Phil Gray (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Philip Roy Gray (born 20 April 1947) is an Australia
n politician. He was a Labor
member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
from 2006 to 2009.
Born in Brisbane
, Gray attended state schools before becoming a teacher, studying at the University of Queensland
and the University of New England
. A member of the Australian Labor Party, he was elected as the member for Gaven
in the 2006 state election, defeating National Party
member Alex Douglas
, who had won the seat against Gray in a by-election
earlier that year.
In late 2008, Gray earned himself some bad publicity when he was accused of two separate instances of "bullying", both of them against elderly women. In the first instance he threaten to sue an outspoken constituent who, at a public meeting in November 2008, said she would not be voting for Gray. This was followed in December by a legal threat against a Labor member, from whom he demanded $10,000 and an apology, for criticising him in an internal party report. His behaviour was denounced by Premier Anna Bligh
and Gray was forced to publicly apologise for his actions.
The 2009 state election
pitted Gray against Alex Douglas for the third consecutive time. On this occasion, Douglas, running under the banner of the newly formed Liberal National Party, narrowly emerged as the victor. Following his defeat, Gray angrily slammed what he perceived as negative and "biased" coverage of him by the Gold Coast Bulletin.
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 Labor
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 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...
from 2006 to 2009.
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...
, Gray attended state schools before becoming a teacher, studying at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
and the University of New England
University of New England (Australia)
The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....
. A member of the Australian Labor Party, he was elected as the member for Gaven
Electoral district of Gaven
The district of Gaven is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. It was created out of the former district of Nerang and the southern segment of Albert in the 2001 redistribution, and is based around the northern growth corridor of the Gold Coast...
in the 2006 state election, defeating National Party
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 Alex Douglas
Alex Douglas (politician)
Dr Alexander Rodney Douglas is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal National Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2009, representing the district of Gaven...
, who had won the seat against Gray in a by-election
Gaven state by-election, 2006
A by-election was held for the Queensland Legislative Assembly district of Gaven on 1 April 2006. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor member Robert Poole....
earlier that year.
In late 2008, Gray earned himself some bad publicity when he was accused of two separate instances of "bullying", both of them against elderly women. In the first instance he threaten to sue an outspoken constituent who, at a public meeting in November 2008, said she would not be voting for Gray. This was followed in December by a legal threat against a Labor member, from whom he demanded $10,000 and an apology, for criticising him in an internal party report. His behaviour was denounced by Premier Anna Bligh
Anna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
and Gray was forced to publicly apologise for his actions.
The 2009 state election
Queensland state election, 2009
The Queensland state election was held to elect members to the unicameral Parliament of Queensland on 21 March 2009. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National Party of Queensland led by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg, and gain a...
pitted Gray against Alex Douglas for the third consecutive time. On this occasion, Douglas, running under the banner of the newly formed Liberal National Party, narrowly emerged as the victor. Following his defeat, Gray angrily slammed what he perceived as negative and "biased" coverage of him by the Gold Coast Bulletin.