Kevin Newman (politician)

Minister for National Development
Minister for National Development
	In office; 20 December 1977 – 8 December 1979
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Created
Succeeded by	John Carrick
Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development
	In office; 8 July 1976 – 20 December 1977
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Ivor Greenwood
Succeeded by	Ray Groom
Minister for Repatriation
	In office; 22 December 1975 – 8 July 1976
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Don Chipp
Succeeded by	Ray Groom
Member of the Australian Parliament; for Bass
	In office; 28 June 1975 – 26 October 1984
Preceded by	Lance Barnard
Succeeded by	Warwick Smith
Personal details
Born	Kevin Eugene Newman; 10 October 1933; Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	17 July 1999 (aged 65); Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse	Jocelyn Newman (married 1961-1999; his death)
Children	Campbell Newman
Occupation	Army Officer
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Australian Army
Years of service	1955–1975
Rank	Colonel
Unit	3 RAR; 2 RAR
Commands	5 RAR; 6th Military District

Kevin Eugene Newman

Administrative Services (1980–1983). He represented the Tasmanian seat of Bass in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1984. His wife Jocelyn also became a federal government minister, while his son Campbell became premier of Queensland

.

Army career

Newman rose to the rank of colonel in the Australian Army, serving in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and the Vietnam War.^[1]

Political career

Newman entered political life through a

House of Representatives, as the Liberal candidate. The previous member, former Labor Deputy Prime Minister Lance Barnard, had held it for 21 years, though he had been gradually losing support in recent years. Newman had already been preselected for the next election, and had been nursing^{[clarification needed}

] the seat for some time.

Nonetheless, it came as a surprise^[

to whom?] when Newman took the seat off Labor with a massive 14-point swing, turning Bass into a safe Liberal seat at one stroke. He won 57.6 percent of the primary vote, enough to win without the need for preferences. This shock result is reckoned^{[by whom?]} as the beginning of the end for Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, as Newman's victory emboldened the Coalition to push for new elections for a House of Representatives barely a year old—even to the point of blocking supply.^{[citation needed]} The Whitlam government was dismissed six months later

.

Newman easily retained his seat at

Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development when Ivor Greenwood became ill. He was responsible for environment issues when the decision was taken to cease sand mining on world heritage listed Fraser Island

.

In December 1978, Newman was appointed

fourth Fraser Ministry, a position he retained until the defeat of the government in the 1983 election. He retired from the parliament prior to the 1984 election

.

Post-political activities

In retirement, Newman was appointed President of the National Trust Tasmania, a member of the board of the Menzies Foundation and a director of the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland.

Newman was the Chairman of the Old Parliament House Governing Council from 1997 to 1999.

He was appointed an

Queen's Birthday Honours of 1994.^[2]

Family

Newman was married to Jocelyn Newman, a Senator for Tasmania, and Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women in the Howard government. They had two children: Kate and Campbell. Campbell Newman was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane 2004–11, and was Premier of Queensland from March 2012 to February 2015.

References

^ Vietnam War Nominal Roll
^ It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia

Political offices
Preceded by Don Chipp	Minister for Repatriation 1975–76	Succeeded by Peter Durack
Preceded by Ivor Greenwood	Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development 1976–77	Succeeded by Ray Groom
Preceded by Doug Anthony	Minister for National Development 1977–80	Succeeded by John Carrick
Preceded by Ian Macphee	Minister for Productivity 1979–80	Position abolished
Preceded by John McLeay	Minister for Administrative Services 1980–83	Succeeded by John Brown
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Lance Barnard	Member for Bass 1975–84	Succeeded by Warwick Smith

[1] Vietnam War Nominal Roll

[2] It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia

[1]

[2]

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF
National	United States
People	Trove
Other	SNAC