Bill D'Arcy
Encyclopedia
William Theodore "Bill" D'Arcy (born 31 July 1939) is a former Australian politician. He was the Labor
member for Albert
(1972–74) and Woodridge
(1977–2000) in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
.
D'Arcy was born in Brisbane
. He worked as a teacher and business consultant before his entry into politics. He was first elected to parliament at the 1972 by-election for the seat of Albert
following Liberal
MLA Bill Heatley's death, but he was defeated at the 1974 election. He returned to the Assembly in 1977 as the member for the new seat of Woodridge
. In 1987 he was appointed Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Sport and Racing, and in February 1980 became Deputy Leader of the Opposition, serving until 1982. He held his seat until his resignation in January 2000. Later in 2000 he was convicted of a number of sexual offences against children from his days as a sole teacher at country primary schools in the 1960s and 1970s. D'Arcy was released in 2007.
In November 2011 D'Arcy announced he would soon be launching legal action to overturn his convictions on more than 20 charges.
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...
member for Albert
Electoral district of Albert
The electoral district of Albert is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Queensland. Albert is named for the Albert River, which runs through the electorate and separates Logan City from Gold Coast City...
(1972–74) and Woodridge
Electoral district of Woodridge
The district of Woodridge is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The district is based in the southern suburbs of Brisbane. It is named for the suburb of Woodridge and also takes in the suburbs of Crestmead, Kingston, Logan Central, Marsden and...
(1977–2000) in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
.
D'Arcy was born in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. He worked as a teacher and business consultant before his entry into politics. He was first elected to parliament at the 1972 by-election for the seat of Albert
Electoral district of Albert
The electoral district of Albert is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Queensland. Albert is named for the Albert River, which runs through the electorate and separates Logan City from Gold Coast City...
following 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...
MLA Bill Heatley's death, but he was defeated at the 1974 election. He returned to the Assembly in 1977 as the member for the new seat of Woodridge
Electoral district of Woodridge
The district of Woodridge is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The district is based in the southern suburbs of Brisbane. It is named for the suburb of Woodridge and also takes in the suburbs of Crestmead, Kingston, Logan Central, Marsden and...
. In 1987 he was appointed Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Sport and Racing, and in February 1980 became Deputy Leader of the Opposition, serving until 1982. He held his seat until his resignation in January 2000. Later in 2000 he was convicted of a number of sexual offences against children from his days as a sole teacher at country primary schools in the 1960s and 1970s. D'Arcy was released in 2007.
In November 2011 D'Arcy announced he would soon be launching legal action to overturn his convictions on more than 20 charges.