Shane Leslie Stone AC, QC (born 1950) is an Australian political figure. From 26 May 1995 to 8 February 1999 he was Chief Minister of the Northern Territory,[1] representing the Country Liberal Party.
Stone was born in Bendigo, Victoria. He twice served In the Northern Territory as Attorney-General, and held a number of portfolios, including Education and the Arts, Employment and Training, Mines and Energy, Industries and Development, and Asian Relations and Trade.[1] In late 1997 Stone attracted sustained criticism when as the First Law Officer and Attorney-General he was appointed a Queen's Counsel.
Stone was the Chief Minister during the referendum for statehood for the Northern Territory in 1998. Electors were asked to vote on whether the Northern Territory should become a state with a constitution that had been approved by a Constitutional Assembly. A bipartisan committee of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly had recommended a constitution and that it should be further considered by an elected Constitutional Assembly. The CLP Government put forward a different constitution to a partly elected and partly non-elected Constitutional Assembly. The referendum failed narrowly. The following year Stone resigned as Chief Minister; 18 months later the CLP under Denis Burke lost the next Territory election after 27 years in power.
In 1999 he became the federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia.
In 2001 he wrote a memo, later leaked to the press, that suggested that the government of John Howard was seen as "mean and tricky".[2] The ensuing controversy quickly mushroomed, with Stone and Howard both being accused of leaking the memo.
Stone is also the Executive Chairman of the APAC Group of Companies.[3]
On 12 June 2006, in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, he was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour, Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).[4]
| Preceded by Marshall Perron |
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory 1995–1999 |
Succeeded by Denis Burke |
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