49 Facts About Campbell Newman

Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman was born on 12 August 1963 and is an Australian former politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015.

Campbell Newman served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland between 24 March 2012 and 31 January 2015.

Campbell Newman was LNP Leader from 2 April 2011 to 7 February 2015; Newman previously served as the 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 27 March 2004 to 3 April 2011.

Campbell Newman became a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland following the July 2008 merger of the Queensland Liberals and the Nationals.

In March 2011, Campbell Newman announced that he would challenge opposition leader John-Paul Langbroek for the leadership of the LNP.

Campbell Newman led the LNP in the 2012 state election, winning 78 of 89 seats from a 44-seat two-party swing, a record for Queensland.

Campbell Newman was sworn in as premier two days later, becoming the first Brisbane-based non-Labor premier in 97 years.

Campbell Newman himself lost his own seat to his Labor predecessor, Kate Jones.

On 10 February 2015, Campbell Newman submitted his resignation and he was replaced as premier by Annastacia Palaszczuk four days later as Labor formed a minority government.

In July 2021, Campbell Newman resigned from the LNP, and in August 2021 announced he had joined the Liberal Democrats and would be standing as the party's lead Senate candidate in Queensland at the 2022 Australian federal election.

Campbell Newman was the first premier of Queensland from the Liberal National Party.

Campbell Newman's father, Kevin, represented the federal seat of Bass from 1975 to 1984, and was a minister in the Fraser government.

Campbell Newman's mother, Jocelyn Newman, was a Senator for Tasmania and a minister in the Howard government.

Campbell Newman joined the Australian Army as a staff cadet at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1981, graduating as a lieutenant in 1985.

Campbell Newman spent 13 years in the army, resigning in 1993 with the rank of major.

Campbell Newman has an honours degree in civil engineering from the University of New South Wales.

Campbell Newman was selected as one of 25 mayors from across the world shortlisted for the 2010 World Mayor Prize, an online competition aimed at raising the profile of civic leaders.

Campbell Newman subsequently acknowledged he had been approached about moving up to state politics.

However, on 22 March, Campbell Newman announced that he was seeking the LNP preselection for the west Brisbane seat of Ashgrove, held by Labor's Kate Jones, in the election due for 2012.

However, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation elections analyst Antony Green, Campbell Newman carried The Gap ward, which contains the bulk of Ashgrove, with 56 per cent of the two-party vote in 2004 and almost 70 per cent in 2008.

On 2 April 2011, Campbell Newman was elected as the leader of the LNP.

Normal practice in a Westminster system would have called for an LNP member of parliament from a safe seat to resign so that Campbell Newman could enter parliament via a by-election.

Campbell Newman had promised to focus exclusively on recovery in 2011, but was concerned that the LNP's leadership situation could make the co-operation necessary for the recovery effort impossible.

Campbell Newman made it clear that when he took over the LNP leadership, all policies previously announced would be scrapped and essentially become "null and void" with new policy announcements to be made.

On 30 May 2021, Campbell Newman was made one of the LNP's trustees, a party elder position that is involved in finances and has a seat on the state executive.

An hour later, Campbell Newman announced that he intended to advise Governor Penny Wensley that he was able to form a government.

Campbell Newman announced that he intended to have himself and his top two shadow ministers, Seeney and Tim Nicholls, sworn in as an interim three-man government until a full ministry could be named, with Seeney as deputy premier and Nicholls as treasurer.

Campbell Newman is the first person since Federation to lead a party to victory while not himself serving in the legislature at the time of the election.

Campbell Newman entered office with the largest majority government in Queensland history, and percentage-wise the largest legislative majority in any Australian state or federal election in history at the time.

Campbell Newman announced that he would focus on rebuilding Queensland's economy and setting its finances in order.

Campbell Newman asked his large party room to put together plans to "deliver their promises" in their own seats.

Campbell Newman promised that Labor would have the full rights and privileges entitled to the Official Opposition, even though at the time it was two seats short of official status in the legislature.

In January 2013, Campbell Newman announced plans to push for Queensland to allow optional preferential voting in federal elections.

Campbell Newman's government supported privatisation and the sale of state assets, but never sold any state assets.

In September 2013, Campbell Newman announced that bootcamps for convicted young people will open in Townsville and Rockhampton by September 2013, along with two other camps.

On 7 April 2014, the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption heard that Campbell Newman wanted $5,000 to meet Sydney businessman Nick Di Girolamo when he was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane.

On 21 July 2014, Campbell Newman was forced to withdraw a very small part of the controversial biker laws following a landslide defeat in a by-election in the seat of Stafford and rapidly decaying public approval across the state.

On 5 January 2015, media organisations reported that Campbell Newman intended to announce the election date the next day.

At the election Campbell Newman lost Ashgrove to his Labor predecessor, Kate Jones, on a swing of nearly 10 points.

Campbell Newman immediately resigned as both premier and LNP leader, though he remained as caretaker premier for nearly two weeks while the overall result was in doubt.

Campbell Newman was the second sitting Queensland premier to lose his own seat, the first being Digby Denham.

Campbell Newman's defeat triggered an unsuccessful party room challenge to then Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles, whose leadership style was reported to be similar to Campbell Newman's.

Campbell Newman is the only person to have served the entirety of his time in the Queensland Parliament as Premier.

Campbell Newman announced his resignation from the LNP on 25 July 2021 along with his wife, saying the LNP candidate in the 2021 Stretton state by-election was "let down by a party and leadership that never stands up for anything".

Campbell Newman hinted at plans to return to politics at a federal level and was yet to decide whether to run in a party or as an independent but said if he did run, it would be for the Australian Senate.

On 8 August 2021, Campbell Newman announced his candidacy for the federal Senate representing Queensland at the 2022 federal election with the Liberal Democrats.

Campbell Newman criticised the major parties for the use of "heavy-handed" measures he says are responsible for "the destruction of people's livelihoods, jobs and freedoms" during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February 2020, in an online interview, Campbell Newman described his political philosophy as being libertarian.

Campbell and Lisa Newman announced their resignations from the LNP on 25 July 2021.