Education
Charles Sturt University.
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Fiona Nash
Edit Profilemember of the Australian Senate
Career
She has represented the National Party of Australia in the Australian Senate for the state of New South Wales since 1 July 2005 and has served as the Deputy Leader of The Nationals in the Parliament of Australia since 11 February 2016, having previously served as the party"s deputy Senate leader since 2008. In the Turnbull Government, Nash has served as the Minister for Rural Health since 21 September 2015, and the Minister for Regional Development, and the Minister for Regional Communications since 18 February 2016. Nash had previously served as the Assistant Minister for Health in the Abbott Government between 18 September 2013 and 21 September 2015.
Between 1999 and 2004, she worked as staff member for National Party federal ministers, Mark Vaile, Larry Anthony, and De-Anne Kelly before her election to the Senate.
In 2008, she was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Water Resources and Conservation on the Opposition frontbench, but was asked to resign by Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull when she expressed her support for a motion by the Australian Greens to block the introduction of up-front tax breaks for carbon sinks. She did so, and subsequently crossed the floor with four other National senators to vote for the motion.
After the 2010 election she returned to the Opposition frontbench when appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in September 2010. Following the 2013 federal election, Nash was appointed as Assistant Minister for Health in the Abbott Government.
In February 2014 she came under scrutiny after it was revealed that her chief of staff, Alastair Furnival, held shares in a lobby group, which culminated with his resignation the same month.
