Coalition Backbench Policy Committees on Defence and Veterans’ Affairs; Foreign Affairs, Investment and Trade; Industrial Relations, Legal and Home Affairs; and Treasury, Finance and Public Administration. Connelly has been advocating for a large vessel dry berth in Henderson. On 16 September, 2021, the Prime Minister confirmed the Federal Government will work with the WA government to invest in a large dry dock at Henderson. On 19 March, 2021, the Australian Electoral Commission published a report proposing a redistribution of WA’s federal electoral divisions under which the Division of Stirling would be abolished. The redistribution was confirmed on 4 June 2021. With the Division of Stirling set to be abolished at the 2022 Australian federal election, Connelly announced that he would challenge incumbent Moore MP Ian Goodenough for preselection for that seat. This was against the wishes of senior party figures, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who wanted Connelly to run for the Division of Cowan. Moore is a safe seat for the Liberal party, with a margin of 11.6% at the 2019 election, whereas Cowan is a marginal seat, with Labor winning it by 0.8%. Connelly said "(Moore) is where our kids play soccer, where my wife and I participate in our local RSL, it's where we surf, shop and visit friends." In a statement on 4 September, 2021, Connelly confirmed he will nominate for the federal seat of Moore. Connelly said "Electoral boundaries may have moved, but my local community has not." Connelly narrowly lost being preselected for Moore 39–36 after preselectors voted at a meeting on 22 September. He was later endorsed as the Liberal candidate for Cowan, where he was defeated by incumbent MP Anne Aly. Connelly is a member of the Centre-Right faction of the Liberal Party. Personal life Vince Connelly has a wife, Peta, and three teenage children. Connelly is an active member of the Scarborough Surf Life Saving Club; Legacy WA; the Returned & Services League North Beach Sub-Branch; the Lions Club of North Beach and the Veterans Transition Centre. References 1978 births Living people Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Stirling Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia 21st-century Australian politicians Australian Army officers