Mark Speakman

Early life and background Speakman attended government schools in Caringbah, including Caringbah High School, before studying law and economics at the University of Sydney and then the University of Cambridge, from which he graduated with a master's degree. A practising lawyer, he was called to the bar in 1991, and was made senior counsel in 2004.

Political career Speakman was a member of the Cronulla branch of the Young Liberals. During his time in the United Kingdom, he paid £6 to become a life member of the Cambridge University Conservative Association. Speakman had challenged Mutch for the Cook preselection prior to the 1998 federal election, but withdrew from the contest when former state deputy Liberal leader, Bruce Baird, became the compromise candidate.

At the 2011 state election, Speakman was elected with a swing of 9.4 points and won the seat with 75.5 per cent of the vote on a two-party-preferred basis. Speakman's main opponent was Stefanie Jones, representing Labor. Premier Barry O'Farrell considered elevating Speakman to the ministry following the election, but he was not made a minister until April 2015 when, following the 2015 state election, he was appointed as Minister for the Environment, the Minister for Heritage, and the Assistant Minister for Planning in the second Baird ministry. Gladys Berejiklian was elected as Liberal leader and sworn in as Premier. The First Berejiklian ministry was subsequently formed with Speakman sworn in as the Attorney General of NSW with effect from 30 January 2017. a title subsequently amended as the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in May 2021. In the second arrangement of the Perrottet ministry, he retained the portfolio title of Attorney General.

In September 2018, Speakman reportedly broke Victor Dominello's arm in an office arm wrestling match.

In April 2023, after the Liberal Party’s defeat in the 2023 New South Wales state election, he was elected as Leader of the Liberal Party and hence Leader of the Opposition. On 9 June 2023, Speakman was granted retention of The Honourable title by the Governor for life, for having served as a Member of the Executive Council for more than three years.

On 20 November 2025, following rifts in leadership and slipping poll performance, Speakman resigned as leader of the NSW Liberal Party. He endorsed Kellie Sloane, current Shadow Health Minister and MP for Vaucluse, to succeed him.

Political views In September 2023, Speakman told the Daily Telegraph that he advocated for "significant population growth", warning that without it Australia was at risk of invasion and being unable to "securely maintain occupation" of the country. His comments were in contrast to calls for reduced immigration from the federal Liberal Party and attracted criticism, resulting in Speakman attempting to backtrack.

Despite some initial concerns, Speakman supported the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but at the same time stated that he would not campaign for it. He supports the use of quotas to increase female representation in the Liberal Party room.

Speakman voted against decriminalising abortion in NSW. However, he voted for amendments that were intended to increase access to abortion services in 2025.

Personal life Speakman has a pet dog named Lucy, a rescue dog who has her own Instagram account.