Gary Hardgrave

Who is Gary Hardgrave?

Gary Douglas Hardgrave is an Australian politician who since July 2014 has been Administrator of the Australian External Territory of Norfolk Island. Hardgrave is also a company director as well as appearing on radio and television.

Hardgrave was the Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 until 2007, representing the Division of Moreton, Queensland. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and was educated at Griffith University, Queensland. In the 1970s he began his career as a radio broadcaster, and a TV reporter firstly with the award winning Australian children's television show Wombat between 1979 and 1982. Between 1982 and 1986 he reported for award-winning Queensland TV programme State Affair, in 1987 for ABC TV's The 7.30 Report before returning to BTQ 7 in 1988 as a senior reporter for Carroll at Seven. In 1989 he was the founding news director for SEA-FM Gold Coast and later worked as a media adviser to Liberal politicians, before entering politics.

Hardgrave initially ran for election to the Queensland state seat of Sunnybank in the 1992 election, but the seat was won by Labor's Stephen Robertson.