Tony Windsor
Tony Windsor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for New England | |
| Assumed office 10 November 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Stuart St. Clair |
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly | |
| In office May 1991 – September 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Noel Park |
| Succeeded by | John Cull |
| Constituency | Tamworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 September 1950 Quirindi, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | Independent |
| Residence | Tamworth, New South Wales |
| Alma mater | University of New England |
| Occupation | Politician |
Antony Harold Curties "Tony" Windsor (born 2 September 1950), Australian politician, has been an independent member of the House of Representatives since 2001, representing the Division of New England, New South Wales.
Early life
Windsor was born in Quirindi, New South Wales, and was educated at Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School, Tamworth and the University of New England. He was a farmer before entering politics.[1][2]
New South Wales political career
In May 1991, Windsor was first elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the independent Member for Tamworth. Windsor was originally the preferred candidate of the National Party for this seat, but was replaced at the last moment due to allegations in regards to a drink-driving incident on the day of his pre-selection. He held this seat for ten years before resigning in September 2001, to contest the federal seat of New England.[1]
Federal political career
He won the seat, and in doing so, defeated the incumbent National Party MP Stuart St. Clair.[3] The National Party and its predecessor, the Country Party, had held New England continuously since 1922.
In September 2004, in an interview with Tony Vermeer from The Sunday Telegraph[4], Windsor was the centre of controversy over an alledged breach of the Commonwealth Electoral Act. Winsor claimed that he had been approached, in May 2004, by a figure associated with the National Party with the offer of a diplomatic position in exchange for retiring from politics. Windsor made the allegations during the course of the 2004 Federal election campaign[5], some five months after the alledged incident occured.[6] The Australian Electoral Commission referred the matter to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).[5] Windsor was re-elected and, in November 2004, speaking under parliamentary privilege, said that National Party leader John Anderson and Senator Sandy Macdonald had made the offer through an intermediary, Tamworth businessman Greg McGuire. Windsor also claimed that the AFP had referred the matter to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions for determination.[4] Anderson, Macdonald, and McGuire denied the claims.[7][6][8] The AFP invistaged Windsor's claims and advised that the matter would not be prosecuted.[5][9]
References
- ^ a b "Mr Antony Harold Curties Windsor (1950 - )". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ "About Tony Windsor". Tony Windsor. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ "Mr Tony Windsor MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ a b "[[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]" (PDF). Hansard. Commonwealth of Australia. 2004-11-17. pp. 151–2, 158. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ a b c "Election Complaint - Allegation of Bribery". Media release. Australian Electoral Commission. 2004-11-22. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
- ^ a b Sheehan, Paul (2004-11-22). "Kingmaker Windsor falls on his sword". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ "Anderson quizzed over bribe claims". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2004-11-18. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ Brissenden, Michael (2004-11-17). "Windsor names alleged plotters bent on ousting him". 7:30 Report. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
- ^ Brissenden, Michael (2004-11-22). "Key regional seats promised millions during election". 7:30 Report. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2010-08-13.