Campbell Newman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Major The Honourable Campbell Newman AO
Newman c. 2012
38th Premier of Queensland
In office 26 March 2012 – 14 February 2015
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	Penelope Wensley Paul de Jersey
Deputy	Jeff Seeney
Preceded by	Anna Bligh
Succeeded by	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Leader of the Liberal National Party
In office 2 April 2011 – 7 February 2015
Deputy	Jeff Seeney
Preceded by	John-Paul Langbroek
Succeeded by	Lawrence Springborg
Member of the Queensland Parliament for Ashgrove
In office 24 March 2012 – 31 January 2015
Preceded by	Kate Jones
Succeeded by	Kate Jones
15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane
In office 27 March 2004 – 3 April 2011
Deputy	David Hinchliffe (2004–2008) Graham Quirk (2008–2011)
Preceded by	Tim Quinn
Succeeded by	Graham Quirk
Personal details
Born	Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (1963-08-12) 12 August 1963 (age 62) Canberra, A.C.T., Australia
Political party	Libertarian Party (2021–present)
Other political affiliations	Liberal Party (2004–2008) Liberal National Party of Queensland (2008–2021)
Spouse	Lisa Newman (née Monsour)
Relations	Kevin Newman (father) Jocelyn Newman (mother)
Children	Rebecca Sarah
Alma mater	Royal Military College, Duntroon University of New South Wales University of Queensland Launceston Church Grammar School
Profession	Civil engineer
Awards	Australian Defence Medal
Signature
Nickname	Noddy
Military service
Branch/service	Australian Army
Years of service	1981–1993
Rank	Major
Unit	Royal Australian Engineers

Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is an Australian former politician. He was the 38th Premier of Queensland from March 2012 to February 2015. Before that, he was the 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 2004 to 2011.

Newman was first elected as Lord Mayor of Brisbane as a member of the Liberal Party. In 2008, the Liberal Party in Queensland joined with the Nationals to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP). Newman became a member of this new party.

In 2011, Newman decided to try for the leadership of the LNP. The previous leader, John-Paul Langbroek, resigned, and Newman was chosen as the new leader. At the time, Newman was not a member of the Queensland Parliament. So, Jeff Seeney became the temporary leader of the opposition in parliament, while Newman led the party's election campaign from outside.

Newman led the LNP to a huge victory in the 2012 Queensland state election. His party won 78 out of 89 seats, which was a record for Queensland. He also won his own seat of Ashgrove in Brisbane. Two days later, he became the Premier. He was the first non-Labor Premier from Brisbane in 97 years.

In the 2015 Queensland state election, the LNP lost many seats. They ended up with 42 seats, while Labor won 44. This meant no party had a clear majority. Newman himself lost his seat of Ashgrove to Kate Jones. He resigned as Premier on 10 February 2015. Annastacia Palaszczuk became the new Premier as Labor formed a government with support from others.

In July 2021, Newman left the LNP. In August 2021, he announced he had joined the Liberal Democrats. He ran as a candidate for the Senate in Queensland in the 2022 Australian federal election, but he was not elected.

Early Life and Military Career

Campbell Newman was born on 12 August 1963 in Canberra, Australia. His parents were both politicians who served in the federal parliament for Tasmania. His father, Kevin Newman, was a minister in the government from 1975 to 1984. His mother, Jocelyn Newman, was a Senator from 1986 to 2002 and also a minister.

Campbell Newman grew up in Tasmania and went to Launceston Church Grammar School. He then returned to Canberra. In 1981, he joined the Australian Army as a cadet at the Royal Military College, Duntroon. He became a lieutenant in 1985 and served in the army for 13 years, leaving in 1993 as a major.

He has a degree in civil engineering from the University of New South Wales. After leaving the army, he moved to Queensland. He earned a master's degree in business from the University of Queensland. He then worked as a consultant and for an agricultural company before deciding to run for Lord Mayor of Brisbane.

Lord Mayor of Brisbane

Newman in 2008.

In the 2004 election, Newman won the election for Lord Mayor of Brisbane. He beat the Labor Party's Tim Quinn. However, most of the local areas (called wards) elected Labor councillors. This meant Newman had to work with a council mostly made up of Labor members.

During his first term, a major project was the TransApex plan, which included new bridges, traffic improvements, and tunnels.

In the 2008 election, Newman was re-elected. This time, his party gained more control of the council.

In 2010, Newman was chosen as one of 25 mayors from around the world for the World Mayor Prize. This competition highlights the work of city leaders. Newman was ranked as the fifth-best mayor in the world.

State-Level Politics

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In March 2011, there were reports that the LNP party wanted Newman to become their leader. He was asked to consider running for a state seat in parliament. Newman said he was committed to finishing his term as Lord Mayor but did not rule out running for state politics later.

However, on 22 March, Newman announced he would seek to run for the Ashgrove seat in west Brisbane. This seat was held by Labor's Kate Jones. If he won the chance to run, he would then try to become the LNP leader. News reports said the LNP wanted Newman to run because polls showed he was very popular, especially after the 2010–11 Queensland floods.

