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David Allan Van (born 14 November 1964) is an Australian former politician. He was elected as a member of the Liberal Party and was sworn in as a Senator for Victoria on 1 July 2019. He was not re-elected at the 2025 federal election and finished his six-year term on 30 June 2025.
In June 2023, Van was accused of sexual assault by Senator Lidia Thorpe and former Senator Amanda Stoker. In response, he was expelled from the Liberal party room, and resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as an independent.
Van holds a master's degree in international relations from Monash University.
In February 2021, Van called for an independent review into ABC complaints.
As Chair of the Parliamentary friends of Ukraine, Van was a proponent for providing support for Ukraine in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Until his expulsion from the parliamentary Liberal party in June 2023, Van was a member of several committees including the Joint Standing Committees for Trade & Investment Growth and Treaties, as well as Senate Select Committee for Foreign Interference through Social Media, Senate Committee on Environment & Communication and Legal & Constitutional Affairs.
Van was a member of the centre-right faction of the Liberal Party during the Morrison government years, but became factionally unaligned after the 2022 Australian federal election.
Former Liberal National Senator Amanda Stoker released a statement alleging that she had also been inappropriately touched by Van. Stoker accused Van of squeezing her buttocks twice at a social gathering in November 2020. She said she raised the issue with Van the next day and he apologised.
Van was expelled from the parliamentary Liberal party room by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton after additional allegations of misconduct were raised with him, requiring him to sit on the Senate cross bench. Van denies all of the allegations. The following day on radio station 2GB Dutton urged him to resign, saying "I think it is in everyone's best interest that he resign from the parliament and I hope he's able to do that sooner than later. And, and seek the help that he needs".
In July 2023 it was reported that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) undertook an extensive investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Senator Van while he was on an ADF parliament program voyage in July 2021, and that the office of then Prime Minister
Allegations of sexual misconduct
2021
In November 2021, then Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was "disappointed" after claims that Van had made "growling and dog noises" at Senator Jacqui Lambie as she spoke during Senate Question Time, on the same day as the Sex Discrimination Commissioner released a report into harassment and workplace culture at Parliament House. Van later "apologised unreservedly" for interjecting but denied making "growling noises".
2023
In June 2023, under parliamentary privilege, Senator Lidia Thorpe accused Van of sexual assault.
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