Bob Martin (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Robert Douglas "Bob" Martin (born 7 December 1945) is a former Australia
n politician. He was the Labor Party
member for Port Stephens
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1988 to 1999.
Martin was born in Sydney
to Douglas and Beryl, and attended McDonald Upper Primary School and Hurlestone Agricultural High School, graduating in 1962. He then attended Hawkesbury Agricultural College
and graduated with a Diploma in Agriculture in 1965. He worked for the Department of Agriculture at Alstonville
and Bathurst
, before moving to Griffith
in 1969. On 11 January that year, he married Margaret, with whom he had two children. He also joined the Australian Labor Party
. In 1970 he was employed with New South Wales State Fisheries, and managed the Port Stephens
centre until 1988.
In 1988, Martin was selected as the Labor candidate for the new seat of Port Stephens
. He won the seat by less than 100 votes. Defeated Liberal
candidate Walter Scott went to the Court of Disputed Returns
, obtaining a judgement that government cheques handed to community groups by Martin counted as electoral bribery
. This decision was met with astonishment by all sides of politics, and Martin won the by-election resoundingly with a 13% margin. In 1991, boundary changes made his seat notionally Liberal-held, but he was elected with a 10% margin nevertheless. He was appointed Minister for Mineral Resources and Minister for Fisheries in the Carr Government
when it was elected in 1995. Martin retired from politics in 1999.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member for Port Stephens
Electoral district of Port Stephens
Port Stephens is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Craig Baumann of the Liberal Party who won 51.1% of the primary vote at the 2011 election....
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1988 to 1999.
Martin was born in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Douglas and Beryl, and attended McDonald Upper Primary School and Hurlestone Agricultural High School, graduating in 1962. He then attended Hawkesbury Agricultural College
Hawkesbury Agricultural College
Hawkesbury Agricultural College was the first agricultural college of New South Wales, Australia. Established by Sydney Smith in Richmond, New South Wales in 1891, the college was incorporated into the University of Western Sydney in 1989....
and graduated with a Diploma in Agriculture in 1965. He worked for the Department of Agriculture at Alstonville
Alstonville, New South Wales
Alstonville is a town located in northern New South Wales, Australia, part of the region known as the Northern Rivers. Alstonville is located on the Bruxner Highway between the town of Ballina and city of Lismore . The village of Wollongbar is situated 4 km to the west of Alstonville...
and Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, before moving to Griffith
Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
in 1969. On 11 January that year, he married Margaret, with whom he had two children. He also joined the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
. In 1970 he was employed with New South Wales State Fisheries, and managed the Port Stephens
Port Stephens
Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about north-east of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It lies wholly within the Port Stephens Local Government Area although its northern shoreline forms the boundary between the Port Stephens and Great Lakes LGAs...
centre until 1988.
In 1988, Martin was selected as the Labor candidate for the new seat of Port Stephens
Electoral district of Port Stephens
Port Stephens is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Craig Baumann of the Liberal Party who won 51.1% of the primary vote at the 2011 election....
. He won the seat by less than 100 votes. Defeated Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
candidate Walter Scott went to the Court of Disputed Returns
Court of Disputed Returns (Australia)
The Court of Disputed Returns in Australia is a jurisdiction established by Part XXII of the Commonwealth Electoral Act. The jurisdiction is exercised by the High Court of Australia, which can refer cases to the Federal Court...
, obtaining a judgement that government cheques handed to community groups by Martin counted as electoral bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
. This decision was met with astonishment by all sides of politics, and Martin won the by-election resoundingly with a 13% margin. In 1991, boundary changes made his seat notionally Liberal-held, but he was elected with a 10% margin nevertheless. He was appointed Minister for Mineral Resources and Minister for Fisheries in the Carr Government
Bob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
when it was elected in 1995. Martin retired from politics in 1999.