Don Harwin

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title: "Don Harwin" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1964-births", "living-people", "liberal-party-of-australia-members-of-the-parliament-of-new-south-wales", "members-of-the-new-south-wales-legislative-council", "politicians-from-sydney", "university-of-sydney-alumni", "presidents-of-the-new-south-wales-legislative-council", "lgbtq-legislators-in-australia", "lgbtq-conservatism", "australian-gay-politicians", "21st-century-australian-politicians", "21st-century-australian-lgbtq-people", "ministers-for-aboriginal-affairs-and-treaty", "ministers-for-the-arts-(new-south-wales)", "ministers-for-energy-(new-south-wales)"] description: "Australian politician" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Harwin" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
honorific-prefix	The Honourable
name	Don Harwin
office	Special Minister of State
premier	Gladys Berejiklian
Dominic Perrottet
term_start	3 July 2020
term_end	21 December 2021
predecessor	Vacant
successor	Position abolished
premier1	Gladys Berejiklian
term_start1	2 April 2019
term_end1	15 April 2020
predecessor1	Anthony Roberts
successor1	Vacant
office2	Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts
premier2	Gladys Berejiklian
Dominic Perrottet
term_start2	3 July 2020
term_end2	21 December 2021
predecessor2	Gladys Berejiklian (acting)
successor2	Damien Tudehope (as Minister for Employee Relations)
Ben Franklin (as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister for the Arts)
premier3	Gladys Berejiklian
term_start3	2 April 2019
term_end3	15 April 2020
predecessor3	Himself (as Minister for the Arts)
Dominic Perrottet (as Minister for Industrial Relations)
Sarah Mitchell (as Minister for the Arts)
successor3	Gladys Berejiklian (acting)
office4	Vice-President of the Executive Council
Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council
term_start4	3 July 2020
term_end4	21 December 2021
premier4	Gladys Berejiklian
Dominic Perrottet
predecessor4	Damien Tudehope (acting)
successor4	Damien Tudehope
term_start5	30 January 2017
term_end5	15 April 2020
predecessor5	Duncan Gay
successor5	Damien Tudehope (acting)
office8	Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales
term_start8	27 March 1999
term_end8	22 March 2022
successor8	Chris Rath
office9	Minister for Resources
Minister for Energy and Utilities
term_start9	30 January 2017
term_end9	23 March 2019
predecessor9	Anthony Roberts (as Minister for Industry, Energy and Resources)
successor9	Matt Kean (as Minister for Energy and the Environment)
office11	Minister for the Arts
term_start11	30 January 2017
term_end11
predecessor11	Troy Grant
successor11	himself (as Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts)
order12	20th
office12	President of the New South Wales Legislative Council
term_start12	3 May 2011
term_end12	30 January 2017
predecessor12	Amanda Fazio
successor12	John Ajaka
birth_date
birth_place	Sydney, New South Wales
party	Liberal Party
occupation	Politician
alma_mater	University of Sydney
::

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable | name = Don Harwin | honorific-suffix = | image = | caption =

| office = Special Minister of State | premier = Gladys Berejiklian Dominic Perrottet | term_start = 3 July 2020 | term_end = 21 December 2021 | predecessor = Vacant | successor = Position abolished

| office1 = | premier1 = Gladys Berejiklian | term_start1 = 2 April 2019 | term_end1 = 15 April 2020 | predecessor1 = Anthony Roberts | successor1 = Vacant

| office2 = Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts | premier2 = Gladys Berejiklian Dominic Perrottet | term_start2 = 3 July 2020 | term_end2 = 21 December 2021 | predecessor2 = Gladys Berejiklian (acting) | successor2 = Damien Tudehope (as Minister for Employee Relations) Ben Franklin (as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister for the Arts)

| office3 = | premier3 = Gladys Berejiklian | term_start3 = 2 April 2019 | term_end3 = 15 April 2020 | predecessor3 = Himself (as Minister for the Arts) Dominic Perrottet (as Minister for Industrial Relations) Sarah Mitchell (as Minister for the Arts) | successor3 = Gladys Berejiklian (acting)

| office4 = Vice-President of the Executive Council Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council | term_start4 = 3 July 2020 | term_end4 = 21 December 2021 | premier4 = Gladys Berejiklian Dominic Perrottet | predecessor4 = Damien Tudehope (acting) | successor4 = Damien Tudehope | office5 = | term_start5 = 30 January 2017 | term_end5 = 15 April 2020 | predecessor5 = Duncan Gay | successor5 = Damien Tudehope (acting)

