John Brogden (politician)

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John Gilbert Brogden
AM
Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales
Elections: 2003
In office
28 March 2002 – 1 September 2005
PremierBob Carr
Morris Iemma
DeputyChris Hartcher
Barry O’Farrell
Preceded byKerry Chikarovski
Succeeded byPeter Debnam
Member of the New South Wales Parliament
for Pittwater
In office
25 May 1996 – 28 September 2005
Preceded byJim Longley
Succeeded byAlex McTaggart
Personal details
Born (1969-03-28) 28 March 1969 (age 55)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyLiberal Party
SpouseLucy Brogden
Children3

John Gilbert Brogden AM (born 28 March 1969) is an Australian businessman, philanthropist, and former politician. He was a Liberal Party member for Pittwater in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from May 1996 until his resignation in August 2005, and served as the leader of the opposition in New South Wales from 2002 to 2005.

After politics, Brogden served as the chairman and CEO of various organisations in the financial services and property sectors. After a suicide attempt in August 2005 immediately after his resignation as opposition leader, Brogden would join the board of the crisis support charity Lifeline in 2009, and subsequently became its chairman from 2011 to 2021.

Early life and family[edit]

Brogden was born in Balmain and raised in Sydney. His father Gilbert Arthur Brogden, a carpenter, was born in Taranaki, New Zealand in 1933 and emigrated to Australia in 1960.[citation needed] His mother, Judith Anne (née Bourne) (1941 – 2021) was born in Balmain and worked as a School Secretary.[citation needed] He was educated at St Joan of Arc, Haberfield, St Patrick's College, Strathfield and the University of Sydney where he gained a Master of Public Affairs (MPA).[1]

His wife, Lucy Brogden AM, is an organisational psychologist and national mental health and suicide prevention advocate, a carer, a Patron of Partners in Depression, Patron of the Sydney Women's Fund and Lifeline Northern Beaches, Chair of the Diabetes Australia Research Trust, a, Director of the National Film and Sound Archives and of Be Kind Australia. She is Governor of Queenwood School for Girls. From 2017 to 2022, she was the chair of the National Mental Health Commission advising the Prime Minister and Minister for Health on mental health policy. They have three children.[2][3]

Political career[edit]

John Brogden joined the Liberal Party in his final year of high school in 1986. Between 1989 and 1994 he was an adviser to Attorney General John Hannaford, Premier John Fahey and Police Minister Ted Pickering. From 1992 to 1993 he was President of the NSW Division of the Young Liberal Movement, and a member of the NSW Division's State Executive. In 1994, he served a year as Treasurer of the Movement and ran unsuccessfully for preselection in the state seat of Vaucluse.[4] Brogden had lost the Vaucluse preselection to Peter Debnam[5] and Debnam would later succeed Brogden as Liberal leader in 2005.

Brogden was elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly as the Member for Pittwater in May 1996 in a by election following the resignation of former Fahey Government Minister Jim Longley. In 1999, he was promoted to the Shadow Ministry as the Shadow Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, Sydney Water and Youth Affairs.[citation needed]

In the leadup to the 2003 New South Wales state election, Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski was struggling in the polls against Premier Bob Carr. On 25 March 2002, Brogden announced a challenge. Three days later on 28 March 2002,[6] his 33rd birthday, he succeeded in a 15–14 vote, becoming the youngest ever leader of a state or federal Liberal Party.[7]

What was not known at the time was that state Liberal director Scott Morrison had a plan to have Chikarovski replaced by Malcolm Turnbull, with the plan abandoned as a result of Brogden's successful challenge. Turnbull and Morrison went on to be elected to Federal Parliament and in 2015 Turnbull became Prime Minister and Morrison his Treasurer. Morrison succeeded Turnbull as Prime Minister in 2018.[8]

At the 2003 election, the Liberals won one seat from Labor and lost one to Labor. Notwithstanding the electoral defeat, Brogden improved his and the party's standing in the polls over the next two years. Many people believing that Brogden would win the 2007 New South Wales state election, especially when Bob Carr resigned from politics and Morris Iemma was elected as the new Premier.[9]

Brogden confronted the government over a number of issues, often focussing on health and police corruption. He aggressively pursued the Carr government over its involvement in the Orange Grove affair, in which a shopping centre was shut down, allegedly for zoning reasons, amidst claims of political pressure from The Westfield Group, which ran a neighbouring shopping centre. Brogden also pursued scandals relating to patient care at Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals.[citation needed]

