Matthew Mason-Cox
Encyclopedia
Matthew Ryan Mason-Cox is an Australia
n politician and a Liberal Party of Australia
member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
since 28 September 2006. He was appointed to the Legislative Council to fill a casual vacancy caused by the early resignation of Patricia Forsythe
MLC.
Mason-Cox is currently Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia
in the Legislative Council in the O'Farrell
Liberal
/Nationals
Opposition.
.
Mason-Cox later served at senior levels in the Australian Public Service
and served as secretary and senior adviser to a number of federal Parliamentary
committees including the Defence Sub-Committee and the Family Law Committee inquiry into the Child Support Scheme.
Mason-Cox was also Corporate Counsel to Elders IXL Ltd in Adelaide and trained as a solicitor at Freehills in Sydney. Mason-Cox holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) degree from the University of NSW, where he was awarded the University Prize for Banking Law.
Matthew is married with four children.
preselection for a Southern New South Wales
regional seat in New South Wales Legislative Council
prior to the 2007 election
, challenging incumbent Patricia Forsythe
.
Mason-Cox would ordinarily have been formally elected to the Legislative Council
at the 2007 election
, but Forsythe
resigned on 13 September 2006 and Mason-Cox was appointed to the resulting casual vacancy and was sworn in as a Member of the Legislative Council
on 28 September 2006.
Mason-Cox raised the state of infrastructure in the Monaro region and the ongoing battle between New South Wales
and the Australian Capital Territory
over water rights in the Queanbeyan region as early legislative priorities.
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 and a Liberal Party of Australia
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...
member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
since 28 September 2006. He was appointed to the Legislative Council to fill a casual vacancy caused by the early resignation of Patricia Forsythe
Patricia Forsythe
Patricia Forsythe is the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber and a former Liberal member of the NSW Legislative Council. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, she received a Bachelor of Arts Patricia Forsythe is the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber and a former Liberal...
MLC.
Mason-Cox is currently Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia
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...
in the Legislative Council in the O'Farrell
Barry O'Farrell
Barry Robert O'Farrell MP, is an Australian politician and is the 43rd Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Western Sydney, Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party and a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Ku-ring-gai for the Liberal Party since 1999.Born in...
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...
/Nationals
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Opposition.
Personal life
Mason-Cox operated an optometry business in the rural city of QueanbeyanQueanbeyan, New South Wales
Queanbeyan is a regional centre in the Southern Tablelands in south-eastern New South Wales adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory. The city's mixed economy is based on light construction, high technology, manufacturing, service, retail and agriculture. It is the council seat of the...
.
Mason-Cox later served at senior levels in the Australian Public Service
Australian Public Service
The Australian Public Service is the Australian federal civil service, the group of people employed by federal departments, agencies and courts under the Government of Australia, to administer the working of the public administration of the Commonwealth of Australia...
and served as secretary and senior adviser to a number of federal Parliamentary
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
committees including the Defence Sub-Committee and the Family Law Committee inquiry into the Child Support Scheme.
Mason-Cox was also Corporate Counsel to Elders IXL Ltd in Adelaide and trained as a solicitor at Freehills in Sydney. Mason-Cox holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) degree from the University of NSW, where he was awarded the University Prize for Banking Law.
Matthew is married with four children.
Political career
In 2006, Mason-Cox stood for Liberal PartyLiberal 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...
preselection for a Southern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
regional seat in New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
prior to the 2007 election
New South Wales legislative election, 2007
Elections for the 54th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 24 March 2007. The entire Legislative Assembly and half of the Legislative Council was up for election. The Australian Labor Party led by Morris Iemma won a fourth four-year term against the Liberal-National coalition led...
, challenging incumbent Patricia Forsythe
Patricia Forsythe
Patricia Forsythe is the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber and a former Liberal member of the NSW Legislative Council. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, she received a Bachelor of Arts Patricia Forsythe is the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber and a former Liberal...
.
Mason-Cox would ordinarily have been formally elected to the Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
at the 2007 election
New South Wales legislative election, 2007
Elections for the 54th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 24 March 2007. The entire Legislative Assembly and half of the Legislative Council was up for election. The Australian Labor Party led by Morris Iemma won a fourth four-year term against the Liberal-National coalition led...
, but Forsythe
Patricia Forsythe
Patricia Forsythe is the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber and a former Liberal member of the NSW Legislative Council. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, she received a Bachelor of Arts Patricia Forsythe is the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber and a former Liberal...
resigned on 13 September 2006 and Mason-Cox was appointed to the resulting casual vacancy and was sworn in as a Member of the Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
on 28 September 2006.
Mason-Cox raised the state of infrastructure in the Monaro region and the ongoing battle between New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
over water rights in the Queanbeyan region as early legislative priorities.