14 Facts About Kevin Rozzoli

Kevin Richard Rozzoli AM was born on 13 September 1939 and is a former New South Wales politician, lawyer and watchmaker and jeweller.

Kevin Rozzoli was a Liberal Party of Australia member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1973 until 2003, representing the electorate of Hawkesbury and serving as Deputy Leader of the NSW Liberal Party from 1981 to 1983 and as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 1995, during the Greiner and John Fahey governments.

Ron Kevin Rozzoli was the Honorary Secretary of the Richmond School of Arts from 1960 to 2003.

In December 1968 Kevin Rozzoli was elected as an Alderman on the Windsor Municipal Council.

Kevin Rozzoli served as the founding President of the Hawkesbury District Conservation Society.

Kevin Rozzoli soon became involved in the local branches of the Liberal Party of Australia, serving as Secretary of the Richmond Branch from 1972 to 1973 and as Secretary of the Hawkesbury State Electoral Council from 1972 to 1973.

At age 33, Kevin Rozzoli narrowly won Liberal pre-selection for the seat after five ballots, defeating among others, Alan Cadman.

The seat had gradually become more marginal over the years and Kevin Rozzoli went on to narrowly defeat the Labor candidate Peter Dunn by a two-party-preferred margin of 52 to 47 percent.

Kevin Rozzoli would be re-elected a further nine times in this seat.

However, with the departure of Dowd from the leadership on 15 March 1983 Kevin Rozzoli was defeated in his position of Deputy Leader by Rosemary Foot 7 votes to 6.

Mr Kevin Rozzoli is the fairest and most impartial Speaker I have seen in this House.

Kevin Rozzoli sought to model his time in the Speaker's chair on the role of the Speaker of the House of Commons and has been the last speaker in the NSW Parliament so far to wear the full traditional dress of the Speaker, which includes the wig and full legal dress.

Kevin Rozzoli attempted to recontest his seat for a tenth time at the 2003 election, but amidst a period of intra-party factional conflict, was defeated for Liberal preselection by former Hornsby mayor Steven Pringle.

In July 2015, following the significant public criticism of the conduct of the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop, including her decision to include the cost of helicopter flights to attend a part fundraiser within her parliamentary entitlements, Kevin Rozzoli was interviewed for his views as a former speaker.