Shane Stone facts for kids

Shane Leslie Stone AC, KC (born 25 September 1950) is an important Australian political leader. He has been a member and leader of the Country Liberal Party. From May 1995 to February 1999, he served as the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, which is like being the premier or governor of a state. Since October 2023, he has been the president of the Country Liberal Party.

Mr. Stone also held a significant role as the Chair of the Council for the Order of Australia from 2018 to 2023. This council helps decide who receives Australia's highest awards for their achievements. He was also the Coordinator-General of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, helping communities recover from natural disasters. From 1999 to 2005, he was the federal president of the Liberal Party of Australia.

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Shane Stone AC, KC
Stone in 2018
President of the Country Liberal Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 October 2023
Leader	Lia Finocchiaro
Preceded by	Lawson Broad
Chair of the Council for the Order of Australia
In office 1 February 2018 – 25 January 2023
Preceded by	Sir Angus Houston
Succeeded by	Shelley Reys
Coordinator-General of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency
In office 5 May 2021 – 31 August 2022
Preceded by	Agency created
Succeeded by	Agency abolished
5th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
In office 26 May 1995 – 8 February 1999
Deputy	Mike Reed
Preceded by	Marshall Perron
Succeeded by	Denis Burke
Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Port Darwin
In office 1990 – 21 February 2000
Preceded by	Tom Harris
Succeeded by	Sue Carter
President of the Liberal Party of Australia
In office 1 July 1999 – 25 June 2005
Leader	John Howard
Preceded by	Tony Staley
Succeeded by	Chris McDiven
Personal details
Born	(1950-09-25) 25 September 1950 (age 74) Bendigo, Victoria
Political party	Country Liberal Party / Liberal Party

Shane Stone's Journey in Politics

Early Political Roles (1990s)

Shane Stone was first elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1990. He represented the area of Electoral division of Port Darwin as a member of the Country Liberal Party (CLP). During his time, he held several important roles, also known as "portfolios." These included being in charge of education, energy, and trade with Asian countries.

Mr. Stone became the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory in May 1995. During his leadership, a special vote called a referendum was held in 1998. This vote asked people if the Northern Territory should become a state. The idea was to give the Northern Territory more independence, similar to other Australian states. However, the referendum did not pass by a small margin.

In 1999, Shane Stone stepped down as Chief Minister. Later that year, he became the federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia. He also received an award from the Malaysian state of Sabah, called the Order of Kinabalu.

Leadership and Public Service (2000s)

In 2001, a private memo written by Shane Stone was shared with the public. This memo suggested that the government led by John Howard was seen as "mean and tricky." This caused a lot of discussion and debate.

Beyond politics, Shane Stone has been involved in many other important roles. He was the National Chairman for the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award - Australia from 2012 to 2018. This award program helps young people develop new skills and serve their communities. He is now an ambassador for the award.

In 2001, he received the Centenary Medal. In 2006, he was given the high honor of being a Companion of the Order of Australia. This award recognized his service to politics, business, and building good relationships between Australia and countries in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2018, he was chosen to lead the Council for the Order of Australia. He also received the Gold Distinguished Service Medal from the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award in 2019.

Helping Communities Recover (2020s)

In March 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked Shane Stone to lead the North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency. This agency was created to help farmers and communities recover after severe floods in North Queensland.

Later in 2019, this agency grew to include helping with drought recovery and was renamed the National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency. Shane Stone continued to lead this new agency. In May 2021, this agency became part of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency (NRRA), and he remained its Coordinator-General.

During the Queensland and New South Wales floods in March 2022, Mr. Stone made comments about rebuilding homes in flood-prone areas. He suggested that people in these areas might need to "face realities" about where they live. These comments led to some criticism from the opposition party.

After the federal election in May 2022, the new government decided to combine the NRRA with another agency. Shane Stone took leave and left the NRRA on August 31, 2022.

After leaving the NRRA, Shane Stone was elected president of the Country Liberal Party in October 2023. Under his leadership, the party won the 2024 Northern Territory general election.