Susan Christine Knowles (born 10 April 1951) is a former Australian politician who served as a
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for
Western Australia from 1984 to 2005, representing the
Liberal Party. She briefly served as a
shadow minister under
John Hewson from 1993 to 1994.
Early life
Knowles was born in
Brisbane,
Queensland.
She was the sales manager of a
Perth office equipment company before entering politics. In 1979 she was appointed to the National Youth Advisory Group within the
Department of Employment and Youth Affairs.
Political career
Knowles served as state president of the
Young Liberal Movement from 1977 to 1981. She later held various positions in the
Liberal Party of Australia (Western Australian Division), including state executive member, state council member, vice-president, and senior vice-president.
[
]
Senate
Knowles was elected to the Senate at the 1984 federal election and re-elected in 1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
, 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
and 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
. She served as her party's deputy whip in the Senate from 1987 to 1993 and then served in John Hewson's shadow ministry from 1993 to 1994, holding the multicultural affairs portfolio.[ According to '' The Canberra Times'', she was "the ultimate Hewson loyalist in WA". In August 1994 she publicly opposed new opposition leader Alexander Downer's decision to sack Hewson from the shadow ministry. Knowles later served as chair of the community affairs legislation committee from 1997 until her retirement in 2005.][ She "played a key role in its inquiries into tobacco advertising prohibition and stem cell research".
In 1995, Knowles came into conflict with her Liberal colleague ]Noel Crichton-Browne
Noel Ashley Crichton-Browne (born 2 February 1944 at Wiluna, Western Australia) is a former member of the Australian Senate and political lobbyist.
Early life
Crichton-Browne was educated at Scotch College, Perth. Before his career in politics, ...
over allegations that he had been violent towards his wife several years earlier. Knowles stated that she had helped shelter Crichton-Browne's wife at the time. The allegations came three days after Crichton-Browne was expelled from the Liberal Party. In June 1995, it was reported that Crichton-Browne was being investigated for making death threats towards Knowles. He denied that he had threatened her, stating that the allegations were "scurrilous, crude and filthy". Knowles initially did not comment, but in September confirmed that she had made a complaint to the Western Australia Police. In October 1998, she publicly retracted her statements and apologised to Crichton-Browne, as well as paying him a settlement of $20,000.[ Other federal MPs and Premier Richard Court opposed the committee's recommendation, and it was subsequently rejected by the party's state council. In March 2003, Knowles announced that she would not re-contest her seat at the next federal election. Her term ended on 30 June 2005.][
]
Later career
Knowles was appointed convenor of the Australian Classification Review Board
The Australian Classification Review Board is a statutory censorship and classification body overseen by the Australian Government. The corporate body is responsible for reviewing classification decisions made by the Australian Classification Bo ...
in January 2019, to a two-year term. She has served on the Ad Standards Community Panel since December 2017.
References
External links
Susan Knowles, Senate Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Sue
1951 births
Living people
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia
Women members of the Australian Senate
Members of the Australian Senate
21st-century Australian politicians
21st-century Australian women politicians
20th-century Australian politicians
20th-century Australian women politicians