David John Clarke (born 2 April 1947), an Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2003 to 2019, representing the Liberal Party. and is considered to have conservative Roman Catholic views. Prior to entering Parliament, Clarke studied a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney and worked as a solicitor from 1971 to 2003. Personal life Clarke is married with four children. While not a member, David Clarke is a co-operator of the Opus Dei prelature of the Roman Catholic Church, and is considered to have conservative Christian views. His wife is a member of Opus Dei. Political history Clarke has been called a leading member of the right-wing of the Liberal Party in the media. Despite this, Clarke has stated that "I don't think there is a formal factional system operating in the Liberal Party" and that "the Liberal Party traditionally has not been a party based on factions and I don't believe it's based on factions now." In the late 1970s, Clarke was involved on the Liberal Party's Ethnic Council, which attempted to foster the development of persons of different ethnicities in the Liberal Party, as well as oppose communism in Eastern Europe. While serving on the Ethnic Council, he was asked by many members of the Liberal Party to defend Lyenko Urbanchich against allegations of former Nazi connections. This was successfully accomplished as the State Council of the Liberal Party did not approve his expulsion from the Liberal Party. Former NSW Opposition Leader from 1981–1983, John Dowd described Clarke as being "perceived as a lieutenant who carried out the views of Urbanchich and co in their branch stacking and endeavouring to take control of a large measure of the [Liberal] party." In March 2003, David Clarke became a Member of the NSW Legislative Council and served for the next sixteen years. He held the following positions while in Parliament Parliamentary Secretary for Justice: May 2011- Mar 2019. Deputy Chair Standing Committee on Law and Justice: September 2005 – May 2011 Chair, Standing Committee on Law and Justice: May 2011 - Mar 2015 Deputy Chair, Select Committee on the Leasing of Electricity Infrastructure: May 2015 - Jun 2015 Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations: 2007 - 2008 Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Justice: 2008—2011 He served on the following Committees: Standing Committee on Law and Justice: May 2003 - Mar 2019 Committee