Dennis Hood

Dennis Garry Edward Hood (born 12 January 1970) is an Australian politician who began his political career as a member of the South Australian Legislative Council in 2006 on the Family First Party's ticket.^[1] In 2017, Family First merged into the Australian Conservatives^[2] and Hood joined the Liberal Party after the 2018 state election.^[3]

The Honourable Dennis Hood MLC
Member of the South Australian Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 July 2006
Personal details
Born	Dennis Garry Edward Hood (1970-01-12) 12 January 1970 (age 54) Woodside, South Australia, Australia
Political party	Liberal
Other political affiliations	Australian Conservatives 2017-18 Family First before 2017
Spouse	Lisa Hood
Children	1
Residence(s)	Salisbury, South Australia
Alma mater	University of Adelaide
Profession	Executive Politician

Early life and career

Dennis Hood was born in Woodside, South Australia, Australia and raised in Salisbury.^[1][4][5] In Hood's youth, his father held three jobs and his mother, who is blind, worked as a meat packer.^[4] Hood holds a Bachelor of Economics^[1] with honours in politics and philosophy^[4] and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics^[3] from the University of Adelaide.

Career

Prior to working in politics, Hood worked in pharmaceuticals as a financial executive for Johnson & Johnson.^[4][6][1][7] He became the Federal Director for the Family First Party in 2005 and ran for the South Australian Legislative Council the following year as their primary candidate.^[8][1] He was elected to the upper house in 2006 and, in February 2007, replaced Andrew Evans as the Family First Party's parliamentary leader.^[4][5] At this time, he was also serving as the party's treasurer and was a member of the Social Development Committee.^[1]

He was reelected in 2014 still on the Family First ticket^[9] but followed Robert Brokenshire to the Australian Conservatives when the two parties merged in 2017. Nine days after the 2018 state election, Hood defected to the Liberal Party following the Conservatives' extreme defeat, a move he was roundly criticised for.^[10] He claimed that the Liberal Party's platform overlapped significantly with his, while the Conservatives were too focused on federal issues and were likely to have "no impact" at the state level.^[2] Between 2020 and 2022, he was a government whip.^[3]

In 2016, he was Chair of the Committee of the South Australian Parliament and Member of the Legislative Council.^[11] In April 2020, he served on the South Australian Parliament's COVID-19 Response Committee.^[12] Hood generally subscribes to Keynesian economics.^[4]

Political stances

Crime

In 2014, Hood argued that the government overregulates people and that, while it has its purposes, it has become too large.^[4] In a similar vein, he suggested the removal of compulsory voting in 2009, claiming it undemocratic to force people to cast a vote.^[13] In 2008, he unsuccessfully pushed for stricter sentences for criminals' second offences.^[14] In 2013, he said that while "rehabilitation is a goal that should always be pursued,... public safety must be the absolute priority" and that punishing criminals should take precedence.^[15] In 2011, he introduced a law to increase police's powers to seize the computer of a convicted child molester without a court order for the purpose of examining its contents. The law also allowed judges to restrict pedophiles' internet usage.^[16]

In 2017, he supported an anti-bullying bill based on Brodie's Law, which passed in Victoria in 2011. He said that existing anti-bullying approaches were insufficient and needed to be stricter.^[17] In 2018, he opposed the continuation of Safe Schools, a policy that reduced bullying of LGBTQ+ students and trained staff on how to deal with sexuality-based abuse.^[18] In 2010, he noted that the state coroner needed more resources to address the backlog in cases.^[19] The following year he also advocated for the creation of a police task force to address the backlog of unexecuted arrest warrants.^[20]

Sex and drugs

Hood's staunch anti-prostitution beliefs, which in 2011 he said were consistent with his Christian feminist positions, have remained stable throughout the years.^[21][22] In 2015, he believed that decriminalising prostitution would be akin to the government's encouragement and approval to partake in sex work.^[23] That same year, despite not supporting decriminalisation, Hood criticised the proposed bill for failing to adequately protect sex workers.^[24] In 2019, he again voted against decriminalisation.^[25]

In 2007, Hood was also opposed to providing sex ed to primary school children^[26][27] and in 2011 questioned the effectiveness of existing sex ed programs after the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections increased substantially within a year. He called for stricter messaging from schools about safe sex.^[28] He has also expressed dislike of sex ed courses that do not teach abstinence before marriage.^[5]

In 2008, Hood called for a review of the motion picture classification system, as he did not feel the Advertising Standards Board had properly screened out materials of "poor taste," including a liquor advertisement showing the exposed buttocks of three adult men.^[29][30] He also suggested DVDs of adult films and other restricted content be required to come in plain packaging.^[31]

