As a government minister and later deputy prime minister,Anderson had cabinet responsibility for primary industry policy,including transport infrastructure and agricultural water rights.[1] He was a member of Australia's National Security Committee from 1999 to 2005 when it faced the War on terror,in particular the Bali bombings.
After politics,Anderson has been published for his views on civic freedoms,global food security,modern slavery and the economy. In 2017 he launched a web-based interview program,Conversations with John Anderson,featuring interviews with public intellectuals. In this role he has advocated for many socially conservative causes,such as the "no" case in the 2023 Australian referendum and the establishment of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.
Early life and education
Anderson was born in Sydney on 14 November 1956.[2] He is the son of Duncan Anderson and Beryl Mann.[3]:48 His family had been graziers and landowners of Mullaley in northern New South Wales since the 1840s.[4] Duncan Anderson served with the Australian Light Horse troops in North Africa during World War II.[5][6]
When he was three years old,John's mother died of cancer. In 1970,his sister Jane died after being struck on the neck by a cricket ball that had been hit by Anderson (then aged 13) while playing cricket at home with his father.[7]
Anderson has described his religious upbringing as "very,very nominal Presbyterian".[8]
Anderson was tutored at home by his aunt,Margaret,through Blackfriars Correspondence School.[8] He attended Gunnedah South Public School in Gunnedah and The King's School in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta,boarding at Waddy House.[9][10]
He began a degree in arts and laws at the University of Sydney,where he was a resident of St Paul's College,but dropped law shortly after commencing.[8] Anderson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history and returned to the family property where he was a farmer and grazier,and completed a Master of Arts during this time.[3]
Early parliamentary career
Anderson became chair of the National Party's Tambar Springs branch in 1984.[2] A few weeks later,MP Frank O'Keefe recommended Anderson run for the seat of Paterson,where he was current member,but the seat was abolished later that year.[3][11] In 1989,Ralph Hunt,the sitting MP in the neighbouring seat of Gwydir,retired and supported Anderson to replace him.[3] The ensuing pre-selection contest was close with Anderson defeating several contenders,including future independent MP Tony Windsor.[12][13] Anderson won the election with a two-party preferred result of 56%.[14] His first remarks to the House of Representatives were part of a condolence motion for his mentor,and former MP,Frank O'Keefe.[3] Anderson gave his maiden speech on 17 August 1989.[15]
After the 1990 election,Anderson became Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations,John Howard.[16][17] After the 1993 election,Anderson was elected deputy leader of the Nationals,defeating three other candidates;Peter McGauran,John Sharp and Bruce Scott;and was appointed Shadow Minister for Primary Industry.[18][19] In the shadow ministry,he criticised the minister Simon Crean on the government-set price floor for wool.[20]
Cabinet minister
In the 1996 Australian federal election,Anderson made an election promise with John Howard for the establishment of a $1 billion fund to restore the national estate,including programs to arrest soil degradation."[21][22][23] He was made the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy and joined the five-person "razor gang" led by Peter Costello with the task of cutting $6 to $8 billion from government expenditure.[24][25] Anderson advocated that diesel fuel rebates,the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and agricultural research and development should be protected from the spending cuts because they "create growth even if they are funded by debt."[26][27]
Minister for Primary Industries and Energy
Anderson's three years in the primary industries portfolio were marked by conflict as government protection of primary industries were removed. During this time,the government deregulated the wool,wheat and dairy sectors,and privatised much of the meat and livestock industry.[27] Anderson led a delegation of Australian business leaders to visit Taiwan in September 1996 in his role as primary industries minister,which the People's Republic of China said contravened the One China policy.[28]
In response to the government-owned Australian Wool Corporation (AWC) being left with a surplus of four million bales of unsold wool and a debt of around $2 billion,Anderson and the Coalition government gave wool producers a pay-out of $300 million,drawing down against their equity in the wool stockpile,despite objections from many National Party members who preferred a policy of freezing sales from the stockpile. The government wool-owning entity was entirely privatised,to become Woolstock Australia,by August 2001.[29]
Anderson announced significant restructures of the meat and livestock industry in 1997,which were supported with some reservations by farmers groups,such as NSW Farmers. In 1998,Meat &Livestock Australia was created from the two organisations,with the goal of becoming a less costly,producer-owned service delivery body.[30]
Minister for Transport and Regional Development
