term_end2 = 19 July 2010 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1944|11|14}} | birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | birth_name = Danna Sue Ward | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Robert Vale | party = Liberal | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Solicitor | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''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.<ref name=aph>{{cite news|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=VK6|title=Hon Danna Vale MP|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref> She was the oldest of six children born to Albert and Delma Ward; her father was a World War II veteran and her maternal grandfather Donald Dempsey was killed in World War I, along with two of his brothers. She grew up in the suburb of Sylvania, leaving school at the age of 14 and working as an office girl. By working multiple jobs she saved money to take flying lessons, achieving a pilot's licence at the age of 20.<ref name=maidenspeech>{{cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2F1996-06-20%2F0009%22|title=Maiden speech|publisher=Parliament of Australia|work=Hansard|date=20 June 1996|access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref> Following her marriage Vale 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.<ref name=aph/>
==Political career== Vale joined the Liberal Party in 1993 and soon became president of the Gymea branch. She was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1996 federal election, defeating the incumbent Australian Labor Party (ALP) member and Keating government minister Robert Tickner. She was subsequently re-elected on four occasions, sitting for the Division of Hughes in New South Wales, in the southern outskirts of Sydney.<ref name=aph/>
After serving on various House standing committees, Vale was elevated to the ministry in November 2001 as Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence, as part of a reshuffle after the 2001 federal election.<ref name=aph/> In 2003 her department released a review of veterans' entitlements, although she quickly rejected its recommendation to means-test the Repatriation Health Card.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/am/stories/s784208.htm|title=Review of veterans' entitlements|publisher=ABC|work=AM|first=Louise|last=Willis|date=14 February 2003|access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref> In October 2003 the South Australian branch of the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) passed a motion of no-confidence in Vale, citing "a long standing problem of getting responses" and her late arrival and early departure from its annual general meeting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-10-07/sa-rsl-gives-vets-minister-thumbs-down/1489122|title=SA RSL gives Vets Minister thumbs down|work=ABC News|date=7 October 2003|access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref> She was removed as assistant defence minister in the same month, and was not retained in the ministry after the 2004 election.<ref name=aph/>
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.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200404/s1097912.htm Vale misdirects letter of support for Jones], ''ABC News'', 29 April 2004.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040603094924/http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s1105270.htm Brave and true (and magnetic)], ''Media Watch'' (ABC TV), 10 May 2004.</ref>
After losing her ministry, Vale joined the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Science and Innovation<ref>[http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/scin/members.htm Current members] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100508134409/http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/scin/members.htm |date=8 May 2010 }}, Standing Committee on Science and Innovation, Parliament of Australia, 17 October 2007.</ref> 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).<ref>[http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/scin/geosequestration/report.htm Between a Rock and a Hard Place the science of geosequestration] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829225512/http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/scin/geosequestration/report.htm |date=29 August 2007 }}, House Standing Committee on Science and Innovation, Parliament of Australia, 13 August 2007.</ref> Vale was ridiculed in ''The Sydney Morning Herald''<ref name="crabb">Crabb, Annabel: [http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/aliens-in-the-house-from-the-planet-propaganda/2007/08/13/1186857427057.html Aliens in the house from the Planet Propaganda], ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 14 August 2007.</ref> and the local media<ref>"Your View", ''St George and Sutherland Shire Leader'', 28 August 2007.</ref> for her views.
In August 2009 Vale announced she would not re-contest her seat at the 2010 federal election.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/danna-vale-to-quit-politics-at-next-poll-20090804-e8iu.html|title=Danna Vale to quit politics at next poll|work=The Age|date=4 August 2009}}</ref>
===Political views=== 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.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/national/danna-vale-to-quit-politics-at-next-poll-turnbull-20090804-e8il.html Danna Vale to quit politics at next poll: Turnbull], ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 5 August 2009.</ref> 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.<ref>Narushima, Yuko: [http://www.smh.com.au/national/regret-redemption-as-mps-put-end-to-detention-debt-20090625-cy9y.html Regret, redemption as MPs put end to detention debt], ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 26 June 2009.</ref>
In 2006, Vale suggested that Australia is going to become a Muslim nation, as a result of Australians "aborting themselves out of existence"<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/muslim-nation-not-possible-vanstone/2006/02/14/1139679564587.html Muslim nation 'not possible': Vanstone], ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 14 February 2006.</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1568904.htm MP raises Islamisation fear in RU486 debate], ''ABC News'', 13 February 2006.</ref>
==Personal life== Vale raised four sons with her husband Bob.<ref name=maidenspeech/>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== * [http://www.dannavale.com/ Personal website] {{OpenAustralia}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080803124409/http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/biography.asp?id=VK6 Official Parliamentary biography]
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef| before=Bruce Scott }} {{s-ttl| title= Minister for Veterans' Affairs | years=2001–04}} {{s-aft| after=De-Anne Kelly}} {{s-par|au}} {{s-bef| before=Robert Tickner}} {{s-ttl | title=Member for Hughes | years=1996–2010}} {{s-aft| after=Craig Kelly}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vale, Danna}} Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Hughes Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Australian solicitors Category:People from the Sutherland Shire Category:Women government ministers of Australia Category:21st-century Australian women politicians Category:University of Sydney alumni Category:20th-century Australian women politicians Category:Australian MPs 1996–1998 Category:Australian MPs 1998–2001 Category:Australian MPs 2001–2004 Category:Australian MPs 2004–2007 Category:Australian MPs 2007–2010