Andrew Thomson (Australian politician)
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Andrew Peter Thomson (born 7 January 1961), Australian politician, is a former Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Wentworth in New South Wales.
Thomson worked as a solicitor, investment banker and golf course designer before entering politics.[1] He entered parliament in February 1994 in a by-election for Wentworth after Dr John Hewson vacated the seat when he retired from politics after being defeated in a leadership ballot by Alexander Downer.
When the Coalition took government at the 1996 election, Thomson was made Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. On 6 October 1997 he became Minister for Sport and Tourism, although he was replaced by Jackie Kelly a year later.
Thomson lost pre-selection for Wentworth in 2001, and caused a controversy when he embarked on a study tour in the United States several months before his parliamentary term ended, apparently enrolling in post-graduate law studies at Georgetown University. After considerable political fallout over the incident, Thomson declared that he would return to Australia to serve out his term until the election, and that that he would pay for the trip himself due to the controversy. He also stated that the trip was related to his work on the government's treaties committee, although the head of the committee, De-Anne Kelly, was unaware of Thomson's trip and its purpose.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Political fall out over Thomson absence, The World Today (ABC Local Radio), 12 July 2001
- ^ Andrew Thomson responds to criticism, The World Today (ABC Local Radio), 12 July 2001.
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Hewson |
Member for Wentworth 1995–2001 |
Succeeded by Peter King |
| Preceded by John Faulkner (Sport) Michael Lee (Tourism) |
Minister for Sport and Tourism 1997–1998 |
Succeeded by Jackie Kelly |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Thomson, Andrew Peter |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 7 January 1961 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
