| Campbell Newman | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Liberal National Party | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office April 2011 |
|
| Deputy | Tim Nicholls |
| Preceded by | John-Paul Langbroek |
| 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane | |
| In office 27 March 2004 – 3 April 2011 |
|
| Deputy | David Hinchliffe (2004–2008) Graham Quirk (2008–2011) |
| Preceded by | Tim Quinn |
| Succeeded by | Graham Quirk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman 12 August 1963 Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia Liberal National Party of Queensland |
| Spouse(s) | Lisa Newman (née Monsour) |
| Relations | Kevin Newman (father) Jocelyn Newman (mother) |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College, Duntroon University of New South Wales University of Queensland Launceston Church Grammar School |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Noddy, Can Do Campbell |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1981–1993 |
| Rank | Major |
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is the leader of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He was the 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 2004 to 2011.
He was elected to the mayoralty in 2004 and re-elected in 2008.[1] Newman's slogan during the 2004 and 2008 election campaigns was "Can Do". It is common for supporters to refer to him as "Can Do Campbell". At Duntroon, he was nicknamed "Noddy", in reference both to his appearance and to his misadventures during his time in the Army.[2]
Since July 2008, Newman and his Liberal council colleagues have been members of the merged Liberal National Party of Queensland.[3] Jeff Seeney led the LNP state parliamentary opposition from September 2006 until January 2008 when he was ousted in favour of Lawrence Springborg. In March 2011, successive leader John-Paul Langbroek stood down in favour of Newman. Seeney was elected interim opposition leader, Newman will lead the LNP to the next Queensland state election and simultaneously contest the seat of Ashgrove. If he is successful, Newman will assume the position of parliamentary leader of the LNP, and if the party is elected to government, Premier of Queensland.
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Born in Canberra, Newman is the son of former Senator and Federal Minister Jocelyn Newman, and former Member for Bass and Federal Minister, the late Kevin Newman. He was raised in Tasmania, where his father held the federal seat of Bass, then returned to Canberra where his mother served as a Senator.[4]
Newman attended the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and joined the Australian Army as a lieutenant in 1981.[4] He is a qualified civil engineer with an honours degree in civil engineering from the University of New South Wales and spent thirteen years in the army, retiring with the rank of Major in 1993.[1][5]
He moved to Queensland where he graduated with an MBA from the University of Queensland, then worked for the agricultural storage company Grainco, before deciding to stand for election as Lord Mayor of Brisbane.[4]
Due to the laws governing the election of Brisbane's Lord Mayor and City Councillors, Newman was elected directly to replace Tim Quinn. However, in the 2004 election a majority of wards returned ALP Councillors, meaning Newman had to work with a cabinet dominated by his nominal Opposition, and a Labor Deputy Mayor. In the 2008 election, the ALP lost at least 6 wards to the Liberal Party, giving the Liberals a majority.[6]
Newman was selected as one of 25 mayors from across the world shortlisted for the 2010 World Mayor Prize, an online competition aimed at raising the profile of civic leaders.[7] When the results were announced, Newman was declared the 5th best mayor in the world.[8]
During Newman's time as Mayor his administration delivered 700 new buses, 12 new ferries, spent $1 billion on improving suburban roads, built two new bridges across the Brisbane River, one tunnel- with two more under construction, opened three new swimming pools and a library. His Can Do Council team also spearheaded the change to 100% use of green electricity and full carbon offset of emissions of council vehicles. His team also purchased 500 hectares of bushland to save it from development and planted 2 million trees. [9]
On 22 March 2011, Newman announced that he was seeking pre-selection for the state electoral district of Ashgrove, and if successful, he would then challenge for the leadership of the Queensland Liberal National Party.[10] Following Newman's announcement, the existing leader of the LNP, John-Paul Langbroek, resigned. As Newman was not a member of parliament, Jeff Seeney was elected as parliamentary leader and Leader of the Opposition by the party, with an undertaking to cede the leadership to Newman should his pre-selection and election be successful.[11] On 4 April 2011, Newman was elected to lead the party's election team, with Seeney remaining as the party's parliamentary leader and Leader of the Opposition.[12]
Soon after, Labor state Treasurer Andrew Fraser used parliamentary privilege to claim he had received information from within the LNP that previous party leader Bruce Flegg was offered an inducement to step down and allow Campbell to contest his seat at a by-election to assume the parliamentary leadership. On 18 July 2011, the Crime and Misconduct Commission announced that the investigation found no evidence to support Fraser's allegations and all parties were cleared. [13] Billionaire and LNP benefactor Clive Palmer said the "CMC [was] colluding with the government" while the LNP accused Fraser of "knowing too much about the investigation".[14][15][16]
Newman made it clear that when he took over the LNP leadership, all policies previously announced would be scrapped and essentially become "null and void" with new policy announcements to be made.[17] In an attempt to win voter support in regional Queensland, Newman's first official LNP policy announcement was that he would not support daylight saving in Queensland or South East Queensland, even though as Brisbane's Lord Mayor he had been a vocal advocate for daylight saving.[18]
Newman has since announced a number of policies including a number of measures to reduce the cost of living for Queenslanders, policies to protect Fraser Island's dingoes and dugong and turtles from animal cruelty and a comprehensive planning process to fix the Bruce Highway.[19]
Newman has stated his belief in same-sex marriage, however the LNP have stated that if they win government, they may move to repeal such laws.[20]
Newman lives in Brisbane with his wife Lisa and their two children, Rebecca and Sarah.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tim Quinn |
Lord Mayor of Brisbane 2004–2011 |
Succeeded by Graham Quirk |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Jeff Seeney |
Election Team Leader of the Queensland LNP 2011–present Served alongside: Jeff Seeney |
Incumbent |