Anthony James Simpson (born 15 July 1965) is a former Australian politician who 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 Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 2005 to 2017. He served as a minister in the government of

Colin Barnett Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is a former Australian politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He concurrently served as the state's Treasurer at several points during his tenure and had previously held various other po ...

from March 2013 to September 2016. Simpson ran a bakery before entering politics.

Early life

Simpson was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to Rita (née Bailey) and Charles Simpson. His family moved to

Wyndham, Western Australia Wyndham is the northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1886 to service a new goldfield at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for ...

, in 1970, and later to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, where he attended CBC Leederville (now

Aranmore Catholic College The Aranmore Catholic College is a co-educational school for ages 7-12, located in Leederville in Perth, Western Australia. History The College was founded in 1903 by the Sisters of Mercy and was originally known as Arranmore, a name ta ...

). After leaving school, Simpson worked in the family bakery, and later opened his own business in

Byford Byford is a village and civil parish on the River Wye in Herefordshire, England, about west of Hereford. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 119, increasing to 201 at the 2011 census. Offa's Dyke Offa's Dyke ( cy, Cla ...

. He served on the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Shire Council from 2001 to 2005.Anthony (Tony) James Simpson
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 September 2016.

Politics

Simpson entered parliament at the 2005 state election, winning the newly created seat of Serpentine-Jarrahdale with 51.2 percent of the

two-party-preferred In Australian politics, the two-party-preferred vote (TPP or 2PP) is the result of an election or opinion poll after preferences have been distributed to the highest two candidates, who in some cases can be independents. For the purposes of TPP, ...

vote. He was included in the shadow ministry of

Matt Birney Matthew John Birney (born 10 June 1969) was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2008, serving as Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2006. Birney was born in Sydney but ...

immediately after being elected, and subsequently served as a shadow minister under three more leaders of the opposition –

Paul Omodei Paul Domenic Omodei (born 26 May 1950), Australian politician, was the leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia from 24 March 2006 until 17 January 2008. Background Omodei was born in Manjimup, a town in ...

Troy Buswell Troy Raymond Buswell (born 19 March 1966) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2014, representing the seat of Vasse. He was Treasurer of Western Australia in the ...

, and Colin Barnett. At the 2008 state election, Simpson transferred to the seat of Darling Range, where the sitting member, John Day, had himself transferred to the seat of Kalamunda.Hon. Anthony (Tony) James Simpson MLA
Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 September 2016. After the 2008 election, Simpson was made a parliamentary secretary in the new ministry formed by Colin Barnett. He served in that position until July 2011, when he was instead made

government whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology o ...

. After the 2013 election, Simpson was made Minister for Local Government, Minister for Community Services,

Minister for Seniors and Volunteering Minister for Seniors and Ageing and Minister for Volunteering are positions in the government of Western Australia, currently held by Don Punch of the Labor Party. The position of "Minister for the Aged" was first created in 1984, for the governm ...

, and Minister for Youth. He resigned from the ministry in September 2016, citing a lack of support for the government and Colin Barnett's leadership of the Liberal Party."WA Liberal leadership: Minister Tony Simpson resigns over loss of faith in Premier Colin Barnett"
ABC News, 17 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Tony 1965 births Living people Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Politicians from Melbourne 21st-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors

Early life

Politics

See also

References