Role Political figure Nationality Australian | Occupation Accountant, farmer Name James Webster | |
Born 14 June 1925 (age 99) ( 1925-06-14 ) Political party Australian Country Party Party National Party of Australia | ||
James Joseph Webster (born 14 June 1925 in Flinders Island, Tasmania) is a former member of the Australian Senate.
The son of state MP Leslie Webster, he was educated at Caulfield Grammar School and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He worked as an accountant and farmer prior to entering politics. Webster was appointed to the Senate as a member of the Country Party following the death of Harrie Wade in 1964, and served in the Senate until 1980.
He was the federal Minister for Science (later Minister for Science and the Environment) in the Fraser Government from 1975 to 1979.
In 1975, his constitutional eligibility to sit in the Senate was questioned, prompting the Parliament to introduce the Common Informers (Parliamentary Disqualifications) Act 1975, although ultimately the High Court found that he was not ineligible and he continued to serve until his retirement in 1980.