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Richard Alston (politician)
Encyclopedia
Richard Kenneth Robert Alston (born 19 December 1941) was a Liberal
member of the Australian Senate
from 1986 to 2004, representing the state of Victoria
.
Born in Perth, Western Australia
, he was educated at Xavier College
(Kew
), the University of Melbourne
and Monash University
, graduating with Bachelor degrees in law, arts and commerce from Melbourne University and Masters degrees in Law and Business Administration from Monash University. He was a barrister before entering politics.
On 7 May 1986 Alston was appointed by the Parliament of Victoria
under section 15 of the Australian Constitution to fill the vacancy in the Australian Senate caused by the death of Senator Alan Missen
. He was re-elected in 1987, 1990, 1996 and 2001.
Alston was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from 1989 to 1996, and was Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate 1993–96. Shadow Minister for Social Security, Child Care and Superannuation,as well as Communications and the Arts, were among the positions he held in the shadow ministry. He was Minister for Communications and the Arts 1996–97, Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts 1997–98 and Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts 1998–2003. He was also Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate 1996–2003.
Alston resigned from the Senate on 10 February 2004. The Parliament of Victoria appointed Mitch Fifield
to replace him. From February 2005 to February 2008, Alston served as Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Since 2004 he has been an Adjunct Professor of Information Technology at Bond University
.
Since leaving Parliament, Alston has served as a non executive director of Australian public listed companies Hansen Technologies and Broadcasting Services Australia (Chairman). He is currently Deputy Chairman of TFS Ltd and a non executive director of Chime Communications plc
.He is also a member of the international advisory board of London based hedge fund CQS, as well as a director of CQS Australia Pty Ltd and Nanuk Asset Management Pty Ltd. His brother is noted academic Philip Alston
.
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...
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 1986 to 2004, representing the state of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
Born in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, he was educated at Xavier College
Xavier College
Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
(Kew
Kew, Victoria
Kew is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Kew had a population of 22,516....
), the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, graduating with Bachelor degrees in law, arts and commerce from Melbourne University and Masters degrees in Law and Business Administration from Monash University. He was a barrister before entering politics.
On 7 May 1986 Alston was appointed by the Parliament of Victoria
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of The Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria; the Legislative Council ; and the Legislative Assembly...
under section 15 of the Australian Constitution to fill the vacancy in the Australian Senate caused by the death of Senator Alan Missen
Alan Missen
- Early life :Missen's parents were Clifford Missen, labourer, and Violet . Clifford hailed from Lismore in western Victoria and Violet from Chiltern in northern Victoria. They met in Melbourne where they married in 1920 and settled in the inner eastern Melbourne suburb of Kew...
. He was re-elected in 1987, 1990, 1996 and 2001.
Alston was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from 1989 to 1996, and was Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate 1993–96. Shadow Minister for Social Security, Child Care and Superannuation,as well as Communications and the Arts, were among the positions he held in the shadow ministry. He was Minister for Communications and the Arts 1996–97, Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts 1997–98 and Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts 1998–2003. He was also Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate 1996–2003.
Alston resigned from the Senate on 10 February 2004. The Parliament of Victoria appointed Mitch Fifield
Mitch Fifield
Mitchell Peter "Mitch" Fifield , Australian politician, is member of the Australian Senate since March 2004, representing the state of Victoria for the Liberal Party.-Early years:...
to replace him. From February 2005 to February 2008, Alston served as Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Since 2004 he has been an Adjunct Professor of Information Technology at Bond University
Bond University
Bond University is a private university located in Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is also the first private university established in Australia...
.
Since leaving Parliament, Alston has served as a non executive director of Australian public listed companies Hansen Technologies and Broadcasting Services Australia (Chairman). He is currently Deputy Chairman of TFS Ltd and a non executive director of Chime Communications plc
Chime Communications (United Kingdom)
Chime Communications plc is a public limited company based in London, UK and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Chime is the holding company for a portfolio of 35 companies which include public relations, advertising, digital, marketing, deliberative research, corporate responsibility and...
.He is also a member of the international advisory board of London based hedge fund CQS, as well as a director of CQS Australia Pty Ltd and Nanuk Asset Management Pty Ltd. His brother is noted academic Philip Alston
Philip Alston
Philip G. Alston is an international law scholar and human rights practitioner. He is John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, and co-Chair of the law school's Center for Human Rights and Global Justice...
.
External links
- Biography of the High Commissioner, Australian High Commission to the United Kingdom
- Speeches and media releases by Richard Alston as a minister
- Sydney Morning Herald 9 Feb