| office8 = Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales | term_start8 = 27 March 1999 | term_end8 = 22 March 2022 | predecessor8 = | successor8 = Chris Rath

| office9 = Minister for Resources Minister for Energy and Utilities | term_start9 = 30 January 2017 | term_end9 = 23 March 2019 | predecessor9 = Anthony Roberts (as Minister for Industry, Energy and Resources) | successor9 = Matt Kean (as Minister for Energy and the Environment)

| office11 = Minister for the Arts | term_start11 = 30 January 2017 | term_end11 = | predecessor11 = Troy Grant | successor11 = himself (as Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts)

| order12 = 20th | office12 = President of the New South Wales Legislative Council | term_start12 = 3 May 2011 | term_end12 = 30 January 2017 | predecessor12 = Amanda Fazio | successor12 = John Ajaka

| birth_date = | birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales | death_date = | death_place = | party = Liberal Party | relations = | spouse = | children = | residence = | occupation = Politician | alma_mater = University of Sydney | religion = | signature = | website = | footnotes =

Donald Thomas Harwin (born 5 July 1964 and the Vice-President of the Executive Council, and the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council since January 2017 in the Berejiklian government. He briefly resigned from his roles with effect from 15 April 2020, however was reinstated on 3 July 2020.

Harwin was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council representing the Liberal Party from 27 March 1999 until his resignation on 22 March 2022.

Harwin has previously served as the Minister for the Arts, the Minister for Resources and the Minister for Energy and Utilities in the first Berejiklian ministry, from January 2017 until March 2019; and served as the twentieth President of the New South Wales Legislative Council between May 2011 and January 2017.

Early years and background

Harwin was born to parents Don and Evelyn Harwin. He joined the Liberal Party in Lugarno and the Young Liberals in Earlwood in 1983 and graduated from the University of Sydney in 1985 with a Bachelor of Economics (Honours). While at university, Harwin was a member of the Sydney University Liberal Club and subsequently had life membership conferred by that club.

In 1987, Harwin commenced working as an assistant on electoral matters in the office of Ron Phillips. Harwin worked for a number of ministers in the Greiner and Fahey Liberal governments between 1988 and 1990 and 1991 and 1995. Between 1988 and 1990, Harwin was NSW President of the Young Liberal movement, becoming a member of the State Executive of the NSW branch of the Liberal Party during the same period. Harwin was re-elected to the Liberal Party State Executive, serving between 1994 and 2000. Appointed the Assistant Campaign Director of the NSW Liberal Party between 1990 and 1991, Harwin became a public affairs consultant between 1995 and 1999.

He takes a strong interest in psephological matters as well as political history, frequently providing strategic advice to the Liberal party on State and Federal redistribution processes. He has also contributed two chapters to the book Social Justice: Fraud or Fair Go? edited by Dr Marlene Goldsmith. He also contributed "1971 State General Election" to The People's Choice (Volume III), edited by Hogan and Clune, "Sir Joseph Carruthers" to The Premiers of NSW (Volume II), edited by Clune and Turner, and "Women in the NSW Coalition Parties" (with Jenny Gardiner MLC) to No Fit Place for Women, edited by Brennan and Chappel.

Political career

Pre-selected for the sixth position on the joint Liberal–National coalition election ticket for the 1999 NSW state election, Harwin was elected as a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, being the thirteenth candidate elected at that election. Serving an eight-year term, Harwin was re-elected at the 2007 NSW state election, at which he was the seventh candidate elected. He continued to serve as opposition whip in the Legislative Council.

Harwin was elected Opposition Whip on 3 April 2003 following the retirement of John Jobling . Harwin was also appointed a Trustee of the Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Fund. In 2000, he raised the issue of unsafe railway tracks in the Illawarra region, claiming that trains could only run at twenty kilometres because of faulty maintenance.