Hood is also highly supportive of increased penalties for drug use.^[32] In 2007, he suggested tougher controls on the growing and possession of cannabis. Possession of commercial quantities ($40,000), he pointed out, would only incur a small fine (with a maximum of $500), which was an insufficient disincentive.^[33] He also rejected the idea of medical marijuana, saying the harm outweighs the therapeutic benefits.^[34] In 2010, he requested on-the-spot fines for users of heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy.^[35] He opposed the use of drugs while driving^[36] and in public, saying it is a threat to the welfare of residents, businesses, and the individuals themselves.^[37] Apart from increased fines, Hood also suggested pragmatic drug testing devices at hotels and nightclubs.^[38] In 2009, Hood proposed laws to adopt this stance by setting minimum,^[39] as opposed to maximum, sentences, which are rarely implemented by judges.^[40] In 2013, he expressed an interest in dramatically increasing fines for growing marijuana, with maximum penalties for up to five plants increasing from $100 to $2,000 and up to 19 plants from $2,000 to $10,000. He felt that this would be an effective deterrent.^[41] In 2014, he encouraged people to seek out the "less harmful" alternatives available rather than use marijuana.^[42]

Health

In 2011, Hood opposed the voluntary euthanasia legislation introduced by Steph Key,^[43] claiming it failed to provide sufficient corroborative evidence of the desire for suicide apart from the killer as the sole witness,^[44] and that the elderly and dying could be pressured into suicide if they felt that they became a burden on their family.^[45][46] In 2021, he reasserted this belief and suggested improving palliative care instead.^[47] He also rejected legislation permitting the cloning of human embryos^[48] on the grounds of technology already having the ability to create embryonic stem cells without using human embryos and eggs, thereby making the legislation unnecessary.

Family

Another of Hood's strong stances is opposition to both same-sex marriage and same-sex parenting. In 2011, he stated that legalising either would take away a child's right to having heterosexual parents.^[49] He reaffirmed both of these beliefs again in 2014^[50][51][4] and in 2016 proposed an amendment allowing medical professionals to refuse reproductive assistance to same-sex couples and single people.^[52] Relatedly, Hood encourages the practice of adoption for heterosexual parents^[53] and has criticised abortion rates, particularly when considering low fertility rates.^[54] In 2021, he again voted against the decriminalisation of abortion.^[55][56]

In 2008, Hood advocated for mandatory parental consent for children to get a body piercing^[57] and worked with John Rau to outlaw scarification for minors.^[58] Hood is a supporter of parents doling out non-sexual corporal punishment, namely spanking, to their children.^[59][60] To fight child abuse, he suggested pragmatic checks by agencies other than the Department of Human Services, which had been garnering dissatisfaction from South Australians at the time.^[61] In 2011, he submitted a bill that allowed parents more access to and control over their child's Facebook activity.^[62][63]

Misc

In 2007, Hood rejected the scrapping of parliamentary prayer, pointing out that the practice dated back to the Westminster system.^[64] He stated that these periods were useful for quiet introspection. In 2009, he rejected the Greens' call to name and shame religious schools that discriminate based on sexual orientation on their web site.^[65]

In 2007, Hood called for a ban of nudist beaches, citing his concern that children could be inadvertently exposed.^[66] In 2009, he promoted policies permitting the right to remove dangerous, sick and dying trees, and endorsed weekly garbage collection, which the Greens party strongly opposed.^[67][68] In 2011, he established a parliamentary committee to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social impacts of establishing marine parks off the coast of South Australia.^[69] He also supported the redevelopment of the Adelaide Oval with some amendments.^[70]

Following the 2010 election, Hood worked with other politicians to improve funding for mental healthcare, disability support, child protection, and public housing.^[71]

Family and personal life

In 2006, Hood's wife Lisa gave birth to their daughter.^[72] He suffers from ankylosing spondylitis.^[4] Though his parents were not religious, Hood converted to Christianity at 19 and continues to attend church regularly.^{[4][5][73][7]}

