Tom McVeigh

Daniel Thomas "Tom" McVeigh (born 7 May 1930) is a former Australian politician. He served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1988, representing the National Party (previously the National Country Party). He held ministerial office in the Fraser Government, serving as Minister for Housing and Construction (1980–1982) and Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment (1982–1983).

The Honourable Tom McVeigh
Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment
In office 7 May 1982 – 11 March 1983
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Ian Wilson
Succeeded by	Barry Cohen
Minister for Housing and Construction
In office 3 November 1980 – 7 May 1982
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Ray Groom
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Member of the Australian Parliament for Groom
In office 1 December 1984 – 29 February 1988
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Bill Taylor
Member of the Australian Parliament for Darling Downs
In office 2 December 1972 – 1 December 1984
Preceded by	Reginald Swartz
Succeeded by	Division abolished
Personal details
Born	7 May 1930 Allora, Queensland, Australia
Political party	National
Children	John McVeigh (son)
Occupation	Farmer

Early life

McVeigh was born on 7 May 1930 in Allora, Queensland.[1] In 1941, aged 11, he was tasked with welcoming Prime Minister Arthur Fadden to his school and promised to succeed him in the seat of Darling Downs.[2] McVeigh later attended boarding school in Brisbane. He became a "third-generation Darling Downs primary producer and a prize-winning wheat farmer", on a property of 1,200 acres (490 ha). He also played in the A-grade of the Darling Downs Rugby Union as a half-back.[3] He served on the council of the Queensland Graingrowers' Association (1963–1966), as a Queensland delegate to the Australian Wheatgrowers' Federation (1964–1966), and on the Queensland State Wheat Board (1965–1974).[1]

Politics

McVeigh won the seat of Darling Downs for the National Country Party at the 1972 election. He was appointed Minister for Housing and Construction in the Fraser government in November 1980. In May 1982, he was moved to the portfolio of Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment and held that position to the defeat of the government at the 1983 election. In 1984, with the abolition of the seat of Darling Downs, McVeigh followed most of his constituents into the new Division of Groom, which he held until his resignation in February 1988.[1]

McVeigh aligned himself with Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen's "Joh for Canberra" campaign in 1987, which sparked a fracture in the Nationals between Queensland MPs seeking an independent National Party and supporters of federal leader Ian Sinclair and the existing coalition with the Liberals. He was the first Nationals MP to withdraw from the Coalition, doing so at a party meeting on 17 March.[4] McVeigh nonetheless remained a Nationals frontbencher during this time, serving as the party's spokesman on Aboriginal affairs.[1] He eventually rejoined the Coalition on 11 August.[5]

In December 1987, it was reported that the Queensland state government had nominated McVeigh to serve as agent-general in London.[6] He formally resigned from parliament on 29 February 1988, sparking a by-election in Groom.[7]

Family

His son, John, served in the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Toowoomba South from 2012 to 2016 before winning the federal seat of Groom in 2016.[8]

Notes

1. "Biography for McVEIGH, the Hon. Daniel Thomas (Tom)". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
2. "Schoolboy's dream of politics comes true". The Canberra Times. 29 March 1981.
3. Brammall, Colin (8 November 1981). "'Break-the-jaw' philosophy guides politician McVeigh". The Canberra Times.
4. Malone, Paul (18 March 1987). "Howard puts Nationals on the spot". The Canberra Times.
5. "McVeigh in coalition". The Canberra Times. 12 August 1987.
6. "McVeigh 'for London'". The Canberra Times. 5 December 1987.
7. "Tom McVeigh resigns". The Canberra Times. 1 March 1988.
8. "Political son takes reins in seat". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 December 2015.