Following his re-election, Harwin served as Deputy Chair of the Procedure Committee and had successfully moved a motion in the Upper House to create a Select Committee on Electoral and Political Party Funding, of which he served as Deputy Chair. Following the election of the O'Farrell-Stoner Liberal/National coalition government, Harwin was elected President of the Legislative Council and chair of the Procedure Committee. In a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in regards to the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010, he expressed his strong support for legal equality for same-sex couples. In reference to calls for civil unions he stated "The establishment by government of a new and separate institution for same-sex couples only compounds rather than resolves this issue of inequality." On 19 June 2014, in his role as President of the Legislative Council, he controversially used the powers under Standing Order 192 to eject a Greens MP, Jeremy Buckingham, from the chamber until the end of the sitting after the MP accused him of "running interference" in defence of government members during Question Time.

In October 2016, in the wake of the release of taped conversations where U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump bragged about his fame allowing him to grope women, a motion was tabled by Greens Legislative Councillor Jeremy Buckingham to condemn the Republican nominee's statements. The motion included the statement that the NSW parliament "agrees with those who have described Mr Trump as 'a revolting slug' unfit for public office". As the president of the upper house, Harwin allowed the term "revolting slug" to stand as suitable parliamentary language. The motion was passed.

Following the resignation of Mike Baird as Premier, Gladys Berejiklian was elected as Liberal leader and sworn in as Premier. The first Berejiklian ministry was subsequently formed. Harwin resigned as President of the Legislative Council and was subsequently sworn in as the Minister for Resources, the Minister for Energy and Utilities, the Minister for the Arts, and the Vice-President of the Executive Council with effect from 30 January 2017.

Harwin resigned as Minister of the Arts on 10 April 2020, effective 15 April 2020, after being fined for supposedly defying the ban on non-essential travel during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. On 3 July 2020, his fine was dismissed and his ministerial and parliamentary portfolios were reinstated.

On 18 December 2021 Harwin announced that he opted not to be considered in the new ministry for personal reasons. Harwin resigned from the Legislative Council on 22 March 2022.

Harwin was NSW Liberal Party President when the party missed the deadline to nominate candidates in a number of councils.

Personal life

In a speech to the Legislative Council on 20 November 2014, Harwin publicly disclosed that he is gay.

In March 2025, Harwin was appointed to the board of the Maritime Museum.

References

References

1. (2 April 2019). "Government Notices".
2. (31 March 2019). "Premier announces new Cabinet". [[Premier of New South Wales]].
3. Han, Sophie. (2 April 2019). "Berejiklian's new massive cabinet sworn in amid peals of laughter". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
4. (30 January 2017). "Refreshed NSW cabinet sworn in". [[Sky News]].
5. (10 April 2020). "Statement from Don Harwin".
6. Kelly, Vivienne. (10 April 2020). "NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin resigns".
7. (3 July 2020). "NSW Police boss hits back after former Arts minister Don Harwin gets off coronavirus fine". ABC News.
8. {{cite NSW Parliament
9. Who' Who Australia
10. "About Don Harwin".
11. Morris, Rachel. (30 November 1998). "MP squeaks back on ticket". [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney).
12. (24 April 1999). "1999 Elected Members of the Legislative Council". [[New South Wales Electoral Commission]].
13. (12 April 2007). "Candidates in sequence of election". Electoral Commission of New South Wales.
14. Failes, Geoff. (2 March 2000). "'Unsafe' South Coast Rail Lines Anger MP". [[Illawarra Mercury]].
15. (3 May 2011). "O'Farrell pledges loyalty to NSW". [[ABC News (Australia).
16. Harwin, Don. "Submission: Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010".
17. (20 June 2014). "Legislative Council Question Time 19 June 2014".
18. (13 October 2016). "Donald Trump a 'revolting slug' unfit for public office, NSW Parliament decides". [[ABC News (Australia).
19. Sas, Nick. (31 March 2019). "Gladys Berejiklian says Liberal Party has no women problem as re-elected NSW Premier shuffles Cabinet". [[ABC News (Australia).
20. (9 April 2020). "NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin resigns after visiting holiday home in breach of coronavirus lockdown rules". [[ABC News (Australia).
21. (18 December 2021). "Third NSW minister reveals they will not be considered in expected reshuffle". ABC News.
22. (14 August 2024). "NSW Liberals in chaos as party fails to nominate council candidates". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
23. Hasham, Nicole. (20 November 2014). "Liberal MP Don Harwin discloses he is gay". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
24. (7 March 2025). "Movers & Shakers: Three commissions have new leadership". [[The Mandarin (website).

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