Graeme McDougall
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Graeme Robert McDougall (born 21 November 1946) is an Australian politician and businessman. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 1998, representing the
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_ ...
seat of
Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Rid ...
for the Liberal Party. He also served on Brisbane City Council.


Early life

McDougall was born on 21 November 1946 in
Taree, New South Wales Taree is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of 26,381, and is the centre of a significant agricultural distri ...
. He holds an associate diploma in business management from
East Sydney Technical College The National Art School (NAS) is a tertiary level art school, located in , an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school is an independent accredited higher education provider offering specialised study in studio arts p ...
. Prior to entering politics he was a senior manager in the plastics industry and later ran a hardware store.


Politics

McDougall served on the Brisbane City Council from 1988 to 1996. He was chairman of the organising committee for the 1988 FINA World Masters Championships which Brisbane hosted. At the 1993 federal election, McDougall served as chair of the Liberal Party's campaign committee in Queensland. He was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1996 election, winning the seat of Griffith for the Liberals. Although the retiring Labor MP,
Ben Humphreys Benjamin Charles Humphreys (17 August 1934 – 17 November 2019) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1996, representing the Division of Grif ...
, had held it without serious difficulty since 1977, the recent redistribution had cut Labor's majority almost in half, to a somewhat marginal four percent. Additionally, Labor was very unpopular in Queensland. McDougall defeated Labor candidate Kevin Rudd on the eighth count, largely due to getting a large flow of
National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
preferences on the seventh count. Labor was cut down to only two seats in the state, its worst showing there since 1975. Rudd, who would later go on to become leader of the Australian Labor Party and eventually
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
, successfully re-contested Griffith in the 1998 election.Mixed blessings for Rudd
''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'', 17 November 2007.


References

1946 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Griffith Queensland local councillors 20th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub