David Nolte

David Nolte{born 4 August 1955} is an Australian pharmacist, former City of Melbourne councillor and mental health reform advocate.

Pharmacist
Nolte graduated from Monash University in 1976 and established his pharmacy in 1979. He became an advocate for protecting community pharmacy and lobbied the Australian Government on pharmacy issues from 1982 to 1991. He helped lead a community wide campaign against a Hawke Government proposal to reduce pharmacy numbers prior to the 1990 general election. The campaign resulted in the Community Pharmacy Agreement between the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Australian Government on the dispensed price of prescription medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Nolte served as a Councillor to the Victorian Pharmacy Guild from 1980 to 2010 and as a National Councillor to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia from 1996 to 2005. Nolte became actively involved in pharmacotherapy, obstructive sleep apnoea and the treatment of mental illness. He is an advocate for progressive government policy and support for adults who manage whole of life attention deficit disorder (ADD) and the availability of slow release ADD medication under the national Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Politics
In July 2012 Nolte was one of 16 candidates at the Melbourne state by-election, winning 4.66 percent of the primary vote, coming fifth both before and after preference distributions. During the by-election Nolte announced his candidature for Lord Mayor of Melbourne in the October 2012 Victorian council elections.

Melbourne City Council
From 1988 to 1993 Nolte served as the Princes Ward (Carlton ) Councillor at the Melbourne City Council. With the effective status of Deputy Lord Mayor, Nolte controlled the majority vote in council from 1990 to 1993 and drove a progressive agenda notable for achievements in the arts, environment and economic reform. During this period the City of Melbourne was a lead innovator in local government and became the first council in Australia to introduce wheelie bins, separated waste and recycling; compulsory competitive tendering; and best value policy to achieve continuous improvement in council services.

From 1991 to 1993 Nolte revitalised council’s cultural, arts and humanitarian programs, established a sister city relationship with St Petersburg, Russia; funded the restoration of the heritage listed Regent Theatre; and funded city street sculpture. He was involved in Melbourne’s 1989 bid to host the 1996 Olympic Games and supported Council funding for the Great Southern Stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).