Dr Dennis Jensen | |
|---|---|
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forTangney | |
| In office 9 October 2004 – 2 July 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Daryl Williams |
| Succeeded by | Ben Morton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1962-02-28)28 February 1962 (age 63) Johannesburg,South Africa |
| Political party | Liberal (to 2016) Conservatives (2017–2019) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent (2016) |
| Domestic partner | Trudy Hoad[1] |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation |
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| Website | www |
Dennis Geoffrey Jensen (born 28 February 1962) is an Australian former politician. He was elected to theHouse of Representatives at the2004 federal election, winning theDivision of Tangney for theLiberal Party. Jensen lost Liberalpreselection for the2016 federal election, and subsequently resigned from the party to stand as an independent.[2] In August 2017 he joined the fledglingAustralian Conservatives party.[3] Jensen has a PhD inmaterials science fromMonash University, and before entering politics worked as aCSIRO researcher. He is known forquestioning the anthropogenic causation of climate change.[4]
Jensen was born inJohannesburg,South Africa. He was educated atRMIT University, theUniversity of Melbourne andMonash University, from where he has a PhD in materials science. He worked at theCSIRO as a research scientist and for the Department of Defence as a defence analyst before entering politics.[5]
Jensen was the Liberal candidate for theDivision of Corio, Victoria at the1998 election.
In 2006, Jensen lost hispreselection for Tangney for the 2007 federal election, but won it back with the support of the state executive and prime ministerJohn Howard. He lost preselection again for the 2010 election, but once again the state executive intervened and restored him as Liberal candidate.[citation needed]
Jensenrejects thescientific consensus on human-induced global warming and, on behalf of theLavoisier Group, organised the release of a book[6] entitledNine Facts About Climate Change by former mining CEORay Evans. In February 2007 during a Parliamentary sitting, Jensen quoted the thenIPCC vice chairman Yuri Izrael, who had stated that "there is no proven link between human activity and global warming".[7]
His reputation as a [climate sceptic] became national when he and four government colleagues disagreed with others of their party in a dissentingcommittee report regarding climate change.[8][9]
Jensen boycotted Parliament on the day that the formal apology to theStolen Generations was made by Prime MinisterKevin Rudd.[10] He further courted controversy by telling Australian Indigenous people claiming to be affected by European colonisation over 200 years ago to "get over it."[11] He was one of six Liberal MPs (including fellow West Australian MPsWilson Tuckey,Luke Simpkins and the lateDon Randall as well asPeter Dutton,Sophie Mirabella and the lateAlby Schultz) to leave the house (or boycott entirely) in protest to the apology to theStolen Generations.
He is opposed tosame-sex marriage in Australia.[12]
Jensen lost Liberal preselection inTangney for the2016 federal election. It was revealed he had written a technothriller, falsely portrayed as a work of erotic fiction, named "The Skywarriors" in whichIndonesia invades Australia.[13][14] Former party state directorBen Morton won preselection.[2] Jensen sued the Australian newspaper and Andrew Burrell, the journalist, for defamation. He won the case, and was paid a total of $1.1 million, including costs.
In August 2017, Jensen sent an email to former Liberal colleagues, saying he had joined theAustralian Conservatives party started byCory Bernardi, and urging them to follow him.[3]
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member for Tangney 2004–2016 | Succeeded by |