Kevin Newman (politician)

The Honourable Kevin Newman AO
Minister for Administrative Services
In office 3 November 1980 – 11 March 1983
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	John McLeay
Succeeded by	John Brown
Minister for Productivity
In office 8 December 1979 – 3 November 1980
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Ian Macphee
Succeeded by	Abolished
Minister for National Development
In office 20 December 1977 – 8 December 1979
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Created
Succeeded by	John Carrick
Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development
In office 8 July 1976 – 20 December 1977
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Ivor Greenwood
Succeeded by	Ray Groom
Minister for Repatriation
In office 22 December 1975 – 8 July 1976
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Don Chipp
Succeeded by	Ray Groom
Member of the Australian Parliament for Bass
In office 28 June 1975 – 26 October 1984
Preceded by	Lance Barnard
Succeeded by	Warwick Smith
Personal details
Born	Kevin Eugene Newman (1933-10-10)10 October 1933 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	17 July 1999(1999-07-17) (aged 65) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse	Jocelyn Newman (married 1961-1999; his death)
Children	Campbell Newman
Occupation	Army Officer
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Australian Army
Years of service	1955–1975
Rank	Colonel
Unit	3 RAR 2 RAR
Commands	5 RAR 6th Military District

Kevin Eugene Newman AO (10 October 1933 – 17 July 1999) was an Australian soldier and politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and held ministerial office in the Fraser government, serving as Minister for Repatriation (1975–1976), Environment, Housing and Community Development (1976–1977), National Development (1977–1979), Productivity (1979–1980), and Administrative Services (1980–1983). He represented the Tasmanian seat of Bass in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1984. His wife Jocelyn also became a federal government minister, while his son Campbell became premier of Queensland.

Army career

Newman rose to the rank of colonel in the Australian Army, serving in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and the Vietnam War.

Political career

Newman entered political life through a 1975 by-election for the Division of Bass, Tasmania, in the House of Representatives, as the Liberal candidate. The previous member, former Labor Deputy Prime Minister Lance Barnard, had held it for 21 years, though he had been gradually losing support in recent years. Newman had already been preselected for the next election, and had been nursing the seat for some time.

Nonetheless, it came as a surprise when Newman took the seat off Labor with a massive 14-point swing, turning Bass into a safe Liberal seat at one stroke. He won 57.6 percent of the primary vote, enough to win without the need for preferences. This shock result is reckoned as the beginning of the end for Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, as Newman's victory emboldened the Coalition to push for new elections for a House of Representatives barely a year old—even to the point of blocking supply. The Whitlam government was dismissed six months later.

Newman easily retained his seat at the December 1975 general election. With the election of the Fraser government, he was appointed Minister for Repatriation in the second Fraser Ministry. In July 1976, he became Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development when Ivor Greenwood became ill. He was responsible for environment issues when the decision was taken to cease sand mining on world heritage listed Fraser Island.

In December 1978, Newman was appointed Minister for National Development in the third Fraser Ministry. In December 1979 he was appointed Minister for Productivity and in November 1980 he was appointed Minister for Administrative Services in the fourth Fraser Ministry, a position he retained until the defeat of the government in the 1983 election. He retired from the parliament prior to the 1984 election.

Post-political activities

In retirement, Newman was appointed President of the National Trust Tasmania, a member of the board of the Menzies Foundation and a director of the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland.

Newman was the Chairman of the Old Parliament House Governing Council from 1997 to 1999.

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1994.

Family

Newman was married to Jocelyn Newman, a Senator for Tasmania, and Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women in the Howard government. They had two children: Kate and Campbell. Campbell Newman was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane 2004–11, and was Premier of Queensland from March 2012 to February 2015.