Kate Jones held Ashgrove with a good lead for Labor. But Newman had been very popular in the Ashgrove area during his time as Lord Mayor. Experts believed he had a good chance to win the seat.

Soon after Newman's announcement, the current LNP leader, John-Paul Langbroek, and his deputy both resigned. On 2 April 2011, Newman was elected as the leader of the LNP. The next day, he was chosen to run for the Ashgrove seat without anyone opposing him.

Normally, a party leader would already be a member of parliament. Since Newman was not, Jeff Seeney became the temporary leader of the opposition in parliament. Newman led the LNP's election campaign from outside parliament. Seeney agreed to step down as parliamentary leader if Newman won his seat.

After Newman became leader, the LNP's popularity in opinion polls went up. Newman also became more popular than the Premier, Anna Bligh.

Newman announced that all previous LNP policies would be reviewed and new ones would be created. He also changed his stance on daylight saving. As Lord Mayor, he had supported it, but as LNP leader, he said he would not support it for Queensland.

Newman supported same-sex marriage. However, the LNP party stated before the 2012 election that they might change laws related to it if they won government.

Election Victory

On 25 January 2012, Premier Bligh announced that a state election would be held on 24 March. For Newman to become Premier, he needed to win Ashgrove and also lead the LNP to win at least 11 more seats. The LNP was expected to win the election, as they had been leading in polls for many months.

Before the election, there were some questions raised about a building owned by Newman's family. However, an investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by Newman during his time as Lord Mayor.

In the election, Newman led the LNP to a huge win. The LNP won 78 seats, while Labor won only seven. This was a gain of 44 seats for the LNP. Brisbane, which had been a strong area for Labor for over 20 years, voted strongly for Newman. The LNP won 37 seats in Brisbane, compared to only six before the election. This was the biggest defeat for a sitting government in Queensland history. Newman himself won his Ashgrove seat with a strong majority.

Newman claimed victory on election night, saying he had a clear message from the people to make Queensland "a can-do place once more." The LNP's campaign slogan was "Can Do Queensland," similar to his mayoral slogan, "Can Do Campbell."

Premier

Newman Government

After the election, Premier Bligh resigned. Newman announced that he would form a government. He, along with his two top shadow ministers, Jeff Seeney and Tim Nicholls, were sworn in as a temporary three-person government. Newman became Queensland's 38th Premier on 26 March 2012. His full team of ministers was sworn in a week later.

Newman was the first Premier from the Brisbane area who was not from the Labor Party in a very long time. He was also the first person since Australia became a federation to lead a party to victory without being a member of parliament at the time of the election. He started his term with the largest majority government in Queensland's history. He said he would focus on improving Queensland's economy and finances.

In January 2013, Newman announced plans to support a change to how people vote in federal elections in Queensland.

Government Policies

Newman's government supported selling state-owned businesses and assets to private companies.

In September 2013, Newman announced that special camps for young people who had committed crimes would open. These camps were closed in 2015 by the Labor government.

In October 2013, the Newman government passed new laws about serious offenders. These laws were criticized by legal groups for being too strict. Newman said that Queenslanders wanted these strong new laws.

By September 2013, Newman's government had reduced the number of public service jobs in Queensland by over 12,000.

In July 2014, Newman's government changed a small part of some controversial laws after losing a local election. The government also promised to work better with the opposition party.

2015 Election

On 6 January 2015, Newman announced that a state election would be held on 31 January. During the election campaign, there was talk that Newman might lose his own seat of Ashgrove.

In the election, Newman lost Ashgrove to his Labor opponent, Kate Jones. He announced his retirement from politics on election night. He immediately resigned as Premier and LNP leader. However, he remained as a temporary Premier for almost two weeks while the final election results were being counted. Newman was only the second sitting Queensland Premier to lose his own seat.

In a surprising result, Labor won 44 seats, just short of a majority. They were able to form a government with the support of an independent politician.

Newman is the only person to have served his entire time in the Queensland Parliament as Premier.

Later Political Activities

Leaving the LNP in 2021

On 25 July 2021, Newman announced that he and his wife had resigned from the LNP. He suggested that the LNP candidate in a recent local election was not supported well by the party. Newman hinted that he might return to politics at a federal level, possibly running for the Australian Senate.

Joining the Liberal Democrats

On 8 August 2021, Newman announced he would run for the federal Senate in Queensland in the 2022 Australian federal election with the Liberal Democrats. Newman criticized the main political parties for using "heavy-handed" measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said harmed people's jobs and freedoms. Newman was not elected to the Senate.

Political Views

Newman describes himself as a libertarian. This means he believes in a lot of personal freedom and limited government involvement.

Newman supports same-sex marriage.

Personal Life and Family

Newman lives in Brisbane with his wife, Lisa. They have two daughters. In February 2020, Campbell Newman said his political beliefs were libertarian. Campbell and Lisa Newman resigned from the LNP on 25 July 2021.

See also

• 2015 Queensland state election
• Political families of Australia