Dennis Hood (born 1970) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the South Australian Legislative Council, and the South Australian leader of the Family First Party.
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Early Life
Hood was born to working class parents in Salisbury, Adelaide, South Australia; his father a Vietnam War veteran and his mother legally blind. He attended University, gaining degrees in Arts (politics) and Economics, and subsequently became an executive for Johnson & Johnson's pharmeceuticals.
Politics
Hood's involvement in politics began when Andrew Evans founded the socially conservative Family First Party. He became the party's federal director in 2005, and was selected as its primary candidate for the South Australian Legislative Council in the 2006 state election. He was elected with the assistance of preferences on a primary vote of 5%, becoming the party's second representative in state parliament's upper house. Family First, and the other minor parties, share the balance of power in the Legislative Council. His subsequent voting record has been consistent with his party's line; he attracted media attention for his stances against marijuana and illicit drugs and recognition of de facto couples. At a Family First State Executive meeting on 1st February 2007, Dennis Hood replaced Andrew Evans as the Family First parliamentary leader.[1]
Religious beliefs
Dennis Hood's parents were apathetic toward religion but he converted to Christianity at 19. He, his wife Lisa and the couple's first child, Madeline (born late 2006)[2] attend Rostrevor Baptist Church in Adelaide. When Sunday Mail columnist Peter Goers stated in a critical editorial that Hood was a Creationist[3], Hood did not deny the claim in his responding column.[4]
Notes
- ^ Sunday Mail, 4th February 2007
- ^ Polling takes second place to parenthood; The Advertiser (Adelaide). January 1, 2007
- ^ This Hood's hardly one of the boyz; Sunday Mail (Adelaide). August 13, 2006
- ^ Family First far from extremists; Sunday Mail (Adelaide). August 27, 2006
