Alan Eggleston (born 30 December 1941) is an Australian former politician who served as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

from 1996 to 2014 representing

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Career

Early career

He was born in Busselton, Western Australia, and was educated at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

, where he studied medicine, and at

Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its n ...

, where he graduated in arts.

Professional career

He was a medical practitioner in Port Hedland, Western Australia, serving from 1974 until 1996. He was a councillor in Port Hedland serving from 1988 until 1996 and mayor serving from 1993 until 1996. He was a member of the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

Development Commission from 1994 until 1996.

Personal life

He has achondroplasia, a common cause of

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition wherein an organism is exceptionally small, and mostly occurs in the animal kingdom. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dw ...

. He retired from all of his other political jobs to be a senator. On 9 April 2012, Eggleston announced that he would not be standing in the

2013 Australian federal election The 2013 Australian federal election to elect the members of the 44th Parliament of Australia took place on 7 September 2013. The centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition led by Opposition leader Tony Abbott of the Liberal Party of Aus ...

, and would retire at the end of his term in 2014.

References

External links

Official website
1941 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia People with dwarfism People from Busselton Murdoch University alumni University of Western Australia alumni Mayors of places in Western Australia Australian medical doctors 21st-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub