Jeremy Kinross

Jeremy Stirton Prevost Kinross (born 18 December 1959) is a former Australian politician. He was the Liberal Party member for Gordon in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 1999.

Kinross was born in Sydney to John Stirton Kinross and his wife Elisabeth. He was educated at The King's School, Parramatta, before attending the University of New South Wales and Macquarie University, receiving a Bachelor of Laws (with Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA, becoming both a Barrister and Chartered Accountant. He was a fellow of the Taxation Institute of Australia and author of the taxation section for the Commercial Law Association. He joined the Liberal Party in 1986.^[1]

In 1992, the Liberal member for the local state seat of Gordon, Tim Moore, resigned over the findings of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, having been linked to the Metherell affair. Kinross was selected as the Liberal candidate to contest the by-election, which he won easily,^[2] (with an almost unprecedented swing against the Government of only 5%) as the Labor Party did not field a candidate. However, in the neighboring seat of Ku-ring-gai on that very same day (at a by election caused by the resignation of the then Premier Nick Greiner), the Liberal Party suffered a 19% swing taking, for the first time ever, the seat to preferences.^[3] Both these seats were 'jewels in the Crown' for the Liberal Party - and there appears no public analysis or record whatsoever as to the reason(s) for that huge difference. Kinross was re-elected in 1995,^[4] but in 1999 his seat was abolished. In the reshuffle of North Shore Liberal MPs, Kinross missed out on a seat, whilst Stephen O'Doherty in Ku-ring-gai was rewarded with the newly re-created seat of Hornsby (held by Liberal Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Neil Pickard until 1991). Kinross contested preselection for the Legislative Council, but was unsuccessful. Much writing on the Liberal Party factions (especially in NSW)^[5] has attributed his downfall to them or, perhaps more accurately, to 'collateral damage' which also saw the chief factional powerbroker in NSW & deputy Liberal leader Ron Phillips, & his colleague Michael Photios both defeated in that 1999 general election. The latter has been well documented in the Book "The Bear Pit" by former Leader of the Opposition in NSW, Peter Collins.^[6] Kinross subsequently retired.^[7]

A complete list of Kinross' speeches is available on the parliamentary website.^[8] His Maiden Speech was remarkable for its 'unorthodox' approach by referring only in passing to the Appropriation Bill before the Parliament. Unlike first speeches before, the breadth and depth of the Subjects raised therein was regarded as groundbreaking.^[9]

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