Ian Goodenough

Goodenough was born in Singapore in 1975, and emigrated to Australia with his family in December 1984, becoming an Australian citizen in 1987.[2] He is of English, Portuguese, and Malaysian Chinese descent,[3] and identifies as a member of the Eurasian community,[4] with his branch of the Goodenough family having first arrived in Singapore in the 1800s. A direct ancestor, Samuel Goodenough, was Bishop of Carlisle in the early 19th century, and a great-granduncle, Sir William Goodenough, was an admiral in the Royal Navy.[5] After moving to Australia, Goodenough attended Leederville Primary School and Aranmore Catholic College. He graduated as the dux of his high school in 1992, and then began work for an accounting firm, Hendry Rae & Court. At the same time, he attended night classes at Curtin University, eventually receiving a Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) degree in 1998.[6] In 2003, Goodenough returned to Curtin for two years to obtain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, and later also attended an executive development program (EDP) at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in Philadelphia, USA.[7]

Aged 21, Goodenough invested money borrowed from his parents into Pipe Supports Australia, a pipe manufacturing and wholesale business, and in 1998 he co-founded Westcapital Group, a property developer. He remains a managing director of both companies, and in 2006 was named in Business News' 40 Under 40, with his profile noting his "diverse business interests".[8] Until resigning in February 2011, he additionally served as managing director of several companies in the Claymont Group, on his resignation exchanging his shares in the companies for land worth $9.7 million.[9] From 1997 to 2001, during the Court–Cowan government, Goodenough worked part-time as a research officer in WA's Department of the Premier and Cabinet, assisting, amongst others, George Cash (the President of the Legislative Council), and Ian Osborne (the government whip).[7] He was a recipient of the Australian government's Centenary Medal in 2001, for "service to the community through local government, education and charity".[10]

Goodenough was an unsuccessful candidate for the Town of Vincent's Mount Hawthorn Ward in December 1997, placing third of three candidates with 19.40% of the vote.[11] In 1999, after the City of Joondalup's separation from the City of Wanneroo necessitated new elections for both councils, Goodenough was elected to the City of Wanneroo's Coastal Ward. He remained a councillor until his election to federal parliament in September 2013.[12] A "longstanding member of the Liberal Party",[13] Goodenough was president of the party's branch in the Division of Moore from 2007 to 2011, replacing Michaelia Cash following her election to the Senate at the 2007 federal election.[14] He was preselected for Moore in July 2012,[15] and won the seat at the 2013 federal election with 53.08 percent on first preferences (and 61.86 percent of the 2PP vote), replacing the retiring Mal Washer.[16] A member of the conservative faction of the Liberal Party,[17] Goodenough sits on the Standing Committees for Procedure and Tax and Revenue, and on the Joint Standing Committee for Electoral Matters. He also sits on the Speaker's Panel, whose members chair the house in the absence of both the Speaker and Deputy Speakers.[7]

In 2018 he supported Peter Dutton calls to treat white South African farmers, who are sometimes targets of attacks, as refugees.[18] Goodenough is not a supporter of environmental conservation efforts: voting against a carbon price, increasing marine conservation, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), and efforts to support the Great Barrier Reef.[19] He does not believe in restricting gambling and restricting foreign ownership in Australia.[20] With regards to tertiary education, he voted to increase indexation of HECS-HELP debts,[21] deregulate undergraduate university fees[22] and charge postgraduate research students additional fees.[23]

Goodenough is an opponent of same-sex marriage. In 2016, he wrote an article for Yahoo!, which was also published in The West Australian newspaper, entitled, "The complexities of gay marriage are too risky", in which he claimed that legalising same-sex marriage would create "an enormous cost to society in terms of dealing with social dysfunction, psychological and mental health issues", implying that children raised by same-sex couples would suffer mental illness.[24][25] Notably, such claims have been thoroughly disputed by the Australian Psychological Society.[26] In Parliament, Labor member Terri Butler responded to Goodenough's comments, stating, "I do think we may have found an explanation for [Goodenough's] bachelor status, given his description of marriage being not romantic, but a social construct important for progeny. If I was to counsel the member for Moore in his quest for love, I would say, maybe don’t roll that one out on the first date."[27] Goodenough's voting record also indicates that he believes civil celebrants should be allowed to refuse to marry same-sex couples.[20] Goodenough falsely claimed that Anglicare would face federal funding cuts if same-sex marriage was legalised - a claim that was dismissed by Anglicare WA's chief executive officer, Ian Carter.[28] Goodenough's electorate of Moore voted 68% in favour of same-sex marriage.[29]

In October 2017, it was reported in The West Australian that a Year 12 student from Duncraig Senior High School, Grace Gouldstone, had refused to accept an award sponsored by Goodenough due to his beliefs over same-sex marriage.[30] She wrote, "I feel strongly that the sponsor of the award... does not support the values of that particular award and does not reflect the values of our school as a positive and inclusive environment... As such, I reject his award."[30] The event received significant national media coverage, including on The Project.[31][32]

In 2019, claims emerged that Goodenough had "[taken] a group of overseas visitors to local businesses while being the director of a company that is paid for striking export deals". Goodenough denied the conflict of interest claims and blamed them on "tall poppy syndrome".[33] Goodenough has also admitted to meeting and speaking with a neo-Nazi extremist in 2018.[34]

Goodenough was re-elected as the member for Moore at the 2019 federal election, but suffered a -3.7% swing in the primary votes. His two-party preferred vote sat at 61.7%.[35]

• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 2013–2016