Former pollies on ASX-listed boards

January 20, 2017

This list tracks the former Australian politicians who have or still serve on public company boards.

John Anderson: the former Agriculture and Transport Minister in the Howard Government retired before the game was up and now chairs Eastern Star Gas which aspires to copy its more successful Queensland based rivals.

Doug Anthony: the former Federal National Party leader and former deputy-PM, is a former director of Normandy Mining and the inspiration for the comedy act Doug Anthony All Stars. He was a director of several smaller companies such as PosGold Ltd, Clyde Agriculture Ltd, and Swires Australia Ltd. He is also former chairman of Pan Australia Mining.

Larry Anthony: the former Federal Minister for Children and Youth Affairs held the seat that was previously held by his father, Doug Anthony, and his grandfather, Larry Anthony. Now a former director of the collapsed ABC Learning and facing, along with other former directors, a $1 billion claim. Also a director of the old Macquarie Leisure which is now called Ardent Leisure and owns Dreamworld.

Neil Batt: former Tasmanian government minister and Deputy Premier was the Chairman of Armstrong Jones listed trust, now called ING Industrial Fund.

Alan Brown: a former Liberal opposition leader and Transport Minister in Victoria who joined the board of strife-torn Traffic Group in January 2004 and is also on Chairman of Apprenticeships Plus.

Ian Campbell: John Howard's Environment Minister is a non-executive director of IT service provider ASG Group and other private companies including Austal, ASG Group, Solco and Proto Resources. He is also chairman of WA2011, the event manager for the International Sailing Federation World Sailing Championships in Perth in 2011. He is also on the Advisory Board of Australian-based international geothermal developer Green Rock Energy Limited.

Keith de Lacy: from Treasurer of Queensland in the Goss government to a professional director who chairs Macarthur Coal, and Cairns Casino. Moreover he is also chairman of the Cubbie Group, Nimrod Resources, and Queensland Energy Resources. He has retired from the chair of Queensland Sugar and from the board of Trinity Limited, where he served as Chairman from October 4, 2004 to August 21, 2009.

John Dawkins: former Treasurer in the Keating Labor government from December 1991 to December 1993. He has been non-executive Chair of Integrated Legal Holdings which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2006, only the second law firm to do so in Australia.

John Ducker: the late Labor senator and NSW right wing powerbroker was chairman of pokies giant Aristocrat until he was sacked with a monstrous payout a few years back.

Wayne Goss: the former Queensland Labor Premier has chaired Brisbane-based mining engineering company Ausenco since 2002 and previously served as a director of Webcentral and Peplin.

Robin Gray: the former Tasmanian Premier and Liberal Government Minister is a long serving director of tree-lopping giant Gunns Ltd.

Nick Greiner the former Premier and Treasurer of New South Wales is a professional director and is Chairman of Bradken, Healthcare Australia, and Deputy Chairman of Stockland Trust.

Bob Hawke: the former Labor PM was briefly a director of a listed Joe Gutnick diamond explorer in the 1990s.

David Hamill: the former Queensland Treasurer went on to chair Babcock & Brown Infrastructure during its disastrous expansion and then subsequence collapse.

Don Hayward: the former Victorian Liberal Education Minister is also a former director of Abigroup and is chairman of Australian Public Trustees.

Dr John Hewson: the former Federal Liberal and opposition leader was also a director CBD Online, and is the former Vice Chairman of the listed GRD Limited. He also served as a non executive director of IT&T Services.

Tony Hyams: the former Victorian Liberal backbencher was a director of Mike Fitzpatrick's Australian Infrastructure Fund in the late 1990s.

Paul Keating: the former Labor PM is also director of the listed Brain Resource Company along with many other directorships.

Jeff Kennett: the former Victorian Liberal Premier turned to the corporate work and became a director of Equity Trustees and Q Ltd after earlier failed stints with companies such as Sofcom, National Telecoms Group and Data & Commerce Ltd.

Michael Lee: Paul Keating's former Federal Communications and Arts Minister was a member of the City of Sydney Council 2004-08. He has spent several years on the Macquarie Airports board, is an independent director of the DUET Group, plus was on one another Macquarie vehicle, Macquarie Capital Alliance Group.

Wendy Machin: the first woman elected to represent the National Party in NSW in 1985 became a junior minister in the Greiner government and is now chairman of the NRMA.

Terry Mackenroth: from Treasurer and planning minister in the Beattie government to a director of developer Devine Ltd. He is also chairman of the Gold Coast Events Company.

Peter Nixon: the former Federal Minister of Transport and Primary industry is a retired chairman of Southern Cross Broadcasting and also a former deputy chairman of Bob Ansett's failed Budget Corp.

Andrew Peacock: his one dalliance with Gold Coast-based financial and property play MFS ended in disaster when it collapsed in 2008.

Chris Schacht: the former Minister for Science and Small Business in the Keating Labour government is a non-executive director of uranium wannabe Marathon Resources, plus an emerging shareholder activist.

John Sharp: John Howard's first transport minister who departed in the travel rorts affair and these days is deputy chair of the fledgling airline Regional Express whilst enjoying considerable private wealth courtesy of some nice consultancies.

Jim Short: when he resigned as the Federal Liberal Assistant Treasurer, he took up a $150,000-a-year (tax-free) position at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, where he remained until 2000. He served as President and also Executive Director & Board Member of the Victorian Branch until November 2009 and is the former Chairman of the leading economic consultancy, ACIL Tasman. Furthermore he is chairman of Iatia Vision Sciences.

Alan Stockdale: a reforming Treasurer in the Kennett Government left Parliament in 1999 to join Macquarie Bank and then took up a range of gigs including the chair at Symex Holdings for almost a decade, along with the chair at struggling technology play Senetas and even an unfortunate experience on one of Bill Ireland's Mariner vehicles. He was also a director, Melbourne Football Club 1999-2001 and; Partner, Mills Oakley Lawyers 2005.

Shane Stone: the former federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia and former Chief Minister in the NT, has also been a director of the now collapsed Gold Coast property and financial group City Pacific.

Mark Vaile: the former Nationals leader, deputy prime minister and Trade minister is a director of business advisory and corporate consulting firm Vaile & Associates. He is also chairman of renewable energy technology specialist CBD Energy and a non-executive director of Virgin Blue Holdings Limited. In April 2009 he was appointed to the Australasian Food & Agribusiness Advisory Board for Agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank.

Michael Wooldridge: the qualified nephrologist and former Federal Liberal Health Minister is a foundation director of Monash University. A director of several listed health plays including Independent Director of the ASX listed Australian Pharmaceuticals Industry Ltd. Additionally, he was a pro-bono director of Research Australia, a director of Cogstate, director of Aspen Medical, a director of API, which owns brands like the giant pharmacy chains Soul Pattinson and Priceline Pharmacy. Wooldridge was also chair of Prime Trust.

Neville Wran: former NSW Labor Premier and multi-millionaire consultant, merchant banker, director of Webcentral and Cabcharge. He was also Executive Chairman, Turnbull & Partners Limited, Investment Bankers and Deputy Chancellor of Bond University, Queensland. He was the Chairman of Ghana Gold Mines Ltd and Director of British Aerospace Australia. Furthermore he was the Australian representative of the Eminent Persons Group for APEC and was Chairman of the Lionel Murphy Foundation, CSIRO from 1986 to 1991.