Luke Hartsuyker
Luke Hartsuyker is a former Australian politician who represented the National Party in the House of Representatives for the Division of Cowper from 2001 to 2019. He held several government roles in the Turnbull and Abbott governments.
Born on 28 April 1959 in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Hartsuyker studied commerce at the University of Newcastle and worked as an accountant and business owner before entering politics. He ran his father’s business, then was elected to Parliament in 2001 after longtime MP Garry Nehl retired. He kept the Cowper seat in the 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 elections.
During his time in government, Hartsuyker served as:
- Assistant Minister for Employment (2013–2015)
- Minister for Vocational Education and Skills (2015–2016)
- Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister (2016–2017)
- Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment (2017–2018)
In 2016, electoral boundaries changed, adding Port Macquarie to Cowper and narrowing his margin in the race against independent Rob Oakeshott. He announced his retirement in August 2018 and left Parliament at the 2019 election.
Personal details: he is married to Irene and they have two sons. He was born with Dutch citizenship by descent but lost it in 1995. He opposed same-sex marriage but voted in favour of the 2017 Marriage Amendment Act after his electorate supported it.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:37 (CET).