Dan Tehan was elected as the Federal Member for Wannon at the 2010 federal election.
Dan lives in Hamilton on 20 acres. He believes that people in rural communities deserve a fair go and that the only way this is achieved is if people are prepared to stand up and fight for what they believe in. This belief was instilled in him as a boy growing up in rural Victoria with his three brothers and two sisters.
Graduating from Xavier College as Prefect and House Captain, Dan went to the University of Melbourne and completed a Bachelor of Arts, with honours, majoring in Political Science. He gained a Masters of International Relations from Kent University in England and has also completed a Masters of Foreign Affairs and Trade at Monash University.
Dan spent a year between high school and university working as a farm hand for the Wappan Pastoral Company and later spent a further two years as an International Agricultural Exchange Student living and working for Jacobson’s Beef Feedlot in Denmark.
Working for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Dan was a part of the US section policy unit. He went on to represent Australia’s interests as a foreign diplomat in Mexico in the Political and Economic section of the Australia Embassy. Dan was a senior adviser in the Howard Government to the Minister for Trade and spent two years as the Chief of Staff to the Minister for Small Business and Tourism.
Now more than ever, rural communities need a strong and effective voice advocating on their behalf. Dan Tehan is speaking up and demanding action is taken to ensure our elderly don’t have to leave their communities to access aged care, that young families have access to the medical services they need locally and that local Wannon business owners and farmers aren’t regulated out of existence.
Dan is fighting to ensure Federal road and rail funding reaches country as well as urban areas and he is fighting for local tertiary students to be offered affordable choices when deciding where they would like to pursue their studies. He cares deeply about rural Australia and strongly believes that rural communities remain the life-blood of our nation.