Forty-three-year-old Jason Wood (LNP) has lived in the seat of La Trobe for over 40 years. He attended the local primary school in Ferny Creek and later Ferntree Gully Technical School.

The Federal Member for La Trobe spent his final year of school studying at Boronia Secondary College where he graduated having completed an outdoor education leadership course.

He has also spent time studying at the Chisholm institute, Swinburne University and RMIT University in Melbourne.

Wood worked as a school camp coordinator before graduating from the Victorian Police Academy in 1998. Shortly after graduating he became a Constable in Boronia.

He rose through the policing ranks to become a Detective Senior Constable at the organised crime squad, before transferring to the Boronia criminal investigation unit where he completed his masters in Innovation service management and a thesis on counter terrorism. His studies in counter terrorism led to him being promoted to Senior Sergeant at the counter terrorism unit.

Wood says he was drawn to politics as it is a way to improve the community and lives of local residents.

He served as the federal member for La Trobe (2004-2010) when he used his knowledge in counter terrorism to assist the Howard federal government in implementing tougher terrorism laws.

In 2008 he was appointed by Malcom Turnbull as shadow parliamentary secretary for justice and public security.

While in this position, Wood developed major law enforcement policies for the Coalition in the 2010 Federal Election Campaign.

He also was a member of the House of Representatives standing committee on environment and heritage as well as the joint statutory group for the Australian crime commission (both from 1 December 2004).

Wood has said he is passionate about community engagement and evidence of this is found when looking at the places and organisations where he played a role lobbying for funding and resources.

He was an integral part of reversing the planned budget cuts to the eastern community legal centre in 2017. The eastern community legal centre CEO, Michael Smith said this allowed the centre to “focus on delivering and developing its high quality free legal help to people and communities most in need.”

Wood also convinced former Prime Minister John Howard to provide funding to every scout hall in Australia to allow the purchase of water tanks and new gutters, and to cover associated plumbing costs amounting to $AU17 million.

In the past Wood has voted very strongly for many issues such as an emissions reduction fund, which allows the government to buy domestic greenhouse gas emissions reductions and offsets by reverse auction.

He also voted very strongly for increasing indexation of HECS-HELPS debts and for voluntary student union fees.

Among other issues Wood voted very strongly for were for the turning back of asylum boats where possible, and decreasing funding to the ABC and SBS.

Wood voted strongly for getting rid of Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in 2017.

He voted strongly against increasing Aboriginal land rights in 2006 and very strongly against a carbon price, against protecting the Great Barrier Reef and against a carbon production reduction scheme. He also put in a very strong vote against increasing funding for university education.

Wood says that if he is re-elected he will pursue a strong law enforcement agenda, which appears to stem from his extensive time spent in law enforcement.