Gerard Maley

{{Short description|Australian politician (born 1970)}} {{use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Gerard Maley | honorific_suffix = MLA | image = | office1 = 21st Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory | term_start1 = 9 September 2024 | predecessor1 = Chansey Paech | 1blankname1 = Chief Minister | 1namedata1 = Lia Finocchiaro | deputy1 = | office2 = | term_start2 = | term_end2 = | deputy2 = | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | constituency_AM3 = Nelson | assembly3 = Northern Territory Legislative | term_start3 = 22 August 2020 | predecessor3 = Gerry Wood | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1970}} | birth_place = Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | birth_name = | party = Country Liberal | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = Charles Darwin University | occupation = Lawyer | cabinet = }} '''Gerard Maley''' (born 1970) is an Australian politician who serves as an MLA for Nelson as a member of the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/6931530/swag-of-opposition-portfolios-for-new-katherine-mla/ | title=Swag of Opposition portfolios for new Katherine MLA | date=18 September 2020 }}</ref> He has been the Deputy Leader of the Country Liberal Party since September 2020 and Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory since 9 September 2024, following the 2024 Northern Territory general election.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ntindependent.com.au/maley-elected-clp-deputy-opposition-leader/ |website=NT Independent|title=Maley elected CLP Deputy Opposition Leader | date=16 September 2020 }}</ref>

== Pre-politics ==

=== Early life === Maley's father was a policeman, and the family lived in Darwin where Maley was born, then settled in Howard Springs when he was 4 years old.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|author=Independent Staff|title=NT election 2020 candidates- Gerard Maley |website=NT Independent|url=https://ntindependent.com.au/nt-election-2020-candidates-gerard-maley/|access-date=2020-08-23|language=en-AU}}</ref>

=== Professional life === Maley studied to be a mechanic after leaving high school in year 11, and then became an inspector and public relations agent for the Department of Transport & Works.

Following this, he returned to study law at Charles Darwin University, and after graduating, joined his brother, Peter, at Maleys Barristers & Solicitors. He manages the rural office in Coolalinga.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Maleys Barristers & Solicitors {{!}} Darwin|url=https://www.maleyslegal.com/about-us|access-date=2020-08-23|website=www.maleyslegal.com|language=en}}</ref>

He currently lives on the same family block in Howard Springs that he grew up on.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gerard Maley Candidate for Nelson|url=https://www.countryliberal.org/gerardmaley.html|access-date=2020-08-23|website=Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory|language=en}}</ref>

== Politics == {{NT parlbox header}} {{NT parlbox|term=14th|start={{NT election link|2020}}|end=present|party=Country Liberal Party|electorate=Nelson}} |} Maley was selected for the Country Liberals to contest the seat Nelson in the 2016 Northern Territory general election which he lost to long time independent member Gerry Wood. He recontested the seat in the 2020 election following Wood's retirement, and won the seat.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-21|title=Who's on the line up for the 2020 NT election? Seven new CLP candidate have been confirmed|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-22/candidates-country-liberal-party-territory-2020-election/11535528|access-date=2020-08-23|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref> He tallied 50.6 percent of the primary vote, enough to win the seat without the need for preferences. Ultimately, he won 59.2 percent of the two-candidate vote. However, for most of its existence, Nelson has been a comfortably safe CLP seat in "traditional" two-party matchups against Labor, so Maley's win was not considered an upset. Indeed, he now sits on a "traditional" two-party majority of 23.3 percent after picking up a healthy swing of 16.3 percent against Labor.

The election of 2020 saw only one member of the CLP returning to parliament, leader Lia Finocchiaro. As such there was a need to promote new parliamentarians into leadership roles. Maley was elected as Deputy Leader of the CLP, and hence Deputy Leader of the Opposition. He was also given the portfolios of Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Multicultural Affairs, Defence Industries, Recreational Fishing, and National Resilience.

== Political views == Maley opposes the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-26/clp-nt-opposition-leader-lia-finocchiaro-voice-vote/102777584 | title=CLP NT Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro joins party rank-and-file to oppose Voice at referendum - ABC News }}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-nt}} {{s-bef|before=Gerry Wood }} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Nelson |years=2020–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maley, Gerard}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Category:Country Liberal Party members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Category:Charles Darwin University alumni Category:Politicians from Darwin, Northern Territory Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:Deputy chief ministers of the Northern Territory