Walter Scott (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Walter Robert Scott is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal
member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
from 1974 to 1978.
Scott was born in Maitland
and attended Maitland Boys' High School and Morpeth
Grammar School. He subsequently became a dairy farmer and salesman with Shortland City Council, before directing a small family company in the area. A member of the Liberal Party
, he contested the 1965
and 1968
state elections as an independent
in the seat of Gloucester
, where the Coalition
agreement prevented the Liberal Party from endorsing a candidate against the sitting Country Party
member.
In 1974, Scott was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council
, filling a casual vacancy caused by the death of independent MLC John Gardiner. He served until the 1978 state election
, when the reduction in the Council's size led him to lose his place on the Coalition's ticket. In the 1988 state election
, he was the Liberal candidate for Port Stephens
, losing to Labor
candidate Bob Martin
by 90 votes. Scott took the result to the Court of Disputed Returns
, which surprised political observers and politicians by returning a judgement that government cheques handed to community groups by Martin counted as electoral bribery. In the subsequent by-election, Martin resoundingly defeated Scott, who has not returned to politics.
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...
from 1974 to 1978.
Scott was born in Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
and attended Maitland Boys' High School and Morpeth
Morpeth, New South Wales
Morpeth is a suburb of the City of Maitland Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern banks of the Hunter River at the border between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs...
Grammar School. He subsequently became a dairy farmer and salesman with Shortland City Council, before directing a small family company in the area. A member of the Liberal Party
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...
, he contested the 1965
New South Wales state election, 1965
The 1965 New South Wales state election was held on 1 May 1965. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1961 redistribution...
and 1968
New South Wales state election, 1968
The 1968 New South Wales state election was held on 24 February 1968. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1966 redistribution...
state elections as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
in the seat of Gloucester
Electoral district of Gloucester
Gloucester was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, originally created in 1880, partly replacing Williams, and named after Gloucester or Gloucester County . In 1920, with the introduction of proportional representation, it was absorbed into...
, where the Coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
agreement prevented the Liberal Party from endorsing a candidate against the sitting Country Party
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...
member.
In 1974, Scott was elected to 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...
, filling a casual vacancy caused by the death of independent MLC John Gardiner. He served until the 1978 state election
New South Wales state election, 1978
A general election was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 7 October 1978. The result was the "Wranslide": a landslide victory for the Australian Labor Party under Neville Wran....
, when the reduction in the Council's size led him to lose his place on the Coalition's ticket. In the 1988 state election
New South Wales state election, 1988
Elections to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 19 March 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
, he was the Liberal candidate 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....
, losing to Labor
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...
candidate Bob Martin
Bob Martin (Australian politician)
Robert Douglas "Bob" Martin is a former Australian politician. He was the Labor Party member for Port Stephens in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 1999....
by 90 votes. Scott took the result to the Court of Disputed Returns
Court of Disputed Returns
The Court of Disputed Returns is a court, or a tribunal, or some other body that determines disputes about elections in some common law countries. Sometimes the court may be known by another name, such as the Court of Disputed Elections...
, which surprised political observers and politicians by returning a judgement that government cheques handed to community groups by Martin counted as electoral bribery. In the subsequent by-election, Martin resoundingly defeated Scott, who has not returned to politics.