Garry West (politician)

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Garry West (b. 19 January 1949) was an Australian politician and the representative in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the seat of Orange from 1976 to 1995.

During this time he was a member of the Country Party, later to be renamed the National Party of Australia. He was Chief Secretary from 1988 to 1990, Minister for Tourism from 1988 to 1991, Minister for Lands and Forests from 1990 to 1991, Minister for Conservation and Land Management from 1991 to 1993, Minister for Energy from 1992 to 1994, Minister for Local Government and Cooperatives from 1993 to 1994 and Minister for Police and Minister for Emergency Services from 1994 to 1995. He rose in the final days of the Liberal Party Government of Nick Greiner and then John Fahey to become the Minister for Police. After the defeat of the Liberal/National coalition government in 1995, Garry West resigned causing a subsequent by-election. Despite a well defined and reasonable argument from the Australian Labor Party candidate Tim Sullivan, the former Mayor of Orange, that there was going to be a Labor Government regardless of the result of the by-election and that the constituents of Orange may as well have a voice in that government, Russell Turner of the National Party was subsequently elected and has been the member for Orange ever since. Prior to Garry West holding the seat of Orange it was held for many years by Sir Charles Cutler. Only these three men have represented the electorate in over sixty years. After the defeat of the Liberal/National coalition government in 1995, Garry West resigned causing a subsequent by-election.^[1]