{{Short description|Australian politician (born 1945)}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Dr Mal Washer | honorific_suffix = | image = | constituency_MP = Moore | parliament = Australian | majority = | predecessor = Paul Filing | successor = Ian Goodenough | term_start = 3 October 1998 | term_end = 5 August 2013 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1945|8|12}} | birth_place = Bunbury, Western Australia | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | party = Liberal Party of Australia | relations = | children = | alma_mater = University of Western Australia | occupation = MP, General practitioner | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Malcolm James Washer''' (born 12 August 1945) is an Australian politician,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/parl/42/mpsbyage.htm|title=Senators and Members, by Date of Birth|work=42nd Parliament|date=17 September 2009|accessdate=24 January 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312045032/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/parl/42/mpsbyage.htm|archivedate=12 March 2010}}</ref> who served as a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from October 1998 to August 2013, representing the Division of Moore, Western Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1998/1998repswa.txt|title=Australian Legislative Election of 3 October 1998|accessdate=24 January 2010}}</ref> He was born in Bunbury, Western Australia, and was educated at the University of Western Australia, graduating in 1970 with degrees in medicine and surgery. He was a general practitioner before entering politics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.malwasher.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=2|title=About Dr Mal Washer|accessdate=24 January 2010}}</ref>
He is considered a moderate Liberal in a very conservative state and is supportive of socially liberal issues such as same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/liberals-join-gay-marriage-conscience-vote-call-20101108-17klf.html|title=Liberals join gay marriage conscience vote call |accessdate=15 November 2010 | location=Melbourne|work=The Age|date=9 November 2010}}</ref> During 2010 and 2011 he was the contact for the Australian Parliamentary Group on Drug Law Reform (APGDLR), a cross party group of 100 MPs from Australian State and Commonwealth parliaments. The group was set up in 1993 after a meeting in Canberra convened by Michael Moore (ACT Assembly) and Ann Symonds (MLC, NSW).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://adlrf.org.au/about/apgdlr/|title=Australian Parliamentary Group for Drug Law Reform|accessdate=2 November 2011}}</ref>
In August 2011, he announced he would not be contesting the next federal election.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2011/s3293311.htm ABC, The World Today, 15 August 2011]</ref>
In March 2014, Washer announced his resignation as chair of the Alcohol and Other Drug Council of Australia. He said the reason was the "ill-informed" decision of Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash to cut the organisation's funding without notice, noting that her decision was "a bloody tragedy" which "wasn't subject to any review ... it was dumb advising dumber, and dumb won."<ref>{{cite news|last=Corderoy|first=Amy|title=Fiona Nash's decision to axe drug and alcohol adviser has cost $1 million|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/fiona-nashs-decision-to-axe-drug-and-alcohol-adviser-has-cost-1-million-20140312-34mqs.html#ixzz2vnO0NxUE|accessdate=2014-03-13|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=2014-03-13}}</ref>
As at January 2018, Washer was chair of ASX-listed AusCann, a medical cannabis company.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.afr.com/business/banking-and-finance/financial-services/medicinal-cannabis-producer-auscann-says-its-is-light-years-ahead-of-competitors-20180105-h0e0ht |title=Medicinal cannabis producer AusCann says it's 'light years' ahead of competitors |first=Alice |last=Uribe |date=5 January 2018 |work=Australian Financial Review |accessdate=24 April 2018}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|au}} {{s-bef |before=Paul Filing}} {{s-ttl |title=Member for Moore |years=1993–2013}} {{s-aft |after=Ian Goodenough}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washer, Mal}} Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:Australian general practitioners Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Moore Category:People from Bunbury, Western Australia Category:Australian MPs 1998–2001 Category:Australian MPs 2001–2004 Category:Australian MPs 2004–2007 Category:Australian MPs 2007–2010 Category:Australian MPs 2010–2013