Ted O'Brien

O'Brien won the seat in the 2016 election, after having lost to Clive Palmer by only 53 votes in the 2013 election.

Ahead of the 2016 Federal Election, Clive Palmer announced he would not seek re-election in the seat. Fairfax has historically been safely conservative in a "traditional" two-party matchup (Labor vs. Liberal/LNP); the LNP would have picked up a healthy five-percent swing in a traditional two-party contest in 2013. Palmer's retirement thus made O'Brien favourite to retake the seat for the LNP. O'Brien won the seat with 60.9 percent of the two-party vote, reverting Fairfax to its traditional status as a safe LNP seat.

O'Brien spent over 10 years with global consulting firm, Accenture. He started with the firm's Strategy Consulting division in Sydney, leading service delivery for clients in the communications and high technology sectors before being promoted to roles managing the firm's larger and more complex international deals. His final posting with Accenture was as Director of Growth & Strategy for the Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets – responsible for corporate strategy, mergers & acquisitions and mega deals based in Beijing.

On returning to Australia, O'Brien became Managing Director of government relations firm Barton Deakin Qld before being endorsed by the Coalition to contest the 2013 Federal election in the seat of Fairfax, where he was beaten by 53 votes by Clive Palmer, making Fairfax the most marginal seat in Australia.

O'Brien ran as the Liberal challenger in Brisbane in 2007, losing to Labor incumbent Arch Bevis.

Edward Lynam O'Brien (born 7 May 1974) is an Australian politician. He has been the Liberal National Party of Queensland member for Fairfax in the Australian House of Representatives since being elected at the 2016 federal election.