Vic Sullivan Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Vic Sullivan
Office1:Deputy Leader of the
Queensland National Party
Term Start1:August 1980
Term End1:1 December 1982
Leader1:Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Predecessor1:Ron Camm
Successor1:Bill Gunn
Constituency Am2:Condamine
Assembly2:Queensland Legislative
Term Start2:28 May 1960
Term End2:22 October 1983
Predecessor2:Les Diplock
Successor2:Brian Littleproud
Birth Date:1918 12, df=yes
Birth Place:Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Death Place:Caloundra, Queensland, Australia
Birthname:Victor Bruce Sullivan
Spouse:Gwenneth Joan Becker (m.1948)
Party:Country Party/National Party
Occupation:Farmer

Victor Bruce Sullivan (7 December 1918 – 29 January 1993) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.[1]

Biography

Sullivan was born in Launceston, Tasmania, the son of James Bruce Sullivan and his wife Julia Ellen (née Brown). He was educated at Downlands College in Toowoomba[1] and on leaving school became a grain, beef, pork, and lamb farmer. He served in the Second Australian Imperial Force as an attachment to the U.S. forces and was engaged in the movement of troops and supplies in New Guinea.[2]

On 8 April 1948 Sullivan married Gwenneth Joan Becker and together had a two sons and a daughter. His daughter died in 1970 in an automobile accident. He died from a heart attack while surfing at Caloundra in January 1993.

Public career

At the 1960 Queensland state election, Sullivan won the seat of Condamine for the Country Party, defeating the sitting member, Les Diplock of the Queensland Labor Party. He had a long career in the Queensland Parliament and retired at the 1983 Queensland state election.[1]

In July 1982 he and fellow National Party member and ministerial colleague, Ken Tomkins, were involved in a scandal that came to be known as the Melbidir affair. They were on a tour in the government vessel the Melbidir to examine the conditions of Aboriginal communities in the Torres Strait islands[1] when they were photographed from a plane flying overhead leisurely fishing from the vessel.[2] Both men were reluctantly forced to resign from cabinet with Sullivan sitting on the back bench for the rest of his political career.[1] Sullivan didn't mind a drink and during the motion of condolence for him in the parliament in 1993, Tom Burns, the then Deputy Premier of Queensland, reminisced about the time Sullivan fell asleep while giving a speech in the parliament.

At one stage he was mooted to take over as Premier of Queensland from Joh Bjelke-Petersen and served as the Acting Premier when both the Premier and Deputy Premier were overseas in 1982. He held several portfolios in the ministry including:[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Former Members. Parliament of Queensland. 2015. 14 May 2016.
  2. http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/1993/930223ha.pdf Motion of Condolence