Matthew Ryan Mason-Cox is an Australian politician who served as President of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 4 May 2021 until 9 May 2023.
14 Facts About Matthew Mason-Cox
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Matthew Mason-Cox was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for the Liberal Party from 28 September 2006 until 3 March 2023, with a short two-week stint as an Independent in May 2021.
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Matthew Mason-Cox operated an optometry business in the city of Queanbeyan, New South Wales.
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Matthew Mason-Cox later served at senior levels in the Australian Public Service and served as secretary and senior adviser to a number of Federal Parliamentary committees including the Defence Sub-Committee and the Family Law Committee inquiry into the Child Support Scheme.
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Matthew Mason-Cox was Corporate Counsel to Elders IXL Ltd in Adelaide and trained as a solicitor at Freehills in Sydney.
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Matthew Mason-Cox holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of New South Wales, where he was awarded the University Prize for Banking Law.
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Matthew Mason-Cox is married to Wendy Matthew Mason-Cox and has four children.
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In 2006, Matthew Mason-Cox stood for Liberal Party preselection for a Southern New South Wales regional ballot position for election the New South Wales Legislative Council prior to the 2007 election, challenging incumbent Patricia Forsythe.
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Matthew Mason-Cox raised the state of infrastructure in the Monaro region and the ongoing battle between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory over water rights in the Queanbeyan region as early legislative priorities.
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Matthew Mason-Cox was appointed as the Minister for Fair Trading, in May 2014, but was not appointed to the second Baird ministry following the 2015 state election and following reports he attempted to sack a well-respected senior career bureaucrat for not involving him in a media blitz over faulty USB chargers.
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Matthew Mason-Cox was briefly the leader of the Liberal Party in the Legislative Council during 2014 and 2015 but was not the Government leader in the Council.
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Matthew Mason-Cox was elected President of the Legislative Council on 4 May 2021 after a dispute over the election of President after the resignation of John Ajaka.
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On 5 May 2021, Matthew Mason-Cox was expelled from the Liberal Party after he nominated himself for the position against the Premier's pick.
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Transport Minister Andrew Constance believes Matthew Mason-Cox standing and winning the Legislative Council presidency was in retaliation for being dumped as a minister in 2015 by then-premier Mike Baird.