Andrew Brideson
Encyclopedia
Andrew Ronald Brideson is an Australia
n politician. He was a Liberal
member of the Victorian Legislative Council
from 1992 until 2006, representing Waverley Province
. A former teacher and trade unionist, he has been a relatively low-level backbencher for most of his career, spending only two years in an understaffed shadow ministry from 2002 until his demotion in 2004. He did not contest the 2006 state election
.
Brideson was born in the Melbourne
suburb of Brighton
, and studied at Bentleigh and McKinnon High Schools. He studied teaching at Frankston Teachers College and the Hawthorn Institute of Education, and occupied teaching positions at various rural schools in the West Gippsland
and Wimmera
regions between 1964 and 1975. In 1976, he was promoted to the position of deputy principal, and worked in this position in a number of schools.
During his teaching career, Brideson had been an active trade unionist in both the Teachers Association of Australia and Victorian Affiliated Teachers Federation, and at the end of the 1983 school year, took up positions heading both organisations. In a rare move for a unionist, Brideson acted as an advisor to several shadow ministers in the conservative Liberal Party state opposition of the time. It was also during this time he became possibly the only union leader in history to lose a wrongful dismissal claim as an employer after he sacked most of his staff without just cause. He left his position with the national body in 1990 after seven years at the helm, but continued on with the Victorian organisation until his move into politics in 1992.
In the leadup to the 1992 state election, Brideson succeeded in obtaining Liberal preselection for the then safe Liberal seat of Waverley Province, which effectively ensured that he would be elected. In his first six-year term, he served on the Public Bodies Review Committee (1992–1996) and then as the Chairman of the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee (1996–1999). He also served as the parliamentary representative on the Monash University
Council from 1997. However, he was overlooked for a ministerial position in Jeff Kennett
's Liberal government.
He was re-elected at the 1999 election, which saw the Liberal Party lose power to the Australian Labor Party
under Steve Bracks
, but was subsequently appointed Chairman of the Road Safety Committee regardless. In this way, he headed an inquiry that aimed to bring down the amount of road deaths, after it had reached its highest number for several years. Though his term was for the most part relatively uneventful, Brideson was involved in a minor scandal in 2001 when he was accused of plagiarising parts of a parliamentary report by taking slabs of material directly from the internet.
Brideson did not face election in 2002, which saw the Liberal opposition defeated in a landslide, with saw the other Liberal member for Waverley Province lose their seat, as well as several shadow members. The devastating loss opened up numerous shadow ministerial positions, and Brideson was given the portfolios of scrutiny of government and waste watch and appointed as the Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet. He was a relatively low-profile figure in these roles, however, and received far less attention than his predecessor, David Davis
. He subsequently lost the first two positions to younger MLC Richard Dalla-Riva
in January 2004, though he remained Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet without portfolio for the remainder of his career.
Brideson kept a particularly low profile after his demotion, and rumors of his impending retirement began circulating in late 2004. On 11 March 2005, Brideson became the second Liberal frontbencher to announce publicly that he would not be contesting his seat at the 2006 state election. He also suggested that other older Liberal MPs should consider stepping down at the election. As one of ten members of the parliamentary party aged sixty or over, Brideson had come under pressure to make way for a younger replacement, though he denied that this resulted in his decision to retire.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was a Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
member of the Victorian Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
from 1992 until 2006, representing Waverley Province
Waverley Province
Waverley Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It existed as a two-member electorate from 1976 to 2006, with members holding alternating eight-year terms. It was a marginal seat for its entire existence, often changing parties according to who held government at the time...
. A former teacher and trade unionist, he has been a relatively low-level backbencher for most of his career, spending only two years in an understaffed shadow ministry from 2002 until his demotion in 2004. He did not contest the 2006 state election
Victorian state election, 2006
An election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. Just over 3 million Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly and, for the first time, 40 members to the Legislative Council under a proportional representation system...
.
Brideson was born in the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Brighton
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...
, and studied at Bentleigh and McKinnon High Schools. He studied teaching at Frankston Teachers College and the Hawthorn Institute of Education, and occupied teaching positions at various rural schools in the West Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
and Wimmera
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
regions between 1964 and 1975. In 1976, he was promoted to the position of deputy principal, and worked in this position in a number of schools.
During his teaching career, Brideson had been an active trade unionist in both the Teachers Association of Australia and Victorian Affiliated Teachers Federation, and at the end of the 1983 school year, took up positions heading both organisations. In a rare move for a unionist, Brideson acted as an advisor to several shadow ministers in the conservative Liberal Party state opposition of the time. It was also during this time he became possibly the only union leader in history to lose a wrongful dismissal claim as an employer after he sacked most of his staff without just cause. He left his position with the national body in 1990 after seven years at the helm, but continued on with the Victorian organisation until his move into politics in 1992.
In the leadup to the 1992 state election, Brideson succeeded in obtaining Liberal preselection for the then safe Liberal seat of Waverley Province, which effectively ensured that he would be elected. In his first six-year term, he served on the Public Bodies Review Committee (1992–1996) and then as the Chairman of the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee (1996–1999). He also served as the parliamentary representative on the Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
Council from 1997. However, he was overlooked for a ministerial position in Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
's Liberal government.
He was re-elected at the 1999 election, which saw the Liberal Party lose power to the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
under Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
, but was subsequently appointed Chairman of the Road Safety Committee regardless. In this way, he headed an inquiry that aimed to bring down the amount of road deaths, after it had reached its highest number for several years. Though his term was for the most part relatively uneventful, Brideson was involved in a minor scandal in 2001 when he was accused of plagiarising parts of a parliamentary report by taking slabs of material directly from the internet.
Brideson did not face election in 2002, which saw the Liberal opposition defeated in a landslide, with saw the other Liberal member for Waverley Province lose their seat, as well as several shadow members. The devastating loss opened up numerous shadow ministerial positions, and Brideson was given the portfolios of scrutiny of government and waste watch and appointed as the Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet. He was a relatively low-profile figure in these roles, however, and received far less attention than his predecessor, David Davis
David Davis (Australian politician)
David McLean Davis is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council since March 1996, representing East Yarra Province 1996-2006 and the Southern Metropolitan Region from 2006 onwards...
. He subsequently lost the first two positions to younger MLC Richard Dalla-Riva
Richard Dalla-Riva
Richard Alex Gordon Dalla-Riva is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council since November 2002 when he won a by-election to represent East Yarra Province. In 2006, he was elected to represent Eastern Metropolitan Region where he was re-elected in...
in January 2004, though he remained Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet without portfolio for the remainder of his career.
Brideson kept a particularly low profile after his demotion, and rumors of his impending retirement began circulating in late 2004. On 11 March 2005, Brideson became the second Liberal frontbencher to announce publicly that he would not be contesting his seat at the 2006 state election. He also suggested that other older Liberal MPs should consider stepping down at the election. As one of ten members of the parliamentary party aged sixty or over, Brideson had come under pressure to make way for a younger replacement, though he denied that this resulted in his decision to retire.