Grant Tambling

Grant Ernest John Tambling, AM (born 20 June 1943) is an Australian politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1980 to 1983 and then a Senator for the Northern Territory from 1987 to 2001, representing the Country Liberal Party. He later served as Administrator of Norfolk Island from 2003 to 2007.

Grant Tambling AM
Member of the Australian Parliament for Northern Territory
In office 18 October 1980 – 5 March 1983
Preceded by	Sam Calder
Succeeded by	John Reeves
Senator for Northern Territory
In office 11 July 1987 – 9 November 2001
Preceded by	Bernie Kilgariff
Succeeded by	Nigel Scullion
Administrator of Norfolk Island
In office 1 November 2003 – 7 August 2007
Preceded by	Michael Stephens
Succeeded by	Owen Walsh
Personal details
Born	(1943-06-20) 20 June 1943 Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Spouse(s)	Sandy Tambling

Early life

Tambling was born and raised in Darwin in the Northern Territory. He attended Darwin High School and Adelaide Boys' High School, returning to Darwin before moving to Sydney for work.[1]

Politics

After a stint in local government on the Darwin City Council, Tambling was elected to the first Northern Territory Legislative Assembly as the Country Liberal Party member for Fannie Bay. Tambling served as Executive Member for Community Development in this first parliament. Executive members were the equivalent of ministers in later years, though that title was not used until self-government was granted in 1978.[2]

In 1975 he became deputy leader of the CLP and hence Deputy Majority Leader (deputy premier) under Majority Leader Goff Letts. Despite this, Tambling was defeated at the 1977 election by Labor Party candidate Pam O'Neil, and began a career in business. He served as the member for the Northern Territory electorate in the House of Representatives from 1980 to 1983, but was again defeated by an ALP rival, John Reeves.[2]

After four years out of parliament, Tambling was once again elected—this time to the Senate—at the 1987 federal election. He replaced Bernie Kilgariff whom he had earlier replaced as Deputy Majority leader. He is the only Territorian to have served in both houses of federal parliament. He spent fourteen years as a Senator, six of them as a parliamentary secretary, before being disendorsed by the CLP at the 2001 election for voting in favour of anti-Internet gaming legislation.[3] Tambling subsequently retired from politics and worked for two years in private consultancy.

Norfolk Island

Tambling was appointed as the Administrator of Norfolk Island from 1 November 2003 to September 2007.

Personal life

He is married with two children.[2]

References

1. Davey, Paul. "TAMBLING, Grant Ernest John (1943 - )" (PDF). Territory Stories. Northern Territory Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
2. Administrator of Norfolk Island Archived 20 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
3. ABC News on 2001 Election disendorsement

Government offices
Preceded by Michael Stephens	Administrator of Norfolk Island 2003–2007	Succeeded by Owen Walsh
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
New seat	Member for Fannie Bay 1974–1977	Succeeded by Pam O'Neil
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Sam Calder	Member for Northern Territory 1980–1983	Succeeded by John Reeves
Preceded by Bernie Kilgariff	Senator for the Northern Territory 1987–2001 Served alongside: Bob Collins, Trish Crossin	Succeeded by Nigel Scullion