David John MacGibbon (born 13 May 1934) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

retired politician who served 21 years in 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 ...

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 ...

senator representing

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

from 1978 to 1999.

Education and early career

MacGibbon was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and grew up in

Maryborough, Queensland Maryborough ( ) is a city and a suburb in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Maryborough had a population of 15,287. Geography Maryborough is located on the Mary River in Queensland, Australia, approximate ...

. He was educated at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

and

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

and served his

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

before becoming a dental specialist in prosthodontics and surgery and a lecturer in

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...

. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Dental Surgeons and Fellow in Dental Surgery of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

, England. Between 1962 and 1977, he held academic appointments at the Universities of London, Queensland and

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Senate

David MacGibbon was first elected to the

as a

Senator for Queensland in 1977. He was re-elected in 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1993. He served in the Shadow Ministry, responsible for Defence Science and Personnel and Veterans Affairs (1993–94) and Customs (1989–90). MacGibbon was a long-serving member of the Joint Senate and

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Standing

Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade from 1983 to 1999 and was chairman of the committee from 1998 to 1999. He was a member of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Statutory Committee on the

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO ) is Australia's national security agency responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically motivated vio ...

from 1990–91 and 1996-1999 and chairman of the committee from 1996 to 1999. He served on the Senate Standing Committees for Science and the Environment (1978–83), Finance and Public Administration (1994–96), Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport (1994–96), Economics (1996–98), and Community Affairs (1999). He was appointed the Australian Parliamentary Adviser to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

for the 1983 session. MacGibbon retired from the Senate on 30 June 1999. He was succeeded by Brett Mason.

After Politics

MacGibbon served as a member of the

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

Observer Group The Observer Group (precursor to Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Company and the Navy Scouts and Raiders) was a joint-United States Army/Marine Corps unit that was the first in the United States and Fleet Marine Force to be organized and tr ...

for the 2000 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections.Commonwealth Observer Grou
'The Parliamentary Elections in Zimbabwe 24-25 June 2000'
retrieved November 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macgibbon, David Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Members of the Australian Senate Australian dentists 1934 births Living people Alumni of the University of London 20th-century Australian politicians