Despite the improvement in the opposition's opinion-poll ratings during 2004 and early 2005, Brogden's hopes that he would gain the premiership in 2007 were not to be fulfilled. He became embroiled in controversy for his behaviour at a function in Sydney on 29 July 2005.[10] As a result of the controversy, Brogden resigned as Leader of the NSW Opposition on 29 August. Nevertheless, he announced his intention to remain as the Member for Pittwater.[11][12]

The next day however, 30 August, police attended Brogden's electorate office at around 10.30 pm, after concerns were raised by members of his family. They found him unconscious in a back room, having attempted suicide.[13][14] When the Sydney Morning Herald called Brogden's deputy Barry O'Farrell at about 11 pm to question him about possible leadership contention, he told them, "Excuse me if I say I don't care about the leadership at the moment, but I am following an ambulance with John Brogden inside. He has attempted self-harm. It sort of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?".[15][16] Brogden was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital that night, and discharged the following day into respite care at the Northside Clinic. On 1 September, Brogden and his wife issued a short statement thanking people who had sent messages of support, and inviting people wishing to help further to donate to Beyond Blue.[17]

Brogden resigned from parliament on 28 September. A by-election was held for the seat of Pittwater, which, in a backlash to the Liberal Party and media treatment of Brogden, was won by Pittwater Council mayor Alex McTaggart, running as an independent.[18][19] At the 2007 state election, McTaggart was defeated by Liberal candidate Rob Stokes, a former adviser to Brogden.

Business career and philanthropy[edit]

In May 2018, Brogden was appointed as Chief Executive Officer at Landcom.[20] Prior to this appointment, he was Chairman of the Board at UrbanGrowth NSW/Landcom from 2012 to 2018. Prior to this he was the Managing Director & CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors from 2015 to 2017, the CEO of the Financial Services Council from 2009 to 2015 and the CEO of Manchester Unity from 2006 to 2008.[citation needed]

In November 2009, Brogden joined the board of Australian suicide prevention charity Lifeline, and was promoted to chairman in 2011.[21] In February 2021, Brogden became the president of Lifeline International, a charity that supports international crisis centres "through policy, research, knowledge sharing and capacity building efforts we undertake globally". Brogden remains a patron of the organization.[21]

In 2014, Brogden was named as a member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community and social welfare.[22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mr John Gilbert BROGDEN". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Politics in her genes a wife stands loyal". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 September 2005.
  3. ^ "Brogden: The book I never had". The Manly Daily. 9 September 2008.
  4. ^ The Liberals, Episode I, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1994.
  5. ^ "No more Mr Nice Guy". Australian Financial Review. 30 August 2005. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Mr John Gilbert Brogden (1969-)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  7. ^ "How John Brogden picked up the pieces after hitting rock bottom". ABC Radio. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  8. ^ Snow, Deborah (29 April 2016). "Scott Morrison had secret plan to make Malcolm Turnbull state Liberal leader". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  9. ^ "The challenge for John Brogden". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 August 2005.
  10. ^ Richardson, Tom (31 August 2016). ""Everything I wanted is gone": John Brogden's journey through the darkness". InDaily. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  11. ^ "'Dishonourable' behaviour forces Brogden to quit". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 August 2005.
  12. ^ "Brogden steps down over racist slur". The 7.30 Report. 29 August 2005.
  13. ^ "Shattered Brogden's suicide bid". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 August 2005.
  14. ^ "Brogdens thank public for their support". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 September 2005.
  15. ^ "Leadership fight to be cliffhanger". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 August 2005.
  16. ^ "Brogden prepares for return to politics". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 March 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  17. ^ "Shattered Brogden's suicide bid". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 August 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  18. ^ "Pittwater Shock". Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  19. ^ "Wipeout: party brawls begin". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  20. ^ "John Brogden appointed permanently to head Landcom". Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  21. ^ a b "Lifeline's John Brogden goes global". Australian Financial Review. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  22. ^ "John Brogden recognised for commitment to mental health issues". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales
2002–2005 		Succeeded by
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Pittwater
1996–2005 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party
2002–2005 		Succeeded by
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