19 Facts About Alex Somlyay

Alexander Michael Somlyay was born on 18 January 1946 and is a former Australian politician.

Alex Somlyay was a member of the House of Representatives from 1990 to 2013, representing the Queensland seat of Fairfax for the Liberal Party.

Alex Somlyay briefly held ministerial office in the Howard government as Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government from 1997 to 1998.

Alex Somlyay is of Hungarian-Jewish descent; he and his parents arrived in Australia in 1949 as stateless persons, with his parents having been stripped of their Hungarian citizenship during World War II.

Alex Somlyay joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1963 and worked for several different departments.

Alex Somlyay completed the degree of Bachelor of Economics in 1975 at the Australian National University.

Alex Somlyay later moved to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where he was a consultant economist and company director.

Alex Somlyay was senior private secretary to National Country Party MP Evan Adermann from 1976 to 1980.

Alex Somlyay later joined the Liberal Party and was chair of its Maroochydore branch.

At the 1990 federal election, Alex Somlyay won the seat of Fairfax for the Liberal Party following Adermann's retirement.

Alex Somlyay defeated high-profile Nationals shadow minister John Stone, who was attempting to transfer to the House of Representatives from the Senate.

Alex Somlyay's campaign targeted Stone as an outsider who would not make a suitable local member.

Alex Somlyay was a member of the informal conservative faction the Lyons Forum when it was active in the 1990s.

Alex Somlyay held junior portfolios in John Hewson's shadow ministry from 1992 to 1994, as secretary to the shadow cabinet and shadow parliamentary secretary to the leader of the opposition.

Alex Somlyay was not retained in the ministry after the 1998 federal election.

Alex Somlyay chaired a number of committees during his parliamentary tenure and was chief opposition whip in the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2010.

Alex Somlyay's announcement was controversial as the position is typically held by a member of the governing party and he stated that he would support the government on confidence and supply.

In September 2010 Alex Somlyay announced that he would not stand for re-election at the next federal election.

Alex Somlyay defended the payments from his taxpayer-funded budget to his wife, claiming that he had done nothing wrong.