predecessor parliament successor birth_place constituency_mp party birth_date term_start residence image article_title term_end name occupation alma_mater
mark vaile wendy machin australian new south wales david gillespie peter besseling lismore , new south wales lyne port macquarie national -- 2013 -rrb- -lrb- 1996 -- 2002 -rrb- independent -lrb- 2002 14 december 1969 6 september 2008 30 november 1996 port macquarie , new south wales rob oakeshott.jpg rob oakeshott
 5 august 2013 13 august 2008 rob oakeshott political staffer university of sydney
rob oakeshott

robert james murray `` rob '' oakeshott -lrb- born 14 december 1969 -rrb- is a retired australian politician .
he was the independent member of the house of representatives for the division of lyne in new south wales , which he won at the 2008 lyne by-election following the resignation of former nationals leader and former deputy prime minister mark vaile .
elected as the nationals candidate for the state seat of port macquarie in the new south wales legislative assembly in 1996 , he left the party to become an independent in 2002 , and retained the seat until 2008 , when he resigned to run for lyne in which he won with a very large margin .
he retained lyne at the 2010 election with a large margin , and in the hung parliament , after negotiations , backed julia gillard and labor to form a minority government , providing confidence and supply from the crossbench whilst retaining the right to vote on conscience .
oakeshott did not contest the 2013 election .
oakeshott described his views as economically conservative and socially progressive .
