Paul Whelan
Encyclopedia
The Hon. Paul Francis Patrick Whelan (born 12 December 1943) is the former New South Wales
State Police
minister.
, a suburb of Sydney
, Australia
to Mary Bridget and John Joseph Whelan. He is the last of their six children. He was educated at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ashbury
, De La Salle College
, Ashfield
, and the University of Sydney
, where he received an LL.B. He was admitted as a solicitor
in 1968 and barrister
in 1988. He married Colleen Mary Healey in 1968 and has two daughters, two sons and five grandchildren. He was an alderman
on the Ashfield Municipal Council
from 1970 to 1976 and Mayor from 1971 to 1976.
from May 1976 to March 1999 and Strathfield
from March 1999 to February 2003 for the Australian Labor Party
. He was Minister Consumer Affairs and Minister for Roads from October 1981 to February 1983 and then Minister for Water Resources and Minister for Forests until April 1984 during the Wran
government. He was also Minister for Aboriginal Affairs from February to April 1984. He was Minister for Police from April 1995 to November 2001 during the Carr
government. The seat was held by Virginia Judge
.
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...
State Police
New South Wales Police
The New South Wales Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is an agency of the Government of New South Wales within the New South Wales Ministry for Police...
minister.
Early years and background
Whelan was born and raised in AshburyAshbury, New South Wales
Ashbury is a suburb in inner-west Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 10 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. The suburb lies in the local government area of the City of Canterbury with some areas in Ashfield Municipality...
, a suburb of 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...
, Australia
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...
to Mary Bridget and John Joseph Whelan. He is the last of their six children. He was educated at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ashbury
Ashbury, New South Wales
Ashbury is a suburb in inner-west Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 10 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. The suburb lies in the local government area of the City of Canterbury with some areas in Ashfield Municipality...
, De La Salle College
De La Salle College Ashfield
This article is about De La Salle College Ashfield, Sydney. For Ashfield College in Dublin, Ireland, see Ashfield College.De La Salle College is a Catholic systemic, secondary, day school for boys', located in Ashfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Established in...
, Ashfield
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
, and the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, where he received an LL.B. He was admitted as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in 1968 and barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in 1988. He married Colleen Mary Healey in 1968 and has two daughters, two sons and five grandchildren. He was an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
on the Ashfield Municipal Council
Municipality of Ashfield
The Municipality of Ashfield is a Local Government Area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It lies approximately 10 kilometres west of the central business district.- Demographics :According to the , there:...
from 1970 to 1976 and Mayor from 1971 to 1976.
Political career
He represented AshfieldElectoral district of Ashfield
Ashfield was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, first created in 1894 with the abolition of multi-member electoral districts from part of Canterbury, and named after the Sydney suburb of Ashfield. It was abolished in 1920, with the...
from May 1976 to March 1999 and Strathfield
Electoral district of Strathfield
Strathfield is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was first created in 1988, and derives its name from the suburb of the same name. Strathfield is an urban electorate, covering 17.94 km² and taking in the suburbs of Strathfield,...
from March 1999 to February 2003 for 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...
. He was Minister Consumer Affairs and Minister for Roads from October 1981 to February 1983 and then Minister for Water Resources and Minister for Forests until April 1984 during the Wran
Neville Wran
Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
government. He was also Minister for Aboriginal Affairs from February to April 1984. He was Minister for Police from April 1995 to November 2001 during the Carr
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...
government. The seat was held by Virginia Judge
Virginia Judge
Dianne "Virginia" Judge , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Strathfield for the Australian Labor Party from 2003 until 2011.-Early life:...
.