Leo McLeay

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Leo McLeay

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| constituency_MP1 = Grayndler

| parliament1 = Australian

| majority =

| predecessor1 = Frank Stewart

| successor1 = Jeannette McHugh

| term_start1 = 23 June 1979

| term_end1 = 13 March 1993

| constituency_MP2 = Watson

| parliament2 = Australian

| predecessor2 = New seat

| successor2 = Tony Burke

| term_start2 = 13 March 1993

| term_end2 = 31 August 2004

| office = 20th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives

| predecessor = Joan Child

| successor = Stephen Martin

| term_start = 29 August 1989

| term_end = 8 February 1993

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1945|10|4}}

| birth_place = Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia

| death_date =

| death_place =

| spouse = {{marriage|Janice Delaney|1969}}

| party = Labor

| children = Paul McLeay

| relations =

| emily inkson =

| residence =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Telephone technician{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/canberra-speaker-skids-into-scandal-1470753.html|title=Canberra Speaker skids into scandal|author=Robert Milliken|date=4 February 1993|work=The Independent|accessdate=28 January 2010}}

| profession =

| religion =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Leo Boyce McLeay (born 4 October 1945) is a former Australian politician{{Cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/parl/38/mpsbyage.htm |title=Senators and Members, by Date of Birth |date=13 June 2001 |accessdate=28 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914111342/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/parl/38/mpsbyage.htm |archivedate=14 September 2010 }} who served as a Labor Party member of the House of Representatives from June 1979{{Cite web|url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1980/1980repsnsw.txt|title=Commonwealth of Australia Legislative Election of 18 October 1980|accessdate=28 January 2010}} to October 2004. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives 1989–93. During 1992 he was unsuccessfully censured by John Hewson, at the time Opposition Leader, with a motion of no confidence; Hewson accused McLeay of political bias.{{Cite web|url=http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber%2Fhansardr%2F1992-04-02%2F0081;orderBy=_fragment_number;query=(Dataset%3Ahansardr)%20Date%3A02%2F04%2F1992;rec=0|title=Parliament Hansard of 2 April 1992 Want of Confidence Motion in Mr Speaker}}

Early life

McLeay was born on 4 October 1945 in Marrickville, New South Wales. He was the older of two children born to Joan Ann and Ronald Boyce McLeay. His father was a council worker and worked on the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.{{cite news|url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mcleay-leo-boyce-leo-28212|title=McLeay, Leo Boyce (Leo) (1945–)|first=Michael|last=Hogan|work=Biographical Dictionary of the House of Representatives|year=2021}}

McLeay attended De La Salle College, Marrickville. He left school before obtaining a leaving certificate and began working as a post office telegram boy. In 1962 he joined the Postmaster-General's Department as a telephone technician, receiving further training at North Sydney Technical College. He was a member of the Postal Telecommunication Technicians' Association and the Federated Clerks' Union.

Early political involvement

McLeay joined the ALP at the age of 13 and was state secretary of Young Labor in 1969. He served on the Marrickville Municipal Council from 1971 to 1977. He became a paid ALP employee with the support of Graham Richardson, initially as an organiser and then as assistant general secretary of the state branch from 1976 to 1979.{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LC20040922039|title=Tribute to the Honourable Leo Mcleay|author=Kayee Griffin|date=5 December 2007|page=11278|work=NSW Hansard|accessdate=28 January 2010}}

Politics

McLeay was elected to federal parliament at the 1979 Grayndler by-election, following the death in office of Frank Stewart. He joined a number of parliamentary committees and in 1982 chaired the subcommittee that delivered the In a Home or at Home report on aged care. He was elected chairman of committees in 1986, serving as deputy to Joan Child, and was elected as her replacement upon her retirement in 1989.

McLeay represented the Division of Grayndler from 1979 until 1993.{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20041116036|title=Tribute to the Honourable Leo Mcleay|author=Amanda Fazio|date=5 December 2007|work=NSW Hansard|page=12855|accessdate=28 January 2010}} In 1993, the Division of Phillip was due to be abolished, and its sitting member Jeannette McHugh had become a minister and was entitled to a seat.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2004/guide/gray.htm |work=2004 Federal Election |title=Grayndler Electorate Profile |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|year=2004}} Therefore, McHugh transferred to Grayndler, forcing McLeay to transfer to Division of Watson which he held until 2004.

McLeay was Chair of Committees and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives 1986–89, and Speaker of the House 1989–93. He, Neil Andrew and Bronwyn Bishop are the only three speakers to be subject to motions of no confidence (which were defeated in all cases on party lines).{{Cite web|url=http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;adv=;db=CHAMBER;group=;holdingType=;id=chamber%2Fhansardr%2F1992-04-02%2F0114;orderBy=_fragment_number;page=;query=%28Dataset%3Ahansardr%29%20Date%3A02%2F04%2F1992;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=|title=Division of motion of no confidence|date=2 April 1992|work=Hansard|pages=1734–1742|accessdate=28 January 2010}} He resigned as Speaker following accusations that he had made a false compensation claim of $65,000 following a bicycle accident. This accusation was later shown to be incorrect.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/former-speaker-cleared-1474197.html|title=Former speaker cleared |date=20 February 1993|work=The Independent|accessdate=28 January 2010}} McLeay was subsequently Chief Government Whip 1993–96 and Chief Opposition Whip 1996–2001. He retired at the 2004 election.

Later career

After leaving parliament Leo McLeay became a Director of the Mary MacKillop Foundation in 2005.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mackillopfoundation.org.au/index.php?section=boardofdirectors&director=6|title=Board of Directors|accessdate=28 January 2010}} He was also the New South Wales director of the Enhance Group.{{Cite web|url=http://enhance.l1.mysmarthost.com/index.cfm?MenuID=101|title=Leo McLeay Director NSW|accessdate=28 January 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714144148/http://enhance.l1.mysmarthost.com/index.cfm?MenuID=101|archivedate=14 July 2011}}

Personal life

Leo has three sons - Mark, Paul and Marten. Paul McLeay was the Member for Heathcote in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2003 until his defeat at the 2011 state election.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/young-guns-must-fire-or-party-faces-uncivil-war/story-e6freuy9-1225797987477|title=Young guns must fire or party faces uncivil war |date=16 November 2009|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=28 January 2010}}