David Connolly (politician)

David Miles Connolly AM (born 20 July 1939) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was a member of the Liberal Party and represented the Division of Bradfield in the House of Representatives from 1974 to 1996. He had been a member of the diplomatic service before entering politics and later served as High Commissioner of Australia to South Africa from 1998 to 2002.

David Connolly AM
Connolly in 1964
Member of the Australian Parliament for Bradfield
In office 18 May 1974 – 29 January 1996
Preceded by	Harry Turner
Succeeded by	Brendan Nelson
Personal details
Born	(1939-07-20) 20 July 1939 Sydney, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse(s)	Monique
Alma mater	St Ignatius College, Riverview
Occupation	Diplomat
Profession	Company director

Early life

Born in Sydney, Connolly attended the University of Sydney and was a research officer with the NSW Liberal Party before becoming private secretary to Senator Alister McMullin, the President of the Senate, in 1963, holding the position until 1965. In that year he joined the Australian Diplomatic Service, and remained there until 1974.[1]

Politics

In 1974, Connolly was selected as the Liberal candidate for the very safe seat of Bradfield on the retirement of the former member, Harry Turner. He was elected to the Australian House of Representatives, and held the seat until 1996, when he was defeated for preselection by future Liberal leader Brendan Nelson. In Government He was chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee between 1975 and 1983 and in Opposition a shadow minister continuously up to his retirement. It has been speculated that without his pre-selection defeat he would have become a minister.[2]

Later life

Connolly served as Australia's High Commissioner to South Africa between 1998 and 2002 with accreditation to Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.[3][4] Later he was a board member of ARIA the Commonwealth's superannuation fund, Chairman of Rice Warner Actuaries and a part-time member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal from 2006 to 2011, and of the Migration and Refugee Review Tribunals from 2002 to 2010.

In the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours Connolly was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "service to the Parliament of Australia, to the development of superannuation policy reform, to international relations, and to the community".[5]

References

1. Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
2. Green, Antony (2007). "Bradfield". Antony Green's Election Guide 2007. ABC Elections. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
3. Downer, Alexander (5 May 1998). "Diplomatic Appointmient: High Commissioner to South Africa" (Press release). Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
4. Downer, Alexander (13 March 2002). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to South Africa" (Press release). Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
5. "His Excellency Mr David Miles CONNOLLY". It's an Honour. Retrieved 23 February 2020.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Harry Turner	Member for Bradfield 1974–1996	Succeeded by Brendan Nelson
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Ian Porter	Australian High Commissioner to South Africa 1998–2002	Succeeded by Ian Wilcock