Thomas Leslie Austin (24 September 1923 – 1 June 2002) was an Australian politician. He 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 Leslie Albert Austin, a farmer, and Nora Bradfute Cunningham. After attending

Geelong Grammar School , motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"( 1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom) , city = Corio, Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , ...

, 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 1941 to 1945 as a

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

. On his return he was a woolclasser from 1946 to 1947, when he became a sharefarmer. He settled in Darlington in 1950. In 1972 he was elected to the

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

as the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member for Hampden, shifting to

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

in 1976. He was appointed Minister for Public Works and Minister for Property and Services in 1978, moving to the Agriculture portfolio in 1980. Following the defeat of the

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

in 1982 he was Opposition Spokesman for Agriculture, becoming Shadow Minister for Sport, Recreation and Racing in 1990; he was also Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 1985 to 1987. He resigned his seat in 1992 and became Chairman of the Victorian Dairy Industry Authority, a position he held until 2000. Austin died in Melbourne in 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Tom 1923 births 2002 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Melbourne Royal Australian Navy officers 20th-century Australian politicians People educated at Geelong Grammar School Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II Victorian Ministers for Agriculture