Willem Westra van Holthe
| Willem Westra van Holthe | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory | |
|
In office 3 February 2015 – 14 February 2016 |
|
| Leader | Adam Giles |
| Preceded by | Peter Chandler |
| Succeeded by | Peter Styles |
| Deputy Leader of the Country Liberal Party | |
|
In office 3 February 2015 – 14 February 2016 |
|
| Leader | Adam Giles |
| Preceded by | Peter Chandler |
| Succeeded by | Peter Styles |
| Member of the Northern Territory Parliament for Katherine |
|
|
In office 9 August 2008 – 27 August 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Fay Miller |
| Succeeded by | Sandra Nelson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Willem Rudolf Westra van Holthe 22 August 1962 Rotorua, New Zealand |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Country Liberal Party |
| Spouse(s) | Jennie Westra van Holthe |
| Children | Three |
| Residence | Katherine, Northern Territory |
| Occupation | Police officer |
Willem Rudolf Westra van Holthe (born 22 August 1962) is an Australian politician. He was a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2016, representing the electorate of Katherine. He was Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 6–14 March 2013 and from February 2015 to February 2016, resuming the position following a leadership challenge to Chief Minister Adam Giles, in which he was briefly the Chief Minister-designate. He served as Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries, Minister for Land Resource Management and Minister for Essential Services (2012–2016), Minister for Mines and Energy (2012–2015) and Minister for Public Employment (2015–2016) under both Terry Mills and Giles.
Westra van Holthe was born in Rotorua, New Zealand, to a Dutch father and Australian mother. His family moved to Australia and settled in Brisbane, Queensland.
Westra van Holthe moved to the Northern Territory in 1984 to work as a labourer on such projects as the Elizabeth River Bridge and the Arnhem Highway. In 1986, he joined the Northern Territory Police where he served until 2000—when he left the force to run a small business with his wife Jennie—and again from 2002 to 2008. As a police officer, he was stationed at Maranboy, Mataranka and Alice Springs, then at Katherine on his return to the police force.
In 2008, Westra van Holthe left the police to pursue a career in politics where he felt he could have a greater influence on law formation and implementation. He was preselected by the Country Liberal Party (CLP) as a candidate for the electorate of Katherine where the sitting member Fay Miller was retiring. He was elected at the Territory election in August 2008 on a swing of over five percent, enough to revert Katherine to its traditional status as a safe CLP seat.
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