Garry West (politician)
Encyclopedia
Garry West is an Australian politician. He was a National Party of Australia
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1976 to 1995, representing the electorate of Orange
. He held several Ministerial positions in the Nick Greiner
and then John Fahey
Liberal
-National coalition Government.
in Orange, New South Wales
.
-NSW, elected as State Chairman (1972–1973) and Federal Chairman (1973–1976)
, West, aged 27 years, sought and gained endorsement as the Country Party candidate for the seat of Orange and was elected at a by-election held on 14 February 1976 in a three-corned contest between the Country, Liberal and Labor parties after being forced to preferences. Less than three months later, West was reelected at the 1976 State elections
, despite the Liberal
-National coalition losing to Neville Wran's
Australian Labor Party
. West was re-elected at the 1978
, 1981
, 1984
, 1988
, 1991
and 1995
State elections.
West served as Shadow Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism (1984) and Shadow Minister for Housing (1981–1984). In the Greiner
-Murray Liberal-National Government, West was appointed to the following:
After the defeat of the Liberal-National coalition government in 1995, Garry West resigned causing a subsequent by-election
. Despite a well defined and reasonable argument from the Australian Labor Party
candidate Tim Sullivan, the former Mayor of Orange, that there was going to be a Labor Government regardless of the result of the by-election and that the constituents of Orange may as well have a voice in that government, Russell Turner
of the National Party was subsequently elected.
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1976 to 1995, representing the electorate of Orange
Electoral district of Orange
Orange is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Andrew Gee of the National Party of Australia....
. He held several Ministerial positions in the Nick Greiner
Nick Greiner
Nicholas "Nick" Frank Hugo Greiner AC, is an Australian businessman and former politician. He was the 37th Premier New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. He was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1988. He is married...
and then John Fahey
John Fahey (politician)
John Joseph Fahey, AC is a former Premier of New South Wales and Federal Minister for Finance in Australia. John Fahey is currently the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1984 to 1996 and the federal House of Representatives...
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...
-National coalition Government.
Private life
West was educated at Canobolas Public School and Orange High SchoolOrange High School (New South Wales)
Orange High School is a co-educational, secondary, public, day school located in Orange, a provincial city of New South Wales, Australia, 260 kilometres west of Sydney....
in Orange, New South Wales
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....
.
Early years
West was one of the early members of the NSW Branch of the Young Australian Country Party, later to become the Young Nationals (Australia)Young Nationals (Australia)
The Young Nationals, is the youth division of the National Party of Australia, and membership is open to those between 18 and 35 years of age. Young Nationals also have full party membership, and partake in state and federal conferences with equal rights to members of the senior party...
-NSW, elected as State Chairman (1972–1973) and Federal Chairman (1973–1976)
State politics
Folling the retirement of Sir Charles CutlerCharles Cutler
Sir Charles Benjamin Cutler KBE, ED was an Australian politician, holding office for 28 years as an elected member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Orange...
, West, aged 27 years, sought and gained endorsement as the Country Party candidate for the seat of Orange and was elected at a by-election held on 14 February 1976 in a three-corned contest between the Country, Liberal and Labor parties after being forced to preferences. Less than three months later, West was reelected at the 1976 State elections
New South Wales state election, 1976
A general election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 1 May 1976. The result was a narrow win for the Australian Labor Party under Neville Wran—the party's first in the state in more than a decade.- Issues :The incumbent...
, despite the 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...
-National coalition losing to Neville Wran's
Neville Wran
Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
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...
. West was re-elected at the 1978
New South Wales state election, 1978
A general election was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 7 October 1978. The result was the "Wranslide": a landslide victory for the Australian Labor Party under Neville Wran....
, 1981
New South Wales state election, 1981
Elections were held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 19 September 1981. The result was a second "Wranslide": a landslide victory for the Australian Labor Party under Neville Wran, in which the government increased its already sizeable majority.The Liberals suffered the double...
, 1984
New South Wales state election, 1984
Elections were held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 24 March 1984. The Labor government led by Neville Wran won a fourth term in office, although with a reduced margin and a 7% swing against it....
, 1988
New South Wales state election, 1988
Elections to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 19 March 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
, 1991
New South Wales state election, 1991
Elections to the 50th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 25 May 1991. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
and 1995
New South Wales state election, 1995
Elections to the 51st Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 25 March 1995. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election. The minority Liberal Party of Australia-led Coalition government of Premier John Fahey was defeated by...
State elections.
West served as Shadow Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism (1984) and Shadow Minister for Housing (1981–1984). In the Greiner
Nick Greiner
Nicholas "Nick" Frank Hugo Greiner AC, is an Australian businessman and former politician. He was the 37th Premier New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. He was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1988. He is married...
-Murray Liberal-National Government, West was appointed to the following:
- Chief Secretary (1988 to 1990)
- Minister for Tourism (1988 to 1991)
- Minister for Lands and Forests (1990 to 1991)
- Minister for Conservation and Land Management (1991 to 1993)
- Minister for Energy (1992 to 1994)
- Minister for Local Government and Cooperatives (1993 to 1994)
- Minister for Police and Minister for Emergency Services (1994 to 1995)
After the defeat of the Liberal-National coalition government in 1995, Garry West resigned causing a subsequent by-election
Orange state by-election, 1996
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Orange on May 25, 1996 following the retirement of sitting member, Garry West....
. Despite a well defined and reasonable argument from 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...
candidate Tim Sullivan, the former Mayor of Orange, that there was going to be a Labor Government regardless of the result of the by-election and that the constituents of Orange may as well have a voice in that government, Russell Turner
Russell Turner
Russell William Turner , a former Australian politician, was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Orange between 1996 and 2011 for the National Party of Australia....
of the National Party was subsequently elected.