John Anderson (Australian politician)
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John Duncan Anderson (born 14 November 1956) is an Australian politician. He currently serves as the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and has been the Leader of the rural-based National Party of Australia since July 1999. On 23 June 2005 he announced that he would resign as Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the Nationals and all other ministerial portfolios in mid-July citing a "debilitating but thankfully benign prostate condition" and other personal concerns [1] (http://smh.com.au/reports/Anderson%20resignation.pdf). It is expected that Mark Vaile, his current deputy, will succeed him as Nationals Leader, although possibly not in the same portfolios.
Anderson was born in Sydney, New South Wales, but his family have been graziers (sheep ranchers) and landowners in northern New South Wales since the 1840s. He was educated at private schools and has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Sydney. He was a farmer and grazier on family properties before entering politics.
In 1988 Anderson was elected to the House of Representatives as MP for the rural seat of Gwydir. Handsome, well-educated and well-spoken, he made an immediate impression in the National Party, and was appointed to the Opposition front bench in 1992. In March 1993 he was elected Deputy Leader of the National Party.
When the Liberal Party under John Howard won the March 1996 elections and formed a coalition government with the National Party, Anderson became Minister for Primary Industries and Energy. In 1998 he shifted to become Minister for Transport and Regional Development.
When Tim Fischer retired as National Party leader in July 1999, Anderson was elected party leader without opposition and thus became Deputy Prime Minister. He inherited a party with its electoral base in a long-term decline and facing a series of difficult policy challenges. There were some doubts that his urbane image was appropriate for a rural-based party.
Among the issues facing Anderson as National Party leader were the Liberal Party's desire to privatise the state telephone company, Telstra, which many rural Australians fear will lead to higher charges and reduced services. Anderson succeeded in delaying any action on this until an inquiry had been held, and until a guarantee would be given that there would be no reduction in services.
Nevertheless, at the 2001 federal elections, the National Party lost three seats, two of them to independent MPs, while the Liberals gained seats. As a result, the party had to give up a place in the coalition Cabinet formed after the elections. During 2003 there was speculation that Anderson would soon be quitting politics, but in September he announced that he would stay and fight the 2004 election. Despite a coalition victory, the party lost one seat in the House of Representitives. They did however pick up two seats in the Senate, one as part of the joint Coalition ticket in NSW, which saw Fiona Nash elected, and as part of a separate ticket in Queensland, which saw Barnaby Joyce elected.
In September 2004, independent federal MP Tony Windsor claimed that he had been approached by a figure associated with the National Party with the offer of a diplomatic position in exchange for retiring from his seat of New England, which he won from the National party in 2001, at the 2004 election. In November, speaking under parliamentary privilege, Windsor said that it was Anderson, and National Party Senator Sandy McDonald, who had made through the offer, through an intermediary, Tamworth businessman Greg McGuire. Anderson, McDonald and McGuire all denied the claims. In the end, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions found that there were no grounds to lay any charges, thus exonerating Anderson.
External links
- National Party of Australia website (http://www.npa.org.au/)
- Anderson quizzed over bribe claims (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1246566.htm)
- Kingmaker Windsor falls on his sword (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/21/1100972259749.html)