Llew Edwards (politician)

Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards AC (born 2 August 1935), known as Llew Edwards, is a former Queensland state politician and state Liberal Party leader.

For the boxer, see Llew Edwards.

The Hon Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards AC
37th Treasurer of Queensland
In office 15 Dec 1978 – 18 August 1983
Preceded by	William Knox
Succeeded by	Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Constituency	Ipswich
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Ipswich
In office 27 May 1972 – 22 October 1983
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	David Hamill
Personal details
Born	(1935-08-02) 2 August 1935 Ipswich, Queensland
Political party	Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Leone Burley (d. 1988) Jane Brumfield (1989)
Alma mater	University of Queensland
Occupation	Electrician, Medical practitioner, Surgical Registrar

Early life and education

Llew Edwards started his working life as an electrician in his family's electrical business.[1] He graduated from the University of Queensland with an M.B.B.S. in 1965.[2]

Political career

Edwards entered Queensland state parliament as the Liberal member for Ipswich in 1972.[1] He was the Minister for Health between 1974–1978[1] and then held the position of Liberal Party leader, Deputy Premier and Treasurer until 1983[1] when he retired from State Parliament[1] to take on the role of Chairman and Chief Executive of World Expo '88, held in Brisbane.

Later activities

He was Chair and CEO of the 1988 World Exposition, Brisbane's World Expo '88, and in 1993 he was elected the twelfth Chancellor of the University of Queensland, holding the office until 9 February 2009. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university in 1988.[3]

In 1984 he was made a Knight Bachelor, and in 1989, a Companion of the Order of Australia. The Sir Llew Edwards Building at the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus is named after him.

Sir Llew has sat on the boards of a number of publicly listed companies. He is the current chairman of the Medical Research and Compensation Foundation set up by James Hardie Industries to provide financial compensation for victims of asbestos related diseases caused by their products. He was a director of James Hardie Industries for a decade and has criticised the company for providing insufficient funds for the foundation, stating that they underestimated the liability of claims.

In 2010, Sir Llew was named by premier Anna Bligh as one of six "Queensland Greats". The citation stated that he was “an outstanding Queenslander who has made exceptional contributions to many fields”.[4][5]

References

2. University of Queensland. (September 2010.) Alumni News Archived 4 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
3. Miles, Janelle (23 November 2008). "Sir Llew Edwards to retire after 36 years of public life". Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
4. "Sir Llew truly one of the Greats". The Queensland Times. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
5. "2010 Queensland Greats recipients". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.

External links

• Principal Officers of the University of Queensland
• University of Queensland re-elects Chancellor and Deputy-Chancellor - UQ News Online, 08/02/2002

Political offices
Preceded by William Knox	Parliamentary Leader of the Liberal Party in Queensland 1978–1983	Succeeded by Terry White
Preceded by William Knox	Deputy Premier of Queensland 1978–1983	Succeeded by Bill Gunn
Preceded by William Knox	Treasurer of Queensland 1978–1983	Succeeded by Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Preceded by Douglas Tooth	Minister for Health 1974–1978	Succeeded by William Knox
Parliament of Queensland
New seat	Member for Ipswich 1972–1983	Succeeded by David Hamill