Andrew Murray (politician)
Encyclopedia
Andrew James Marshall Murray (born 29 January 1947) is an Australia
n politician. He was an Australian Democrats
member of the Australian Senate
from 1996 to 2008, representing Western Australia
.
Murray was born in Hove
, in the United Kingdom
. In 1951 he was sent as a child migrant to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe
), where he was educated before going to university in South Africa
. He continued his education at Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar 1971), where he gained a Master of Arts degree.
Returning to Africa, Murray worked as an executive in large corporations, then ran his own businesses. He also worked as a consultant, lecturer and industry journalist and served in the Rhodesian Air Force. He was deported from South Africa in 1968 for opposing the apartheid policies of the white minority régime in his role as Deputy Vice President of the National Union of South African Students
. The deportation order was withdrawn in 1977. Murray migrated to Australia in 1989.
Murray was applauded by some as an intelligent and thoughtful debater in the Senate. Others believe that he acted against the wishes of his party's members in voting for the Goods and Services Tax
bills in 1999, a stance which caused an irreparable party-room rift, leading to terminal loss of electoral support.
Murray pushed for greater transparency in government contracting activities by obtaining Senate support for a motion that required federal government ministers to indicate what clauses in contracts are confidential and to then justify the need for confidentiality. The impact of the Senate order resulted in a complex process to identify confidential information in the procurement process. The government issued guidance, updated in 2007, to provide further clarity, whereby tenderers must identify any information they consider is confidential and government procurement officers must assess such claims against four criteria. The legalistic and subjective nature of the criteria and the intrinsic complexity of the process sets the scene for inaccurate application of the test and inconsistent reporting by government agencies. The government's auditor does not report on the number of contracts requested by parliament that contain confidentiality provisions. The parliament has, and always has had, a legal right of access to government contracts.
Murray did not seek re-election at the 2007 federal election and retired at the expiration of his term on 30 June 2008.
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 an Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
member of the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
from 1996 to 2008, representing Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Murray was born in Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In 1951 he was sent as a child migrant to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
(now Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
), where he was educated before going to university in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He continued his education at Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar 1971), where he gained a Master of Arts degree.
Returning to Africa, Murray worked as an executive in large corporations, then ran his own businesses. He also worked as a consultant, lecturer and industry journalist and served in the Rhodesian Air Force. He was deported from South Africa in 1968 for opposing the apartheid policies of the white minority régime in his role as Deputy Vice President of the National Union of South African Students
National Union of South African Students
The National Union of South African Students was an important force for Liberalism in South Africa in the latter part of the last century...
. The deportation order was withdrawn in 1977. Murray migrated to Australia in 1989.
Murray was applauded by some as an intelligent and thoughtful debater in the Senate. Others believe that he acted against the wishes of his party's members in voting for the Goods and Services Tax
Goods and Services Tax (Australia)
The GST is a broad sales tax of 10% on most goods and services transactions in Australia. It is a value added tax, not a sales tax, in that it is refunded to all parties in the chain of production other than the final consumer....
bills in 1999, a stance which caused an irreparable party-room rift, leading to terminal loss of electoral support.
Murray pushed for greater transparency in government contracting activities by obtaining Senate support for a motion that required federal government ministers to indicate what clauses in contracts are confidential and to then justify the need for confidentiality. The impact of the Senate order resulted in a complex process to identify confidential information in the procurement process. The government issued guidance, updated in 2007, to provide further clarity, whereby tenderers must identify any information they consider is confidential and government procurement officers must assess such claims against four criteria. The legalistic and subjective nature of the criteria and the intrinsic complexity of the process sets the scene for inaccurate application of the test and inconsistent reporting by government agencies. The government's auditor does not report on the number of contracts requested by parliament that contain confidentiality provisions. The parliament has, and always has had, a legal right of access to government contracts.
Murray did not seek re-election at the 2007 federal election and retired at the expiration of his term on 30 June 2008.