Michael MacKellar

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Michael MacKellar

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AM}}

| image = Michael MacKellar 1974 (cropped).jpg

| caption = MacKellar in 1974

| office = Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment

| primeminister = Malcolm Fraser

| term_start = 17 February 1981

| term_end = 19 March 1981

| predecessor = Robert Ellicott

| successor = Ian Wilson

| office1 = Minister for Health

| primeminister1 = Malcolm Fraser

| term_start1 = 8 December 1979

| term_end1 = 20 April 1982

| predecessor1 = Ralph Hunt

| successor1 = Peter Baume

| office2 = Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs

| primeminister2 = Malcolm Fraser

| term_start2 = 22 December 1975

| term_end2 = 8 December 1979

| predecessor2 = Tony Street

| successor2 = Ian Macphee

| constituency_MP3 = Warringah

| parliament3 = Australian

| predecessor3 = Edward St John

| successor3 = Tony Abbott

| term_start3 = 25 October 1969

| term_end3 = 18 February 1994

| birth_name = Michael John Randal MacKellar

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1938|10|27}}

| birth_place = Moree, New South Wales,{{fact|date=June 2022}} Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2015|5|9|1938|10|27}}

| death_place = Melbourne, Victoria,{{fact|date=June 2022}} Australia

| spouse =

| party = Liberal

| relations =

| children = 3

| residence =

| alma_mater = University of Sydney, University of Oxford

| occupation = Agricultural scientist

| profession =

| religion =

| signature =

| footnotes =

}}

Michael John Randal MacKellar {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (27 October 1938 – 9 May 2015) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the House of Representatives from 1969 to 1994, representing the Division of Warringah. He was Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (1975–1979) and Minister for Health (1979–1982) in the Fraser government.

Biography

MacKellar was born in Moree, New South Wales{{fact|date=June 2022}} and educated at the Sydney Church of England Grammar School, before attending the University of Sydney and University of Oxford. He was an agricultural scientist, working at the New South Wales Department of Agriculture and lecturing at the University of Sydney and New South Wales before he entered politics. He was first elected to Parliament in 1969, taking over from the controversial Edward St. John. In June 1974 he joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Immigration Minister.{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Terence |date=2015-07-20 |title=Minister known for common touch |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/minister-known-for-common-touch-20150720-giglre.html |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}

=Fraser government (1975–1983)=

In December 1975, MacKellar was first appointed to the front bench as the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, a position he held until 1979, when he became Minister for Health and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister.{{Cite web |title=Person details for: CP 286 |url=https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SessionTimeout.aspx |access-date=2024-07-20 |website=National Archives of Australia}} In Opposition, MacKellar acted as Shadow Minister for Science.

MacKellar attracted some controversy over his handling of an incident involving the improper importation of a colour television set. In 1982, a ministerial staffer submitted an incorrect customs declaration form when arranging for the set to be imported. When this was discovered, a fellow Minister, John Moore, attempted a cover-up. Moore and MacKellar both accepted responsibility and resigned as ministers.{{cite news |author1=Bowers, Peter |title=A Government in tatters after the night of the long shredder. Resignations of Michael MacKellar and John Moore over the colour television incident |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald | publication-date=21 April 1982 |pages=7 | issn=0312-6315 }}{{cite book |title=Ministerial Careers and Accountability in the Australian Commonwealth Government |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tte_AOaDLhkC&q=john+moore+Michael+MacKellar&pg=PA124 |editor=Dowding, Keith M|editor2=Lewis, Chris |format=e-book |pages=123 |year=2012 |publisher=ANU Press |location=Canberra |isbn = 9781922144010}}

=In Opposition (1983–1994)=

Following the 1983 election defeat he returned to the frontbench as Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, before being demoted to Shadow Science Minister after the 1984 election. After Andrew Peacock resigned he moved to the backbench.{{cite web|url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/officebearers/shadows2.txt|title=Opposition Executives and Title Ministries|date=1984|publisher=Psephos Adam Carr's Election Archive}}

He contested the Liberal Deputy leadership three times 1982, 1985 & 1987, finishing second to John Howard in 1982.

MacKellar resigned from Parliament on 18 February 1994, causing a by-election that was subsequently won by future Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

=After politics=

After leaving politics MacKellar became Chairman of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority in 1998.{{cite press release |url=http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-archive-mediarel-1998-tw2198.htm |publisher=Department of Health and Ageing |title=New chairman for Australia New Zealand Food Authority |year=1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080809180237/http://health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-archive-mediarel-1998-tw2198.htm |archive-date=9 August 2008 |url-status=dead }} He also acted as Chief Operations Officer of the Baker Medical Research Institute and Chief Executive Officer of the Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association. MacKellar also served as the president of the Melbourne-based National Ageing Research Institute.

Personal life

Mackellar had three children, one of whom was autistic. His daughter Maggie was the subject of an episode of ABC TV's Australian Story.{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2012/s3868385.htm |title=On Maggie's Farm |work=Australian Story |date=14 October 2013 |location=Australia |publisher=ABC TV |accessdate=14 October 2013 |format=transcript |author=Gee, Peter }} He died on 9 May 2015 at the age of 76.{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/fraser-govt-minister-mackellar-dies/story-fn3dxiwe-1227348473758|title=Fraser govt minister MacKellar dies|newspaper=The Australian|date=9 May 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150509-094252/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/fraser-govt-minister-mackellar-dies/story-fn3dxiwe-1227348473758 |archive-date=2015-05-09 |url-status=dead |access-date=2024-06-26}} He was given a state funeral on 15 May 2015 at St John's Anglican Church, Toorak, Victoria.{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.gov.au/pmc/media/2015/state-funeral-right-honourable-michael-mackellar-am-1938-2015 |title=State Funeral - the Right Honourable Michael MacKellar AM 1938-2015 | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |accessdate=2015-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518082730/https://www.dpmc.gov.au/pmc/media/2015/state-funeral-right-honourable-michael-mackellar-am-1938-2015 |archive-date=18 May 2015 |df=dmy-all }}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20080804083826/http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/view_document.aspx?TABLE=biogs&ID=7904 Parlinfo Web Biography] from the Parliament of Australia
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070907022936/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/parl/37/chronpar.htm Chronology of Events relating to the Membership of the 37th Parliament]
[http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/supplementary_by_elections/warringah.htm Australian Electoral Commission: Warringah (NSW) By-election (26 March 1994)]
[http://www.australianpolitics.com/executive/ministry/resignations.shtml Ministerial Resignations and Dismissals Since 1901]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20050719082710/http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/pubs/pops/pop28/c06.pdf Papers on Parliament No. 28 – November 1996 – Poets, Presidents, People and Parliament Republicanism and other issues – Chapter 6 – The Minister and His Private Office]
[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2004/guide/warr.htm ABC electoral profile for Warringah]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20050717220148/http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/ANZFA__Annual_Report__.pdf ANZFA Annual Report, 1999–2000 (PDF)]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20091030015032/http://www.nari.unimelb.edu.au/ National Ageing Research Institute] (2009 archive)
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110217130929/http://www.nari.unimelb.edu.au/governance/board_members.htm National Ageing Research Institute Board Members] (2011 archive)