Terry Metherell

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Terry Alan Metherell (1947 - ) is a former Australian politician who represented the Electoral district of Davidson in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1981-1992. His resignation from Parliament to take up a public service job offer led to the downfall of then-Premier Nick Greiner, who was found to have corruptly offered the position to force a by-election in Metherell's district.

[edit] Early life

Metherell was born in England in 1947. He was educated at Caringbah High School and the University of Sydney, where he first graduated Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Diploma of Education and then Doctor of Philosophy. Between 1973 and 1975 he was a tutor and part time lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of Sydney.

[edit] Political career

From 1975 to 1977 Metherell was research assistant and later private secretary to Hon. R.J. Ellicot, Commonwealth Attorney General. Metherell was private secretary to Senator J.L. Carrick, a federal government minister, from 1977-1980. In November 1980 Metherell was pre-selected as the Liberal member for the Northern Sydney seat of Davidson and was elected to the Legislative Assembly on 19 September 1981.

On his election Metherell was appointed Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads and held the shadow ministry until 1985. In 1986 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Education and Youth Affairs.

In March 1988 a Liberal Government was elected under the Premiership of Nick Greiner and Metherell was appointed Minister for Education and Youth Affairs. He undertook a programme of reform of the education system in NSW which resulted in the Education Reform Act 1990. The Minister and the Act were unpopular and Metherell was replaced as Minister for Education in 1990.

In 1991 Metherell was appointed as a Parliamentary Secretary and was named as representative of the Legislative Assembly to the University of Sydney Senate.

[edit] The "Metherell Affair"

On 2 October 1991 Metherell resigned from the Parliamentary Liberal Party in protest against party policy. In early 1992 Premier Nick Greiner offered Metherell an executive position in the Environmental Protection Authority. Acceptance of the position would require him to resign from parliament, forcing a by-election which the Liberal Party was confident of winning. While Metherell initially agreed to the position, it sparked widespread controversy, and led to an investigation by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The ICAC found that the job offer had been an act of corruption. Greiner resigned, and the job offer to Metherell was withdrawn. Charges of corruption against Greiner were later dismissed in court.

Metherell remained as an Independent Member for Davidson until his resignation from Parliament in April 1992. The subsequent by-election was won by Liberal candidate Andrew Humpherson.