22 Facts About Damian Drum

Damian Drum is a former member for the North Western Province, and later the Northern Victoria Region, in the Legislative Council of Victoria between 2002 and 2016.

Damian Drum served as the Victorian Minister for Sports and Veterans Affairs in the Napthine Ministry from March to December 2014.

Damian Drum is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, most notably as senior coach of the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League from 1999 to 2001.

Damian Drum turned to a life in politics after being sacked as Fremantle's coach during the 2001 season.

Damian Drum retired from the VFL at the end of 1989, and joined Victorian Football Association club Werribee in 1991.

Damian Drum served for five years in the role of assistant coach at the Sydney Swans.

Damian Drum was approached by Fremantle, which had not renewed the contract of their first senior coach, Gerard Neesham, who was sacked at the end of the 1998 season, where Fremantle under Neesham finished fifteenth position on the ladder.

Damian Drum had been one of the most highly anticipated coaching recruits of the season, and some were surprised that he signed with the struggling Dockers.

Damian Drum had been expected to sign with the Collingwood Football Club the previous year, but the deal had fallen through.

Damian Drum then became the senior coach of Fremantle Football Club, when he replaced Neesham.

Damian Drum coached Fremantle for three seasons, during which the side suffered from a lack of success.

Damian Drum was sacked after the club's round-nine loss to the Sydney Swans, and was replaced by former Fremantle player and inaugural club captain Ben Allan as caretaker senior coach of Fremantle Football Club for the rest of the 2001 season, who did not fare much better, with the Dockers still winless after Round 17 in a 22-round season.

Damian Drum was first elected to parliament in 2002 during the Labor Party landslide, in which many seats across the state fell to the minority government, and numerous shadow ministers lost their seats.

Damian Drum soon found himself Deputy Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council, party Whip, and Shadow Minister for Youth Affairs, Education Services, Sport, Recreation, Racing, Consumer Affairs and the Commonwealth Games.

Damian Drum was easily elected with a quota in his own right and was the only National Party member for the region.

In March 2014, Damian Drum was appointed Minister for Sports and Veterans Affairs in the Napthine coalition government, serving until the government was defeated at the 2014 state election.

On 11 April 2016, the Nationals announced that Damian Drum had been preselected to contest the federal seat of Murray at the 2016 federal election.

Damian Drum ultimately prevailed with 55 percent of the two-party vote to McGauchie's 44 percent.

Damian Drum became a vocal supporter of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Nationals leader Michael McCormack during 2018, even going so far as to publicly call for former prime minister Tony Abbott to retire from parliament.

Damian Drum was nominated in 2020 by the government as the new Deputy Speaker but was defeated in a secret vote by Llew O'Brien, a fellow National Party member who had quit the party that morning and was nominated by the ALP.

In May 2020, Damian Drum made headlines when he was public quoted attacking NSW Deputy Premier and state Nationals leader John Barilaro in the wake of Barilaro's decision not to contest the Eden-Monaro by-election.

In December 2021, Damian Drum announced he would retire at the 2022 election.