Michael MacKellar

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The Honourable Michael MacKellar AM
Member of the Australian Parliament for Warringah
In office 25 October 1969 – 18 February 1994
Preceded by	Edward St John
Succeeded by	Tony Abbott
Personal details
Born	Michael John Randal MacKellar (1938-10-27) 27 October 1938 Sydney
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Occupation	Agricultural scientist

Michael John Randal MacKellar AM (born 27 October 1938) is an Australian politician and was the Liberal Member for Warringah from 1969 until 1994.

Biography

MacKellar was born in Sydney and was an agricultural scientist before he entered politics. He was first elected to Parliament in 1969, taking over from the controversial Edward St. John. In December 1975, MacKellar was first appointed to the front bench as the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, a position he held until 1979, when he became Minister for Health and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister. In Opposition, MacKellar acted as Shadow Minister for Science.

MacKellar attracted some controversy over his handling of an incident involving the improper importation of a colour television set. In 1982, a ministerial staffer submitted an incorrect customs declaration form when arranging for the set to be imported. When this was discovered, a fellow Minister, John Moore, attempted a cover-up. Moore and MacKellar both accepted responsibility and resigned as Ministers.^[1]^[2]

MacKellar resigned from Parliament on 18 February 1994, causing a by-election that was subsequently won by Tony Abbott. Also retiring at the same time as MacKellar was his Liberal colleague Jim Carlton. Carlton resigned from his seat coincidentally called Mackellar. Due to Michael MacKellar having the same name as that of the seat of Mackellar, in one of MacKellar's last days in Parliament, then Prime Minister Paul Keating mistakenly referred to him as the Member for Mackellar.

After leaving politics MacKellar became Chairman of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority in 1998.^[3] He has also acted as Chief Operations Officer of the Baker Medical Research Institute and Chief Executive Officer of the Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association. MacKellar also served as the president of the Melbourne-based National Ageing Research Institute.

Personal life

Mackellar has three children, one of whom was autistic. His daughter Maggie was the subject of an episode of ABC TV Australian Story.^[4]

References

↑ Bowers, Peter (21 April 1982). "A Government in tatters after the night of the long shredder. Resignations of Michael MacKellar and John Moore over the colour television incident". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 7. ISSN 0312-6315.
↑ Dowding, Keith M; Lewis, Chris, eds. (2012). Ministerial Careers and Accountability in the Australian Commonwealth Government (e-book). Canberra: ANU Press. p. 123.
↑ "New chairman for Australia New Zealand Food Authority" (Press release). Department of Health and Ageing. 1998.
↑ Gee, Peter (14 October 2013). "On Maggie's Farm" (transcript). Australian Story. Australia: ABC TV. Retrieved 14 October 2013.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Tony Street	Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 1975–1979	Succeeded by Ian Macphee
Preceded by Ralph Hunt	Minister for Health 1979–1982	Succeeded by Peter Baume
Preceded by Robert Ellicott	Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment 1981	Succeeded by Ian Wilson
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Edward St. John	Member for Warringah 1969–1994	Succeeded by Tony Abbott

Persondata
Name	Mackellar, Michael John Randal
Alternative names
Short description	Australian politician
Date of birth	27 October 1938
Place of birth	Sydney
Date of death
Place of death

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