Cameron Caldwell


Cameron MacKenzie Caldwell is an Australian politician who is a member of the Australian [House of Representatives|House of Representatives] representing the Division of Fadden. He was elected in the Fadden by-election|Fadden by-election] in July 2023. He is a member of the Liberal [National Party of Queensland] and sits with the Liberal Party in the federal parliament.
Before his election to federal parliament, he served as a councillor on the City of Gold Coast council since 2012.

Early life

Caldwell was born in Mount Isa, Queensland. He grew up in Redcliffe and attended St Joseph's College, Nudgee, going on to Queensland University of Technology. Prior to his election to parliament, he ran a law firm in the Gold Coast suburb of Hope Island.

Political career

Caldwell was pre-selected by the Liberal National Party to run in the seat of Broadwater at the 2012 Queensland state election. In February 2012, a month before the election, he was disendorsed after the party received a complaint from a member of the public about a trip Caldwell had made to a swinger's club. LNP leader Campbell Newman defended the party's decision to dump Caldwell.
In April later that year, Caldwell was elected as the councillor for Division 3 of the City of Gold Coast. He was re-elected in 2016, and then elected as the councillor for Division 4 in 2020 [Gold Coast City Council election|2020].
During his time as councillor, in December 2012, while acting mayor of the Gold Coast, Caldwell was accused of assaulting a property developer at a charity function, allegedly grabbing him by the throat, which Caldwell denied.

2023 Fadden by-election

Following the resignation of former minister Stuart Robert from parliament, Caldwell was selected as the LNP's candidate in Fadden for the by-election, defeating four other nominees in three rounds of voting. Caldwell stated that the by-election would be a way to send a message to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on issues relating to the economy, saying that he knew he "can be the one they can support in order to deliver for our local community." He was successfully elected in the by-election on 15 July 2023.

Political positions

Caldwell opposed the Labor Party|Labor] government's proposal of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and had backed the Liberal Party's policy to oppose the government's proposal in the 2023 [Australian Indigenous Voice referendum|referendum].