Mark Lewis (politician)

Mark William Lewis (born 27 November 1957) was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council as a Liberal member for Mining and Pastoral region at the 2013 state election. He took his seat on 22 May 2013 in the 39th Parliament.

Prior to his election, Lewis was involved in agricultural development projects particularly water resource developments. Immediately prior to this he held various regional management roles also with the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food.

Born in Cunnamulla in Queensland, he moved with his family when he was 6 years old to Central Queensland where he grew up on a mixed farming and cattle property at 'Moola' near Anakie, west of Emerald. He attended the one teacher primary school at Anakie and subsequently went to Rockhampton Boys Grammar School to complete high school. He went back home to the property and after a couple of years there started working for the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) eventually holding the position of Officer-in-Charge and Classifier of various receival depots in and around Central Queensland. Following the AWB he went to the Queensland Agricultural College (now Queensland University - Gatton Campus) at Gatton, west of Brisbane; where he completed an Associate Diploma in Stock and Meat Inspection in 1981. In 1982 he commenced with the Veterinary Services Branch of the Queensland Department of Primary Industry (QDPI) as a Stock Inspector where he worked in Brisbane, Roma, Birdsville, Windorah and Quilpie; principally working on the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign. He then moved to North Queensland, again with the QDPI, to Charters Towers as the District Stock Inspector and was subsequently transferred to Mackay where he became District Manager. While in Charters Towers and Mackay, Lewis completed his Masters in Applied Science at the University of Western Sydney -Hawkesbury. During this time he maintained an interest in the family properties including buying cattle and sheep stations north and north-west of Cunnamulla. The family partnership was dissolved when his parents moved to Toowoomba to retire.

Lewis accepted a position in January 1996 in Carnarvon, Western Australia as a Program Manager for the Southern Rangelands with the then Department of Agriculture Western Australia. He held a range of regional management position including Regional Manager/Director for the Rangelands Region of WA. During this time he also completed a number of management qualifications including Post Graduate Certificate in Management (University of Western Sydney) and Advanced Diploma in Management (University of Western Australia). During his career Lewis has held a range of statutory roles and Ministerial appointments including as a Member of the Pastoral Lands Board of WA, the Rural Adjustment and Finance Corporations and Manager and Director of the Gascoyne Murchison Strategy.

Lewis has held positions of Branch Secretary and Treasurer, Member and Deputy Chair of the Rural Policy Committee and State Vice-President of the WA Liberal Party. He was elected to the 39th Parliament in May 2013.

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