David was born on 7 October 1960, in Paddington, Sydney. His parents are of Maltese extraction and emigrated from Europe in 1952. His father was a laborer and is currently retired. David comes from a large family of five brothers and two sisters.

He is married and his wife, Dianne, is a midwife in a local hospital. They have four children, and moved to the Central Coast from Sydney in June 1994. David has been working here since September 1995.

David commenced legal training at the University of New South Wales in 1979. In 1984, he completed his university studies and became eligible for the two degrees of Bachelor of Jurisprudence and Bachelor of Law.