Jonathan Richard O'Dea was born on 9 March 1966 and is a former Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Davidson for the Liberal Party from 2007 until 2023.
20 Facts About Jonathan O'Dea
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Jonathan O'Dea served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 2019 to 2023.
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Jonathan O'Dea's father served several terms as mayor of North Sydney Council and was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia in 1994.
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Jonathan O'Dea was educated on the North Shore of Sydney at St Aloysius College and St Ignatius' College, Riverview, and attended the University of Sydney where he gained a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws.
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Jonathan O'Dea has undertaken further studies and was awarded a Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies and a Master of Business Administration.
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Jonathan O'Dea is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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Jonathan O'Dea joined the Liberal Party in 1994, serving in numerous capacities, and was elected as a Councillor on North Sydney Council from 1991 until 1995.
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From 2000 to 2004, Jonathan O'Dea served part-time as Deputy Convenor for the Australian Classification Review Board.
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Humpherson had cross-factional backing among many delegates, but had lost support in local branches after reportedly instructing party members to quit branches supportive of Jonathan O'Dea, thereby reducing their voting power.
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In March 2007, Jonathan O'Dea was elected to Parliament with a majority of 24.7 points.
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From 2008, in Opposition, Jonathan O'Dea served as the chair of the NSW Coalition WasteWatch Committee.
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In September 2009, Jonathan O'Dea was accused in a local newspaper, the Manly Daily, of failing to adequately represent his constituents, by Ku-ring-gai Councillor Tony Hall, who urged Jonathan O'Dea to "get off his backside" and lobby New South Wales Planning Minister Kristina Keneally to protect the area from excessive development.
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On 18 October 2010, the Liberal Party announced that Jonathan O'Dea had been endorsed as the party's candidate for Davidson ahead of the 2011 state election.
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Jonathan O'Dea was elected with a swing of 13.8 per cent and won the seat with 86.5 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis.
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In 2015, Jonathan O'Dea was re-elected with 78.8 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis, a swing 4.1 per cent against him, defeating the Green's David Sentinella.
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In 2019, Jonathan O'Dea was again re-elected with 75.2 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis, a swing 3.7 per cent against him, defeating the Green's Felicity Davis.
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On 28 March 2015, Jonathan O'Dea was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Major Events.
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At the 2019 state election, Jonathan O'Dea suffered a small swing against him, but was still re-elected with a majority of 75.2 percent against the Greens, making Davidson the safest Liberal seat in Sydney.
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In line with established parliamentary tradition, Mr Jonathan O'Dea was ceremonially 'dragged' to the Speaker's chair by Premier Berejiklian and Planning Minister, Rob Stokes.
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Jonathan O'Dea stood down at the 2023 New South Wales state election, and was succeeded by Liberal candidate Matt Cross.