Notes

1. "Hon. Dennis Garry Edward HOOD MLC Member for South Australia - State SA Legislative Council". Parliament @ Work. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
2. "Dennis Hood dumps Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives to join SA Liberals". ABC News. 26 March 2017.
3. "Hon Dennis Garry Edward Hood". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
4. Mannix, Liam (14 March 2014). "Dennis Hood: right, wrong and living through pain". InDaily. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
5. Goers, Peter (12 August 2006). . AdelaideNow. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
6. Wanna, John (2006). "Political Chronicles: Commonwealth of Australia, January to June 2006" (PDF). Australian Journal of Politics and History. Australian National University. 52 (4): 669. (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
7. (PDF). Family First Party. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
8. "Dennis Hood". Liberal South Australia. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
9. Beaumont, Adrian (24 April 2018). "Poll wrap: Labor's Newspoll lead narrows federally and in Victoria". University of Melbourne. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
10. "Cory Bernardi lashes out at former colleagues over 'plans to defect to Liberals'". ABC News. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
11. "NEA Monthly News Bulletin - August-September 2016". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
12. Moulds, Sarah (22 April 2020). "Pandemic and human rights: watching over the watchdogs". InDaily. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
13. Vaughan, Joanna. . AdelaideNow. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
14. "SA to bolster anti-bikie laws within weeks". ABC News. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
15. "SA New laws to Affect Suspended Sentencing". TimeBase. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
16. . Sunday Mail. 27 October 2007. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
17. "Anti-bullying law proposal in South Australia sparks debate after teenager Libby Bell's suicide". ABC News. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
18. "South Australian Liberals vow to scrap version of Safe Schools if they win election". The Guardian. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
19. Martin, Sarah (29 November 2010). . Archived from the original on 2 December 2010.
20. McGregor, Ken (10 March 2011). . Archived from the original on 12 March 2011.
21. Kelton, Greg (2 June 2011). . Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
22. Allison, Lisa (14 September 2006). . Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
23. Kurmelovs, Royce (10 June 2015). "Why Is South Australia So Reluctant to Decriminalise Sex Work?". Vice. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
24. Novak, Lauren (25 August 2015). "Family First MP Dennis Hood opposes latest attempt to decriminalise prostitution". The Advertiser. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
25. "Green's sex worker Bill fails to get up". The Border Watch. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
26. Kelton, Greg (30 May 2007). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
27. . 25 July 2007. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
28. Schriever, Jordanna (12 November 2011). "Alarming rise in infections concerns health officials". The Advertiser. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
29. Pengelley, Jill (2 February 2008). . Archived from the original on 30 August 2012.
30. . 21 July 2007. Archived from the original on 8 February 2011.
31. Pepper, Chris (17 January 2010). . Sunday Mail. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010.
32. Way, Ben (15 October 2007). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
33. Kelton, Greg (4 April 2007). . Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
34. Henderson, Nick (25 April 2007). . Archived from the original on 10 February 2010.
35. Martin, Sarah (4 October 2010). . Archived from the original on 6 October 2010.
36. Allison, Lisa (27 September 2006). . Archived from the original on 30 August 2012.
37. Henderson, Nick (23 March 2007). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
38. . 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
39. Fewster, Sean (16 November 2009). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
40. Lower, Gavin (25 February 2008). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
41. Holderhead, Sheradyn (20 November 2013). "South Australian MPs fire up over cannabis penalties". news.com.au. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
42. Jervis-Brady, Dan (24 September 2014). "Medical marijuana push gathers strength". InDaily. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
43. Kelton, Greg (28 March 2011). . Archived from the original on 8 April 2011.
44. . 3 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011.
45. Shepherd, Tory (27 October 2009). . Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
46. Shepherd, Tory (1 January 2009). . Archived from the original on 27 November 2010.
47. Mullins, Sarah (5 May 2021). "SA's Legislative Council passes voluntary euthanasia bill, Lower House to have the final vote". ABC News. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
48. . The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
49. Martin, Sarah (17 May 2011). . Archived from the original on 21 May 2011.
50. Hancock, James (29 April 2014). "Same-sex adoption push backed by SA online petition". ABC News. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
51. Smithson, Mike (20 June 2013). "Gay marriage bid 'cruel hoax'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
52. "LGBTIQ advocates welcome equality reform in SA Parliament, but have concern over amendments". Human Rights Law Centre. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
53. . 3 January 2008. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
54. Owen, Michael (2 December 2007). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
55. "Abortion law finally passes South Australian Parliament in win for human rights". Human Rights Law Centre. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
56. Richardson, Tom (10 June 2021). "SA conservatives' new Day as moderate Libs targeted". InDaily. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
57. Vaughan, Joanna (13 November 2008). . Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
58. . 18 June 2007. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012.
59. McGuire, Michael (5 June 2009). . The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
60. Owen, Michael (27 February 2008). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
61. Henderson, Nick (17 December 2007). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
62. "Australian MP takes on Facebook so parents can monitor children". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 June 2011.
63. "Facebook May Be Banned for Australian Teens". Bloomberg News. 16 June 2011.
64. Henderson, Nick (10 June 2007). . Archived from the original on 24 November 2010.
65. Vaughan, Joanna (8 April 2009). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
66. Shepherd, Tory (17 October 2007). . Archived from the original on 17 December 2010.
67. Vaughan, Joanna (2 July 2009). . Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
68. Jaensch, Dean (16 July 2009). . Archived from the original on 30 August 2012.
69. Martin, Sarah (18 May 2011). . Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
70. Martin, Sarah (3 June 2011). . Archived from the original on 5 June 2011.
71. Novak, Lauren (14 May 2010). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
72. Anderson, Laura (31 December 2006). . Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
73. Polling takes second place to parenthood; The Advertiser. 1 January 2007

External links

• Dennis Hood on Twitter