Ross Vasta

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Ross Vasta MP (born 8 October 1966), Australian politician, was elected to the House of Representatives as member for the Division of Bonner, Queensland for the Liberal Party of Australia at the 2004 federal election. He defeated the former Labor minister and candidate Con Sciacca.

Vasta was educated at Villanova College in the Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo, and attended Griffith University, where he graduated with a commerce degree. He started and operated three popular Italian Restaurants by the name of Elio's^[1] and worked as a company director before entering politics^[1]. At the 2001 federal election, Vasta was the Liberal Party candidate for the Division of Griffith. He was defeated by the sitting member, Kevin Rudd, who in December 2006, became the Federal Parliamentary leader of the Australian Labor Party.

Since becoming a sitting member in 2004, Ross Vasta has worked on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations and Workforce Participation, the current House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, and current Government Backbench Policy Committee – Health and Ageing. Further, Vasta has delivered a new Medicare Office in the suburb of Wynnum, a Family Relationship centre for Upper Mount Gravatt, a Australian Hearing Centre for Wynnum and various other funding for local schools, roads and bushcare projects.

In March 2007, Vasta was investigated by the Australian Federal Police in relation to allegations of misuse of electoral allowances. However, the printing job which was the subject of the investigation was reportedly not ordered by Vasta. In June 2007, Ross Vasta paid the Department of Finance the sum of $24,000, which was later credited back to him by the Department^[2]. However, on August 13 2007, Vasta had been told he had done nothing wrong and to expect a written clearance^[2]. It was also confirmed that during the investigation, Mr Vasta was questioned only about the activities of one of his colleagues, not about his own spending.^[2]

On September 11 2007, the Australian Federal Police officially cleared both Vasta and fellow Liberal Colleague Gary Hardgrave of any wrong-doing.^[3].

In the Australian federal election, 2007, Ross Vasta was part of the Australia-wide swing against the Liberal Party and saw him loose his seat of Bonner. Despite this, Vasta went against the average national swing and the Queensland average swing, recording the lowest swing to an MP in the state of just 4.75%.

Following his election defeat, Vasta contended Liberal Party preselection for the Brisbane City Council ward of Wynnum-Manly on Brisbane's west. He was defeated by the Labor incumbent, polling 36% of the primary vote.