Geoffrey Ronald (Geoff) Craige (born 20 May 1943) is an Australian politician. He was a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

from 1988 to 2002, representing

Central Highlands Province Central Highlands Province was an electorate of the Legislative Council of Victoria The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assem ...

. He served as Minister for

Roads A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

and Ports in the second term of the Kennett government. Craige was born at

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, and was educated at Port Lincoln High School. He served in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

from 1961 to 1980, becoming a chief petty officer in the navy's medical branch. He then served as an organiser for the

Federated Clerks' Union The Federated Clerks Union of Australia (FCU) was an Australian trade union representing clerical workers, in existence from 1911 to 1993, when it amalgamated with the Australian Services Union. History Between 1900 and 1907, attempts were made to ...

from 1980 to 1984, and was director of industrial relations for the

Victorian Farmers Federation The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is an Australian non-profit membership based advocacy and lobby group that represents farmers in Victoria. The organisation represents its members in lobbying state and federal government on policy matters th ...

from 1984 until his election to parliament in 1988. Craige was elected to the Legislative Council at the 1988 state election, succeeding retiring MP Jock Granter in the safe Liberal seat of

. He was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Public Transport when the Liberal Party won office under

Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...

in 1992. Craige was promoted to Minister for

and Ports in 1996, serving until the defeat of the Liberal government at the 1999 election. He unsuccessfully nominated for the position of Liberal deputy leader in the Legislative Council following the 1999 election loss, losing to Bill Forwood. He subsequently served as Shadow Minister for Manufacturing and Regional Business and Shadow Minister for Ports, before standing down from the shadow ministry in June 2000. He retired at the 2002 election. After politics, Craige was a founder of fishing lobby group VRFish, worked for the Bus Association of Victoria, and served on the board of the Port of Hastings Development Authority.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craige, Geoffrey Ronald 1943 births Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Living people Members of the Victorian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian politicians People from Port Lincoln Ministers for Roads and Road Safety (Victoria) Ministers for Ports and Freight (Victoria)