Neil Andrew
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John Neil Andrew (born 7 June 1944), Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1983 to October 2004, representing the Division of Wakefield, South Australia. He was born in Waikerie, South Australia, and was a horticulturalist before entering politics.
Having been for 15 years a little-known Liberal backbencher, Andrew became Speaker of the House after the October 1998 elections. He was generally well respected in this role, although some parliamentarians regarded his interventions during debates as heavy- handed and his remarks from the chair as sometimes pompous. Along with Leo McLeay, Andrew was one of only two Speakers (as of 2005) to be subject to a motion of no confidence. In neither case was the motion successful.
Andrew presided over the House during the special sitting in May 2001 to mark the centenary of the Parliament of Australia, which met in the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, as did the first Parliament in 1901. Following a redistribution which in most commentators' opinions made his electorate unwinnable (although in fact the Liberal Party retained it), Andrew announced his retirement from politics at the 2004 elections. He remained Speaker until David Hawker was elected to succeed him on 16 November.
| Preceded by: Ian Sinclair |
Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives | Followed by: David Hawker |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Andrew, Neil |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Andrew, John Neil (full name) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 7 June 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Waikerie, South Australia, Australia |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