In September 1997,Anderson assumed the portfolio for Transport and Regional Development,giving him responsibility for developing national rail,road and water infrastructure. Anderson oversaw the creation of the Australian Rail Track Corporation,a Commonwealth body set up to own or hold long-term leases over much of the continental rail network.[31]
In response to criticism over industry deregulation,the privatisation of Telstra and gun control laws,Fischer and Anderson scheduled a party meeting on 5 August 1998 to declare their leadership positions vacant,inviting their party room critics,particularly Bob Katter and De-Anne Kelly,to replace them.[32] Anderson and Fischer then nominated for the positions they had vacated and were re-elected unopposed.[32]
During the 1998 federal election,private polling indicated that up to 49% of people in Anderson's seat of Gwydir intended to vote for the new Pauline Hanson's One Nation party.[33] Anderson suffered a 16.18% swing against him with a primary vote of just 46.14%,the only time his first-round votes were below 50%.[34][35] Anderson himself attributed the decline in his vote to his constant travel.[27]
Deputy prime minister
Following the resignation of deputy prime minister and Nationals leader Tim Fischer,Anderson was elected unopposed as the new leader and became deputy prime minister himself on 20 July 1999.[36][37] Anderson kept his ministerial responsibilities in Transport and Regional Development and were extended to the delivery of government services,such as health,to regional and remote centres,and a role in the National Security Committee.[38][39] Anderson also assumed the role of acting prime minister when John Howard was overseas,such as during the September 11 attacks and in the aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombings.[40][41]
Anderson's ministerial department was responsible for paying outstanding wages and entitlements for former employees of the insolvent airline Ansett Australia,though allowing it to collapse.[citation needed]
During Anderson's tenure as deputy prime minister,the Coalition government established the National Water Initiative in 2004,allowing producers to gain ongoing access entitlements for a share of water available for use,rather than fixed-term entitlements without guarantee of renewal.[46]
On 17 November 2004,the MP for New England,Tony Windsor,accused Anderson of offering him,via businessman Greg Maguire,a diplomatic or trade posting if Windsor would surrender his seat. As the statement was made under parliamentary privilege,it was protected from litigation for defamation. Anderson strongly repudiated the claims. The Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee,the Federal Police and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions found that there were no grounds to support Windsor's allegations.[47][48]
On the last sitting day of Parliament before the winter recess of 2005,Anderson announced his resignation from the leadership of the National Party,and as deputy prime minister,citing a "debilitating but thankfully benign prostate condition". He was succeeded in both positions by Mark Vaile,and retired from parliament at the 2007 federal election.[49]
Anderson served as chairman of Eastern Star Gas (ESG) from October 2007 until 2011 when the publicly listed company and its flagship Narrabri Gas Project was acquired by Santos in a $924 million deal.[50][51][52] He was appointed to the Review Panel for the Act of Recognition in 2013 to provide a report to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs,along with Tanya Hosch and Richard Eccles. The final report of the panel was published in September 2014.[53]
In a panel discussion with Ayaan Hirsi Ali,ARC Conference,London,2023
In March 2021,Anderson declared himself a candidate in the National Party's pre-selection for Senate candidacy at the 2022 federal election.[49][64][65] However,former party director Ross Cadell,won the top spot on the Nationals' Senate ticket.[66][67] Anderson then announced that the political run had come to an end.[68]
Anderson worked with Baroness Stroud,Paul Marshall and Jordan Peterson to found the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship,a socially conservative movement aiming to give Western society "new cohesion and purpose."[69][70] He spoke at its first global conference in London,in 2023,saying the group emerged as a response to a "civilisational" moment in which the Western world "is plagued by self-doubt and confusion" regarding its values and beliefs.[70][71]
Honours
Anderson in a field of sorghum on his property in Newstead,NSW
On 13 June 2011,Anderson was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours for "distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia,particularly for supporting rural and regional communities,transport development,and water management initiatives."[72]
In June 2022,Anderson was promoted to Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for "eminent service to rural and regional development,to leadership in international agricultural research and food security,to social commentary,and through contributions to not-for-profit organisations".[74]
Related Research Articles
The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia. It is one of the two major parties in Australian politics,the other being the Australian Labor Party. The Liberal Party was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Australia Party. Historically the most successful political party in Australia’s history,the Liberal Party is now in opposition at a federal level,although it presently holds government in Tasmania,Queensland and the Northern Territory at a sub-national level.
