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.


Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards

AC
37th Treasurer of Queensland
In office
15 Dec 1978  18 August 1983
Preceded byWilliam Knox
Succeeded byJoh Bjelke-Petersen
ConstituencyIpswich
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Ipswich
In office
27 May 1972  22 October 1983
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byDavid Hamill
Personal details
Born (1935-08-02) 2 August 1935
Ipswich, Queensland
Political partyLiberal Party
Spouse(s)Leone Burley (d. 1988) Jane Brumfield (1989)
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
OccupationElectrician, 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

  1. University of Queensland. (September 2010.) Alumni News Archived 4 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. 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.
  3. "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.
  4. "2010 Queensland Greats recipients". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
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
19721983
Succeeded by
David Hamill
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