Christopher John Guelph Puplick AM (/ˈpʊplɪk/ PUUP-lik;[1] born 13 May 1948) is a former Australian politician. He was a Senator for New South Wales from 1978 to 1981 and from 1984 to 1990, representing the Liberal Party.

Chris Puplick
Senator for New South Wales
In office
26 July 1978 – 30 June 1981
Preceded bySir Robert Cotton
In office
1 December 1984 – 30 June 1990
Personal details
Born
Christopher John Guelph Puplick

(1948-05-13) 13 May 1948 (age 76)
London, England
NationalityBritish Australian
Political partyLiberal Party of Australia
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
OccupationPrivate sector consultant

Early life

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Puplick was born on 13 May 1948 in London, England. He was the son of Elsie Nancy (née Liddaman) and Guelph Puplick. His father, a salesman and manager, was born in Hyderabad, British India.[2]

Puplick spent his early years in London and Cardiff, attending The Cathedral School, Llandaff, and Preston Manor County Grammar School. He and his family immigrated to Australia in 1962, settling in Sydney where he attended Manly Boys' High School. He went on to the University of Sydney, graduating Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in 1968 and Master of Arts in 1969.[2]

Politics

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Puplick joined the Young Liberal Movement in 1965 at the encouragement of Bill Wentworth.[2] He was the federal president of the Young Liberals from 1975 to 1978.[3]

After leaving university, Puplick worked as a campaign director and press secretary for Wentworth. After the Coalition's defeat at the 1972 federal election he worked in the offices of Nigel Bowen, Bob Cotton and Peter Baume. He was a member of the state and federal executives of the party and was an unsuccessful preselection candidate for state seats in 1975 and 1978.[2]

Senate

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He was appointed to a casual vacancy in the Senate in July 1978, representing the Liberal Party of Australia, but was defeated at the 1980 election, completing his term in June 1981.[2]

He was returned to the Senate at the 1984 election. In the 1990 election, the Call to Australia party made the unusual choice of preferencing the Labor Party above the Liberal Party specifically to prevent Puplick's re-election;[4] Puplick was not re-elected and his term finished in June 1990.[5]

After Parliament

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After leaving Parliament, Puplick was appointed President of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board and NSW Privacy Commissioner.[2]

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2001, for contributions to Australian politics and public policy, particularly in relation to human rights and social justice.[6]

Controversy

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Puplick resigned his Anti-Discrimination Board and Privacy Commission positions in 2003 following allegations of administrative favouritism involving a personal friend, and a deteriorating relationship with the New South Wales Government.[2][7]

Memberships, Directorships

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Publications

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  • Chris Puplick and R.J. Southey, 1980, Liberal Thinking, Macmillan, Melbourne.
  • Chris Puplick, 1984, 'Science and Technology', in George Brandis, Tom Harley and Don Markwell (eds), Liberals Face the Future: Essays on Australian Liberalism, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
  • John Black, Michael Macklin and Chris Puplick, 1992, ‘How Parliament Works in Practice’, in Parliamentary Perspectives 1991, Papers on Parliament, No. 14, Department of the Senate, February 1992.
  • Chris Puplick, October 1, 2012, Platform Papers 33: Changing Times at NIDA, Currency Press, ISBN 9780987211422.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ "Thomas Rome Lecture, 2010, part 11". YouTube. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Holland, Ian (2017). "PUPLICK, Christopher John Guelph (1948– )". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  3. ^ "History: Former Office Bearers". Young Liberals. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  4. ^ Colebatch, Tim (21 May 2018). "A Labor-friendly Senate? It could be a long wait". Inside Story. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Members of the Senate since 1901". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
  6. ^ "Member of the Order of Australia (AM) entry for Christopher John Guelph Puplick". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 11 June 2001. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  7. ^ O'Malley, Nick (3 May 2003). "Puplick quits after claims of favours". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  8. ^ Australia Council, About Us, Theatre board members, retrieved 2 October 2008
  9. ^ National Institute of Dramatic Art, Board of Directors, retrieved 2 October 2008
  10. ^ The Hon Peter Garrett MP, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, 'New Board Appointed for National Film and Sound Archive', Media Release, 20 June 2008, retrieved 2 October 2008
  11. ^ 'AIDS – The Modern Scourge', Ockams Razor (ABC Radio), 31 March 2002, retrieved 2 October 2008
  12. ^ Privacy NSW, Annual Report 2002-03, retrieved 2 October 2008
  13. ^ "Platform Papers 33: Changing Times at NIDA". australianplays.org. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  14. ^ Platform Papers 33, October 2012 Changing Times at NIDA. Booktopia. Retrieved 5 January 2017.