Michael Yabsley
Michael Yabsley | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Bligh | |
| In office 1984–1988 | |
| Preceded by | Fred Miller |
| Succeeded by | Clover Moore |
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Vaucluse | |
| In office 1988–1994 | |
| Preceded by | Ray Aston |
| Succeeded by | Peter Debnam |
| Minister for Corrective Services | |
| In office 8 June 1988 – 6 June 1991 | |
| Premier | Nick Greiner |
| Preceded by | John Fahey |
| Succeeded by | Terry Griffiths |
| Minister for State Development | |
| In office 6 June 1991 – 24 June 1992 | |
| Premier | Nick Greiner |
| Preceded by | John Hannaford |
| Succeeded by | Robert Webster |
| Minister for Tourism | |
| In office 6 June 1991 – 24 June 1992 | |
| Premier | Nick Greiner |
| Preceded by | Garry West |
| Succeeded by | Robert Webster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Robert Yabsley 30 June 1956 Lismore, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberals |
| Spouse(s) | Susie Yabsley
(m. 1983; dis. 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | St John’s College, Woodlawn |
| Alma mater | Australian National University |
| Occupation |
|
| Boards | National Art School Foundation |
Michael Robert Yabsley (born 30 June 1956) is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electorates of Bligh from 1984 to 1988 and Vaucluse from 1988 to 1994.
Biography[]
Yabsley was born in Lismore, and attended private schools in the area. He attended the Australian National University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in political science. He went on to work as a public relations manager for the Livestock and Grain Producers Association.[1]
Aged 24 years, Yabsley was a candidate for the 1980 federal election for Fraser in the Australian Capital Territory for the Liberal Party. However he was defeated by Labor's Ken Fry. In 1984, Yabsley defeated Labor MP Fred Miller to win the NSW state seat of Bligh in Sydney for the Liberal Party. However, in 1988 he was defeated by Independent candidate Clover Moore. The death of Ray Aston, the Liberal member for Vaucluse, allowed Yabsley to re-enter parliament; he was elected unopposed in the by-election. He was immediately appointed as Minister for Corrective Services and in 1991 was promoted as Minister for State Development and Minister for Tourism.
Yabsley resigned from the ministry in 1992,[1] in protest of the circumstances that brought about the resignation of Premier Nick Greiner and Environment Minister Tim Moore. Greiner resigned after three independents, who held the balance of power, told Greiner that unless he resigned, they would withdraw their support from the government and support a no-confidence motion.[2] One of those independents was Clover Moore who had defeated Yabsley in Bligh at the 1988 election. The presence of the independents in Parliament would also be a factor to his eventual resignation from Parliament. Ironically just as Moore was responsible for the end of Yabsley's first ministerial and parliamentary career, she indirectly caused the end of Yabsley's ministerial and, eventually, parliamentary career.[3] Yabsley resigned from parliament in 1994.[1]
Personal life[]
On 5 November 1983, Yabsley married Susan Clatworthy, and they had two children.[1] Following a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2019, Yabsley separated from his wife[3] and came out as gay in 2020.[4]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Mr Michael Robert Yabsley (1956- )". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ Humphries, David (28 August 2010). "Winning over a tough crowd". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hornery, Andrew (9 July 2021). "'I couldn't go on living a double life': why conservative Michael Yabsley came out at 64". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ "I lived with a lot of denial': former politician Michael Yabley's new life". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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