Kevin Newman (politician)

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.

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 Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
Died	17 July 1999(1999-07-17) (aged 65) Canberra, Australia
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Jocelyn Mullett ​ (m. 1961)​
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

Early life

Newman was born on 10 October 1933 in Kensington, New South Wales. He was the son of Veronica (née Somes) and Eugene Henry Newman; his father worked as a tiler. He was educated at the Scots College in Sydney, attending from 1943 to 1951.^[1]

Military service

Newman attended the Royal Military College, Duntroon, from 1952 to 1955. He joined the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, as an infantry platoon commander in 1956 and served overseas during the Malayan Emergency. He later transferred to the School of Infantry in Seymour, Victoria, as an instructor, before moving to Canberra where he taught at the Royal Military College.^[1]

In 1964, Newman transferred to Army Headquarters in Canberra as a staff officer. He was promoted major the following year and graduated from the Army Command and Staff College in 1966. During the Vietnam War he served as operations officer of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, from 1967 to 1968. After a period on exchange with the British Army, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and served as commanding officer of 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, from 1972 to 1973. His final military appointment saw him move to Tasmania where he was commander of the 6th Military District from 1973 to 1975.^[1]

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 jumped into the by-election race soon after the writs were issued.

At the 28 June by-election, 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 proved to be the beginning of the end for Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, whose government was dismissed six months later after the Opposition blocked supply to force new elections for a House barely a year old.

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.^[2]

Personal life

In 1961, Newman married Jocelyn Mullett, with whom he had two children. His wife was also a Liberal Party politician, serving as a senator for Tasmania and as a minister in the Howard government. Their son Campbell Newman served as lord mayor of Brisbane (2004–2011) and premier of Queensland (2012–2015).^[1]

Newman was diagnosed with lupus in the early 1980s.^[1] He died at a hospital in Canberra on 17 July 1999, aged 65, due to a chronic lung disease associated with lupus.^[3]

See also

• Political families of Australia