

LIEUTENANT COLONEL KEVIN EUGENE
NEWMAN AO
14 JANUARY 1972 ~ 2 DECEMBER 1973
LTCOL
Kevin Eugene Newman (10 October 1933
― 17 July 1999) graduated from the
Royal Military College, Duntroon in
1955, into the Infantry Corps. He
was a platoon commander in 3RAR
during the Malayan emergency in
1956, and then served as operations
officer of 2RAR in South Vietnam in
1967-68. He graduated from the Army
Command and Staff College in 1966.
He was promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel and became
commanding officer of 5RAR from 14
January 1972 to 2 December 1973. His
final military postings were Deputy
Commander and Commander of 6
Military District in Tasmania in
1974-75.
He resigned his military commission
to enter Federal politics and, as
the Liberal Party candidate in the
June 1975 by-election for Bass in
Tasmania, won this previously safe
Labor seat. That December he was
appointed Minister for Repatriation
in the Fraser government and in July
1976 he became Minister for
Environment, Housing and Community
Development. In December 1978 he was
appointed Minister for National
Development in the third Fraser
Ministry, followed by appointments
as Minister for Productivity
(December 1979) and Minister of
Administrative Services in 1980 (in
the 4th Fraser Ministry). He
retained this position until the
Fraser government was defeated in
the 1983 Federal election. He
retired from the House of
Representatives on 26 October 1984.
Kevin Newman was half of one of
Australia's most notable political
partnerships having been married
since 1961 to the former Senator the
Honourable Jocelyn Newman, former
Minister for Family and Community
Services and Minister Assisting the
Prime Minister for the Status of
Women. They had two children: Kate
and Campbell. Campbell Newman was
the Lord Mayor of Brisbane 2004-2011
and is the current Premier of
Queensland (2012 -).
In retirement Kevin Newman was
appointed President of the National
Trust Tasmania, a member of the
Board of the Menzies Foundation and
a Director of the Australian
Stockman's Hall of Fame in
Longreach, Queensland. He was
Chairman of the Old Parliament House
Governing Council from 1997 to 1999.
Kevin Newman was awarded an Officer
of the Order of Australia in the
Queen's Birthday Honours of 1994. He
died from Lupus Disease in July 1999
and was farewelled with a State
funeral. |