17 Facts About Neil Pickard

Neil Edward William Pickard was a New South Wales politician and Minister of the Crown in the cabinets of Sir Eric Willis and Nick Greiner.

Neil Pickard was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 26 years from 17 November 1973 to 3 May 1991 for the Liberal Party until his retirement from politics upon the abolition of his seat at the election.

Neil Pickard was appointed NSW Agent-General in London, but was recalled soon after due to expenses abuse.

Neil Pickard moved to Peak Hill to serve as a Methodist Minister from 1952 to 1965.

Neil Pickard entered politics when he was elected as became an Alderman of the Peak Hill Shire Council and it was there that he joined the Liberal Party: "to me the Liberal Party was the party that offered the greatest freedom on a grass roots level".

Neil Pickard became Western Regional chairman and a member of the State Executive of the Liberal Party.

In May 1971, Neil Pickard was asked by Prime Minister William McMahon to be part of the education sub-committee of the joint standing committee on Federal Policy, to examine Liberal education policy.

In 1973, while teaching at Sydney University, Neil Pickard was approached by the Premier of New South Wales, Sir Robert Askin and offered the nomination for the vacant Liberal preselection of the seat of Hornsby, when the sitting member, John Maddison, chose to contest the new seat of Ku-ring-gai.

At the party room meeting on 20 January 1976, Neil Pickard called a spill motion which carried 22 votes to 11.

Neil Pickard was thereafter made Shadow Minister for Energy, a title he held from 11 July 1980 to 12 October 1981.

Once John Dowd became leader, Neil Pickard was dropped from the opposition frontbench.

Neil Pickard was suspended for two days from parliament after losing his customarily cool temper during a rowdy session in the Legislative Assembly on 27 October 1987.

Once Unsworth had lost in a landslide to the Greiner-led coalition at the 1988 election, Neil Pickard was appointed as Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy in the new government.

Neil Pickard generated international interest when he announced to Parliament a plan to use seized marijuana crops as a cheaper alternative for coal, the plan was met with uproarious laughter from both sides.

Neil Pickard held office until 1991 when his seat of Hornsby was abolished, and he subsequently retired from politics.

However, following allegations that he had abused his expenses while in that office, the new Premier John Fahey abolished the office of Agent-General in 1992 and Neil Pickard was recalled in March 1993.

Neil Pickard contested the decision over a breach of contract and later won a dispute over compensation, although he never again took part in political life.