Richard Jones (New South Wales politician, born 1940)

(Redirected from Richard Jones, MLA)

Richard Stanley Leigh Jones (born 16 February 1940) was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 13 March 1988 to 28 February 2003.

Richard Jones
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
13 March 1988 – 28 February 2003
Preceded byThe Hon. Dr. Elisabeth Wilma Kirkby
Succeeded byArthur Chesterfield-Evans
Chairman and inaugural leader of Friends of the Earth Australia
In office
1974–?
Personal details
Born (1940-02-16) 16 February 1940 (age 84)
Epsom, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Political partyIndependent (after 1996)
Other political
affiliations
Democrats (until 1996)

Biography

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Personal life and political career

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Born in Epsom, Surrey, England, educated at Downsend School and Epsom College,[1] he emigrated to Australia in 1965. He joined the Australia Party in 1971 and later the Australian Democrats, and was elected twice to the parliament as a Democrats candidate. He left the party in 1996 whilst still a sitting member and turned Independent, after endorsing Australian Labor Party candidates in the 1996 Federal election.

Green politics

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He was the first convenor of Friends of the Earth Australia and assisted in the founding of Greenpeace in Australia.[2] During his time in parliament, he voiced concern about environmental issues, including destruction of sand dunes at Myall Lakes.

Beyond his dedication to green politics and animal rights issues, he was also a vigorous proponent of alternative medicine; speaking several times in parliament in favour of homoeopathy and traditional Chinese medicine.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Hon. Richard Stanley Leigh Jones (1940–)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  2. ^ "A man less ordinary: an interview with Richard Jones MLC". AnimalLiberationFront.com. Retrieved 16 April 2019.