Dennis Jensen

Dennis Geoffrey Jensen (born 28 February 1962) is an Australian former politician. He was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2004 federal election, winning the Division of Tangney for the Liberal Party. Jensen lost Liberal preselection for the 2016 federal election, and subsequently resigned from the party to stand as an independent.[2] In August 2017 he joined the fledgling Australian Conservatives party.[3] Jensen has a PhD in materials science from Monash University, and before entering politics worked as a CSIRO researcher. He is known for questioning the anthropogenic causation of climate change.[4]

For other uses, see Dennis Jensen (disambiguation).

Dr Dennis Jensen
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Tangney
In office
9 October 2004 – 2 July 2016
Preceded byDaryl Williams
Succeeded byBen Morton
Personal details
Born (1962-02-28) 28 February 1962
Johannesburg, South Africa
Political partyLiberal (to 2016)
Conservatives (2017–2019)
Other political
affiliations		Independent (2016)
Domestic partnerTrudy Hoad[1]
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Research scientist
  • politician
Websitewww.dennisjensen.com.au

Early life

Jensen was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was educated at RMIT University, the University of Melbourne and Monash University, from where he has a PhD in materials science. He worked at the CSIRO as a research scientist and for the Department of Defence as a defence analyst before entering politics.[5]

Politics

Jensen was the Liberal candidate for the Division of Corio, Victoria at the 1998 election.

In 2006, Jensen lost his preselection for Tangney for the 2007 federal election, but won it back with the support of the state executive and prime minister John Howard. He lost preselection again for the 2010 election, but once again the state executive intervened and restored him as Liberal candidate.

Jensen rejects the scientific consensus on human-induced global warming and, on behalf of the Lavoisier Group, organised the release of a book[6] entitled Nine Facts About Climate Change by former mining CEO Ray Evans. In February 2007 during a Parliamentary sitting, Jensen quoted the then IPCC 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 dissenting committee report regarding climate change.[8][9]

Jensen boycotted Parliament on the day that the formal apology to the Stolen Generations was made by Prime Minister Kevin 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 MPs Wilson Tuckey, Luke Simpkins and the late Don Randall as well as Peter Dutton, Sophie Mirabella and the late Alby Schultz) to leave the house (or boycott entirely) in protest to the apology to the Stolen Generations.

He is opposed to same-sex marriage in Australia.[12]

Lost Liberal pre-selection

Jensen lost Liberal preselection in Tangney for the 2016 federal election. It was revealed he had written a technothriller, falsely portrayed as a work of erotic fiction, named "The Skywarriors" in which Indonesia invades Australia.[13][14] Former party state director Ben 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 the Australian Conservatives party started by Cory Bernardi, and urging them to follow him.[3]

Bibliography
  • Jensen, Dennis (2016). The Skywarriors. OCLC 951640930.

References
  1. Wahlquist, Calla (9 May 2016). "Dennis Jensen to run as an independent and says 'branch stackers should be jailed'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  2. Dennis Jensen, West Australian MP, blames 'dirty tricks' after being dumped by Liberal preselectors: ABC 3 April 2016
  3. "Ex-Liberal MP Jensen defects to Bernardi's new party". The Australian. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. WA Today, Jensen uses Hitler to deny climate change, Fairfax Media, 25 February 2009, retrieved 18 April 2013
  5. "Dennis Jensen". ABC. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  6. Peters, Denis (28 February 2007). "Climate change "a campaign of alarmism"'". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 March 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  7. Dr Dennis Jensen, The mysterious disappearing hockey stick Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved September 2007
  8. House Standing Committee on Science and Innovation, Between a Rock and a Hard Place the science of geosequestration, August 2007, retrieved September 2007 Archived 29 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ABC News, Report shows Coalition divided over climate change, 13 August 2007, retrieved September 2007
  10. The Australian, , retrieved February 2008
  11. Sydney Morning Herald, Tweet and sour: MP in spat with Aboriginal woman on colonialism, Fairfax Media, retrieved 18 April 2013
  12. "Where your MP stands on Marriage Equality". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014.
  13. Robin, Myriam (13 April 2016). "We read the not-so-erotic thriller that brought down Dennis Jensen". Crikey. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  14. Clarke, Jenna (16 April 2016). "Dennis Jensen MP's The Skywarriors erotic book: reviewed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
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