Thomas Guy Newbery (23 March 1914 – 30 October 1984) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Biography

Newbery was born at

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

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 , establishe ...

, the son of Ernest Newbery and his wife Maude (née Nicholson). He was educated at West Plane Creek, Labornum Grove, Langdons Creek and Sarina State Schools, and All Souls' School,

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits unde ...

. After finishing his education he became a sugarcane farmer. On 1 March 1939, he married Jessie Lambert and together they had a son and two daughters. Newbery died in October 1984 and was accorded a state funeral, which was held at the St Luke's Anglican Church, Sarina.

Public career

Newbery was a long-term a member of the

Sarina Shire Council The Shire of Sarina was a local government area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Sarina, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 200 ...

, serving for over 28 years. He was Deputy Chairman of the shire from 1955 until 1964, and Chairman from 1964 until 1974. When the member for Mirani, Ernie Evans, died in 1965,Evans, Ernest (Ernie)
—

Queensland Parliament The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral st ...

. Retrieved 31 May 2016. Newbery won the subsequent

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

for the Country Party. He went on to represent the electorate for fifteen years, retiring at the

1980 Queensland state election Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 29 November 1980 to elect the 82 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The election resulted in a fifth consecutive victory for the National-Liberal Coalition under Joh Bjelk ...

. During his time in the

he held several portfolios and other positions: * Member of the parliamentary delegation to Japan and South-East Asia 1972 * Minister for Tourism and for Education and Cultural Activities 1974–1975 * Minister for Tourism and Marine Services 1975–1976 * Minister for Police 1976–1977 * Minister for Culture, National Parks and Recreation 1977–1979 * Leader of the House 1976–1979 Newbery was Minister for Police in 1976, at the time of the promotion of the corrupt police officer Terry Lewis to the post of Assistant Commissioner, over 122 equal or more senior officers. Upon being told that Lewis was to be appointed as his deputy, then-Police Commissioner Ray Whitrod reportedly told Newbery that the appointment was "shattering", that it was widely known that Lewis had been one of Frank Bischof's bagmen, and that "everybody in the police force knows that Lewis is corrupt", to which Newbery replied, "Well that was when he was a detective sergeant – he is now an inspector and wouldn’t do that sort of thing". Newbery claimed that the decision had been made by Premier

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...

. Lewis's appointment led Whitrod to resign, with Lewis being appointed Police Commissioner in his stead. Following the revelations of the 1987–1989

Fitzgerald Inquiry The Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct (the Fitzgerald Inquiry; 1987–1989) into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. The inquiry resulted ...

, Lewis resigned in disgrace and was imprisoned for corruption.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newbery, Thomas Guy Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1914 births National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland 1984 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians Australian farmers