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AUSPOLLIEWATCH EVERY CLAIM LINKS TO ITS SOURCE · NOT A SCORECARD

Portrait of David Pocock

David Pocock

Independent · Senate · ACT · incumbent

Early life & education encyclopedia

David Willmer Pocock was born on 23 April 1988 in Messina, South Africa, near his parents' home in Zimbabwe, and grew up on a mixed farm at Gweru, attending Midlands Christian College. Following Robert Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe, his family relocated and received Australian visas in 2002, settling in Brisbane, where he was educated at Anglican Church Grammar School; he later obtained a Master's degree in Sustainable Agriculture.

Background official record

Professional rugby union player who represented Australia and was vice-captain of the Brumbies in Super Rugby; after retiring he worked in conservation. Independent Whip in the Senate since 26 July 2022.

Elected 2025 · ACT POCOCK, David (David Pocock) was declared elected 1st of 2 at the 2025 federal election. [AEC results]

Sourced positions

Each position is the member's own stated view or vote, supported by the listed sources. The badge says what kind of source backs it — official record (Hansard, a parliament, a government or an electoral commission), own statement (their own site or their party's), news report (journalism or a third-party organisation) or encyclopedia. That is a statement about the evidence, not about how much we believe it. This page records public statements and conduct only — see methodology.

AyeNoPairedDid not vote

Immigration own statement

Pocock opposes offshore processing, calling for an end to it and a more human-rights-compliant refugee approach. After the government reauthorised Nauru offshore detention in February 2023 he called it a 'massive failure' and argued it 'makes no sense to be paying $420m of taxpayer money over three years to detain a small group of people.'

Votes on record · 4

Faith & religion news report

David Pocock has publicly spoken about the role of his Christian faith in inspiring him to get involved in politics, citing theologians such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero and Walter Wink as influences. He has described exploring his Christian faith, including reading theology and studying writers such as N.T. Wright and John Howard Yoder.

Economic nationalism news report

Independent Senator David Pocock has advocated reforming government procurement to favour Australian companies and small businesses, saying Australia should be "investing in Australian companies - sovereign Australian companies - that are building up their capability in a whole range of industries from defence to quantum computing... and not just going with multinationals." He criticised multinationals "skimming the cream off the top and subcontracting that to smaller Australian companies" as "a ridiculous use of taxpayer money," and called for a system where smaller Australian companies can win contracts.

Foreign policy & aid news report

In remarks reported on 3 June 2024, Pocock called on Australia to cut all military ties with Israel and end arms deals, citing Australian-made parts used in F-35 aircraft and an Elbit Systems vehicle contract, and called for targeted sanctions against members of the Israeli government and Israel Defense Forces over the situation in Gaza.

Votes on record · 2

Citizenship (s44 eligibility) news report

Pocock, who held Zimbabwean and South African citizenship by birth/descent, formally renounced both before the declaration of nominations for the 2022 Senate election, clearing him to run under section 44, which forbids dual citizens from sitting in Federal Parliament.

Economy & tax recorded votes

Votes on record · 8

Welfare & social services recorded votes

Votes on record · 3

Workplace & industrial relations recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Freedom of speech official record

In his dissenting report on the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 (25 November 2024) he recommended the bill not pass, arguing the harm originates in platform algorithms and incentive structures rather than in individual pieces of content, so targeting misinformation created a free-speech risk while missing the mechanism. He recommended legislating researcher access to platform data, obliging platforms to remove impersonating bot accounts and label legitimate ones, and funding media-literacy training, writing that 'human rights by their very definition reside in humans'.

Votes on record · 2

Drugs & law and order recorded votes

Votes on record · 7

Gambling & gaming reform recorded votes

Votes on record · 1

First Nations & treaty recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Integrity & anti-corruption recorded votes

Votes on record · 9

Housing & planning recorded votes

Votes on record · 3

  • ✗Housing Australia Amendment (Accountability) Bill 2025Liberal senator Wendy Askew's bill to make changes to Housing Australia's investment mandate — including the Home Guarantee Scheme — subject to parliamentary disallowance rather than ministerial direction alone.Second and third reading · Senate · carried 36–2526 Mar 2026 ↗
  • ✗Housing Investment Probity Bill 2024Liberal senator Andrew Bragg's bill to bar the Housing Australia Future Fund from dealing with the CFMEU or organisations connected with it, including the Cbus super fund.Second reading · Senate · negatived 26–3626 Mar 2026 ↗

Health recorded votes

Votes on record · 6

Education recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Transport & infrastructure recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Energy recorded votes

Votes on record · 1

Environment & water recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Votes are shown as the official record lists them — Hansard federally and in New South Wales; Votes and Proceedings, Minutes of the Proceedings and Hansard in Victoria; the Record of Proceedings in Queensland; the Votes and Proceedings and Minutes of Proceedings in Western Australia; the Votes and Proceedings (House of Assembly) and Hansard (Legislative Council) in South Australia; the Votes and Proceedings of both chambers in Tasmania. "Did not vote" means the member held the seat that day and is on neither list — the record says who was in the chamber, not why, so it is never an abstention. Western Australia’s record prints no pairs, so a member paired there shows as did not vote. Nothing is shown for a presiding officer who by law gives only a casting vote (the Speaker and the President in South Australia, the President in Tasmania), nor for the member presiding at a Tasmanian division, which Tasmania’s journals record. Which bills sit under which issue is an editorial choice, made bill by bill with a reason read from the second-reading speech. A bill decided by an earlier parliament (Queensland’s 2018 abortion law reform, for one) is shown with that parliament named, read from the official record of the day. For Queensland and the federal parliament “did not vote” there means the member held a seat that day, as their service is recorded; for the other earlier parliaments the record of who held a seat could not be read, so only the printed Aye, No and paired votes are shown.

Record last updated 2026-10-10.