Barry Douglas Simon (1 April 1936 – 7 July 2004) was an Australian politician. Born in Melbourne, he attended the University of Melbourne before becoming a teacher and barrister. He was a member of Berwick City Council and served as its mayor. In 1975, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Liberal member for McMillan, defeating

Arthur Hewson Henry Arthur Hewson, OAM (31 December 1914 – 20 November 1999) was an Australian politician. Born in Korumburra, Victoria, he was a dairy farmer at Warragul before serving in the military 1941–45. He was active in local politics as a member ...

, a member of the Liberals'

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

partner the Country Party. He was defeated in 1980 by the Labor Party, largely due to the Democratic Labor Party's decision to direct its preferences to Labor in view of Simon's liberal views on abortion. Simon was also targeted by

Right to Life The right to life is the belief that a being has the right to live and, in particular, should not be killed by another entity. The concept of a right to life arises in debates on issues including capital punishment, with some people seeing it as ...

organisations, and this was also credited as a factor in his defeat.Ainsley Symons (2014), "Anti-Abortion Campaigning and the Political Process," in ''Recorder'' (Melbourne Branch, Australian Society for the Study of Labour History), No. 279, March, p.3 Simon died in 2004.

References

Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for McMillan Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1936 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub