Ed Dermer

Edmund Rupert Joseph "Ed" Dermer (born 30 October 1957) in Subiaco, Western Australia is an Australian politician. He is currently the member of the Western Australian Legislative Council representing the North Metropolitan Region. Elected to Parliament in the 1996 state election after the resignation of Samuel Mathew Piantadosi he is a member of the Australian Labor Party.
He was re-elected in the 2001 and 2005 state elections and has held the position of Government Whip in the Legislative Council from May 2001 to present.
Dermer was one of the three North Metropolitan Labor MLCs, along with Graham Giffard and Ken Travers, who proved to be critical in the introduction of Daylight saving in 2006 in Western Australia. Initially intending on voting against the motion, they all eventually decided to support the motion in line with the wishes of their electorate and party.
In 2008, Dermer was caught in a rip with his sons, Alexander and Cameron, at a Surfers Paradise beach and had to be rescued by lifesavers. Shortly afterward he was diagnosed with a melanoma on the back of his neck, which was removed and found to be malignant.