27 Facts About Tony Windsor

At the 2016 election, Tony Windsor unsuccessfully attempted to regain the seat of New England against Nationals incumbent Barnaby Joyce.

Tony Windsor was one of three sons raised by their mother after their father was killed in a farm accident when Windsor was eight years old.

Tony Windsor was educated at Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School, Tamworth and the University of New England, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Economics.

Tony Windsor was a farmer at Werris Creek before entering politics.

Tony Windsor had originally sought National Party preselection for this seat, but allegations in regards to a drink-driving incident arose on the day of his preselection, and the National Party endorsed another candidate.

In spite of the allegations, Tony Windsor won as an independent candidate and held the seat for ten years.

Tony Windsor was one of the four independents who held the balance of power after Nick Greiner's Liberal-National Coalition lost 10 seats, resulting in a hung parliament.

Tony Windsor resigned from the state parliament in September 2001 in order to contest the federal seat of New England.

Tony Windsor took a large lead on the first count, and defeated St Clair on Labor and other party preferences.

Tony Windsor's victory was considered a shock result, since the National Party and its predecessor, the Country Party, had held New England since 1922, usually without serious difficulty.

Tony Windsor claimed that he had been approached, in May 2004, by a figure associated with the National Party with the offer of a diplomatic position in exchange for retiring from politics.

Tony Windsor made the allegations during the course of the 2004 federal election campaign, some five months after the incident allegedly occurred.

Tony Windsor was comfortably re-elected in the October 2004 election, increasing his majority to 21 percent.

Tony Windsor claimed that the AFP had referred the matter to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions for determination.

Tony Windsor was comfortably re-elected in 2007, increasing his majority to 24 per cent.

However, several days later, Tony Windsor claimed it should not be assumed that the three rural independents would move together.

Tony Windsor is known as the architect of the bill which became an amendment to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 known as the water trigger.

On 26 June 2013 Tony Windsor announced that he would not be contesting the 2013 election; partly due to an undisclosed medical condition.

On 10 March 2016, Tony Windsor announced his intention to contest his former seat of New England as an independent candidate at the 2016 election.

Tony Windsor faced incumbent Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Leader of the National Party of Australia Barnaby Joyce at the 2016 election, who had won the seat upon Tony Windsor's retirement at the previous election.

On election day Tony Windsor was convincingly defeated, taking 41 percent of the two-party vote.

Tony Windsor has fought a long-standing battle protecting the interests of local landholders and farmers living on one of NSW's richest agricultural regions, the Liverpool Plains, due to the impact of mining on underlying groundwater.

The Australian subsequently claimed that Tony Windsor yielded a return about three times greater than other farmers who sold their properties to the same company in the previous 18 months.

Tony Windsor was present at the February 2011 announcement by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, on the proposed July 2012 introduction of a tax on carbon emissions, together with Greens senators Bob Brown and Christine Milne, the Minister for Climate Change, Greg Combet, and independent MP Rob Oakeshott.

Tony Windsor called for a referendum on same-sex marriage back in 2013, saying that the issue should be removed from the hands of politicians.

Tony Windsor endorsed a referendum on the death penalty in the 1990's.

In October 2021 Tony Windsor was named as an advisor for climate fund, Climate 200.