Gordon Bilney
Encyclopedia
Gordon Neil Bilney is an Australia
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
member of the Australian House of Representatives
for the seat of Kingston
from 1983 to 1996.
Bilney was born in Renmark
, South Australia
.
Bilney was first elected to federal parliament at the 1983 federal election
. He won the seat of Kingston
, based in the southern suburbs of Adelaide
, South Australia
, defeating incumbent Liberal
MP Grant Chapman
. Bilney was subsequently re-elected to the same seat at the 1984, 1987, 1990 and 1993 elections. He was defeated by Liberal
candidate Susan Jeanes
at the 1996 federal election.
Between 1990 and 1996, Bilney was a minister
in the Labor governments of Bob Hawke
and Paul Keating
. He was the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel from 1990 to 1993 and the Minister for Development Cooperation and Pacific Island Affairs from 1993 to 1996.
Prior to entering politics, Bilney was a foreign diplomat
, and his first chosen occupation, prior to being a diplomat, was a dentist. He served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the OECD from 1975 to 1978 and as the Australia
n High Commissioner
to the West Indies from 1980 to 1982.
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 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...
member of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
for the seat of Kingston
Division of Kingston
The Division of Kingston is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the far-south metropolitan area of Adelaide. The division was first proclaimed in 1949....
from 1983 to 1996.
Bilney was born in Renmark
Renmark, South Australia
Renmark is a town in South Australia's rural Riverland area, and is located 254 km northeast of Adelaide, on the banks of the River Murray. The Sturt Highway between Adelaide and Sydney runs through the town; Renmark is the last major town encountered in South Australia when driving this route. It...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
Bilney was first elected to federal parliament at the 1983 federal election
Australian federal election, 1983
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...
. He won the seat of Kingston
Division of Kingston
The Division of Kingston is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the far-south metropolitan area of Adelaide. The division was first proclaimed in 1949....
, based in the southern suburbs of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, defeating incumbent 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...
MP Grant Chapman
Grant Chapman
Hedley Grant Pearson Chapman is an Australian politician.Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Chapman was educated at the University of Adelaide and worked as a marketing executive in the oil industry and a self-employed management consultant prior to gaining Liberal Party pre-selection for the...
. Bilney was subsequently re-elected to the same seat at the 1984, 1987, 1990 and 1993 elections. He was defeated by 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...
candidate Susan Jeanes
Susan Jeanes
Susan Barbara Jeanes was an Australian Liberal Party Member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Kingston from 1996 to 1998. She won the seat from Gordon Bilney in the 1996 general election where the Liberal party took power from the Labor party...
at the 1996 federal election.
Between 1990 and 1996, Bilney was a minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
in the Labor governments of Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
and Paul Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
. He was the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel from 1990 to 1993 and the Minister for Development Cooperation and Pacific Island Affairs from 1993 to 1996.
Prior to entering politics, Bilney was a foreign diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, and his first chosen occupation, prior to being a diplomat, was a dentist. He served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the OECD from 1975 to 1978 and as the Australia
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 High Commissioner
High Commissioner (Commonwealth)
In the Commonwealth of Nations, a High Commissioner is the senior diplomat in charge of the diplomatic mission of one Commonwealth government to another.-History:...
to the West Indies from 1980 to 1982.