Paul John Keating is an Australian former politician who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996,holding office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP). He previously served as treasurer under Prime Minister Bob Hawke from 1983 to 1991 and as the seventh deputy prime minister from 1990 to 1991.
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the federal executive government. Under the principles of responsible government,the prime minister is both responsible to and a member of the Commonwealth Parliament. The current prime minister is Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party,who assumed the office on 23 May 2022.
Simon Findlay Crean was an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 2001 to 2003. He represented the seat of Hotham in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 2013 and was a cabinet minister in the Hawke,Keating,Rudd and Gillard governments.
Andrew Sharp Peacock was an Australian politician and diplomat. He served as a cabinet minister and went on to become leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions,leading the party to defeat at the 1984 and 1990 elections.
Kim Christian Beazley is an Australian former politician and diplomat. Since 2022 he has served as chairman of the Australian War Memorial. Previously,he was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006,having previously been a cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating governments. After leaving parliament,he served as ambassador to the United States from 2010 to 2016 and 33rd governor of Western Australia from 2018 to 2022.
Peter Howard Costello is an Australian businessman,lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia's history. Costello was a member of parliament (MP) of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009,representing the Division of Higgins. He also served as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 2007.
John Douglas Anthony was an Australian politician. He served as leader of the National Party of Australia from 1971 to 1984 and was the second and longest-serving deputy prime minister,holding the position under John Gorton (1971),William McMahon (1971–1972) and Malcolm Fraser (1975–1983).
Ian McCahon Sinclair is an Australian former politician who served as a Member of Parliament for 35 years,and was leader of the National Party from 1984 to 1989. He served as either a minister or opposition frontbencher for all but a few months from 1965 to 1989,and later Speaker of the House of Representatives from March to August 1998.
Anthony John Abbott is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Warringah from 1994 to 2019.
Anthony Norman Albanese is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the leader of the Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Grayndler since 1996. Albanese previously served as the 15th deputy prime minister under the second Rudd government in 2013. He held various ministerial positions from 2007 to 2013 in the governments of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
In Australian federal politics,the Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition,more commonly referred to as the Leader of the Opposition is an elected member of parliament (MP) in the Australian House of Representatives who leads the opposition. The Leader of the Opposition,by convention,is the leader of the largest political party in the House of Representatives that is not in government.
Warren Errol Truss is a former Australian politician who served as the 16th deputy prime minister of Australia and the minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development in the Abbott government and the Turnbull government. Truss served as the federal leader of the National Party of Australia between 2007 and 11 February 2016 when he announced his decision to retire and not contest the 2016 federal election. He was the member of the House of Representatives for Wide Bay from the 1990 election until his retirement in May 2016. Following the merger of the Queensland branches of the Nationals and Liberals,Truss was re-elected in 2010 for the Liberal National Party.
The following lists events that happened during 2004 in Australia.
Sir Eric Archibald Willis was an Australian politician,Cabinet Minister and the 34th Premier of New South Wales,serving from 23 January 1976 to 14 May 1976. Born in Murwillumbah in 1922,Willis was educated at Murwillumbah High School and the University of Sydney,where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts with double honours. Enlisting during World War II,Willis served on the homefront and later served in New Guinea and the Philippines. He continued to serve the Citizen Military Forces until 1958.
Sir Phillip Reginald Lynch KCMG was an Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1966 to 1982. He was deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 1972 to 1982,and served as a government minister under three prime ministers.
Joshua Anthony Frydenberg is an Australian former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2018 to 2022. He also served as a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Kooyong from 2010 to 2022.
John Winston Howard is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Bennelong from 1974 to 2007. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the second-longest in Australian history,behind only Sir Robert Menzies. Howard has also been the oldest living Australian former prime minister since the death of Bob Hawke in May 2019.
Anthony John Roberts is an Australian politician. Roberts is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Lane Cove for the Liberal Party since 2003. He is the longest-serving Member of the Legislative Assembly and so holds the honorary title of "Father of the House."
Christopher Maurice Pyne is a retired Australian politician. As a member of the Liberal Party,he held several ministerial positions in the Howard,Abbott,Turnbull and Morrison governments,and served as a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Sturt from 1993 until his retirement in 2019.
↑ Newman, Gerard; Kopras, Andrew (8 October 1993). "Federal Elections 1993"(PDF). Background Paper (22). Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia: 31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
