{{Short description|Australian politician (1939–2015)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Alby Schultz | honorific_suffix = | image = | office1 = Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Burrinjuck | majority1 = | predecessor1 = Terence Sheahan | successor1 = Katrina Hodgkinson | term_start1 = 19 March 1988 | term_end1 = 1 September 1998 | constituency_MP = Hume | parliament = Australian | majority = 8.72% | predecessor = John Sharp | successor = Angus Taylor | term_start = 3 October 1998 | term_end = 5 August 2013 | birth_name = Albert John Schultz | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1939|5|29}} | birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2015|7|14|1939|5|29}} | death_place = Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia | spouse = Gloria Schultz | party = Liberal Party of Australia | relations = | children = 2 | alma_mater = | occupation = Meat worker | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Albert John Schultz''' (29 May 1939{{spaced ndash}}14 July 2015) was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from October 1998 to August 2013, representing the Division of Hume in New South Wales.
==Biography==
===Early life=== Schultz was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and was a meat processing worker before entering politics. He was a field officer for the Liberal Party (1986–88) and a member of the Cootamundra Shire Council (1983–91).
===Career=== Schultz was the member for Burrinjuck in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 1998,<ref name="NSW Parl">{{Cite NSW Parliament |id=1960 |name=Mr (Alby) Albert John Schultz (1939-2015) |former=Yes |access-date=20 June 2020}}</ref> before being elected to represent Hume at the 1998 federal election. He was subsequently returned at the 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010 elections. He gained national media attention in the lead up to the privatisation of Telstra claiming that he would not support the legislation but would not "cross the floor". In the end he abstained from voting on the matter.<ref>{{cite news | title = Liberal MP to abstain from Telstra Sale Vote | publisher = ABC AM Radio | date = 4 July 2003 | url = http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2003/s894606.htm | access-date = 2 June 2009}}</ref>
In 2003, Schultz supported the death penalty for terrorists.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-08-19/mp-throws-weight-behind-death-penalty-for/1466628|title = MP throws weight behind death penalty for terrorists|newspaper = ABC News|date = 2003}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-08-19/most-politicians-opposed-to-death-penalty/1466660|title = Most politicians opposed to death penalty|newspaper = ABC News|date = 2003}}</ref>
Schultz was initially a supporter of Prime Minister John Howard but as a result of being overlooked for promotion by Howard, Schultz in 2005 changed his allegiance to Howard's heir apparent Peter Costello.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-03-28/liberal-mp-switches-support-to-costello/1540890|title = Liberal MP switches support to Costello|website = Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date = 28 March 2005}}</ref>
However a year later in 2006, Schultz accused Costello of disloyalty to Howard following the revelation of a deal of when Howard would hand over the Prime Ministership to Costello.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-07-11/schultz-urges-costello-to-quit-over-disloyalty-to/1798434|title=Schultz urges Costello to quit over 'disloyalty' to PM|website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=10 July 2006}}</ref>
Alby Schultz was one of the several Liberal Party politicians along with Peter Dutton, Don Randall, Wilson Tuckey, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Dennis Jensen and Sophie Mirabella, who boycotted Parliament on the day that the formal apology to the Stolen Generations was made by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.<ref>{{cite news | last = Maiden | first = Samantha | author2 = John Stapleton | title = Howard walks while we say sorry | work = News Limited | publisher = The Australian | date = 14 February 2008 | url = http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23206791-5013871,00.html | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120913085024/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23206791-5013871,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 September 2012 | access-date = 12 August 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Coorey | first = Phillip | title = Libs stage boycott as Nelson heckled | work = The Sydney Morning Herald| date = 14 February 2008 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/libs-stage-boycott-as-nelson-heckled/2008/02/13/1202760398971.html | access-date = 12 August 2008}}</ref>
Schultz apologised in June 2009 for a physical confrontation with one of his Liberal parliamentary colleagues in a party room meeting in Parliament House. He had been angered by a remark made by Chris Pearce, the member for Aston in Victoria, during a debate about whether the Liberal Party should run candidates against National Party MPs. Schultz reportedly responded by grabbing Pearce around the neck. He later apologised to Pearce and the entire party room for the incident.<ref>{{cite news | title = Schultz outburst: 'Parliament's a pressure cooker' | work = ABC Online | publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date = 3 June 2009 | url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/03/2587669.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090612001846/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/03/2587669.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 12 June 2009 | access-date = 3 June 2009}}</ref>
In September 2012 he prompted an investigation by the Department of Parliamentary Service about a "serious security breach" when he became aware his private calendar became accessible on other MP's computers. The investigation determined that his own office was responsible for the error when configuring the email service, by nominating access to multiple users.<ref>{{cite news | title = User error blamed for security concerns | publisher = The Age | date = 17 September 2012 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/user-error-blamed-for-security-concerns-20120917-262d9.html | access-date = 18 September 2012}}</ref>
Schultz retired at the 2013 Australian federal election.<ref>{{cite news | title = Alby Schulz to retire | work = The Sydney Morning Herald| date = 17 April 2012 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/alby-schulz-to-retire-20120417-1x54z.html | access-date = 2013-01-30}}</ref><ref name="Schultz APH">{{Cite Au Parliament|mpid=83Q|name=Mr Alby Schultz MP, AM|access-date=2022-08-01}}</ref>
In 2015 he was listed as patron of the anti-wind farm lobby, the Waubra Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://waubrafoundation.org.au/about/people/|title = Our People | Waubra Foundation}}</ref>
==Personal== In 2003 he lost an eye in an accident with hydrochloric acid while cleaning a swimming pool filter, and in 2004 received a prosthetic eye.<ref>{{cite news | title = MP loses sight in one eye after acid accident | work = The Sydney Morning Herald| date = 26 November 2003 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/25/1069522586145.html | access-date = 2 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Schultz eye to eye with implant | publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date = 14 October 2004 | url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1219871.htm | access-date = 2009-06-02}}</ref>
Schultz was a staunch monarchist and long fought against the movement to make Australia a republic.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/alby-shultz-a-meatworker-politician-and-man-of-the-people/story-e6frg6z6-1227446340542| title = Reference at www.theaustralian.com.au}}</ref>
Not long before his retirement, in July 2013, Schultz was diagnosed with inoperable liver and oesophageal cancer. Two months before the diagnosis, it was revealed he had prostate cancer.<ref>{{cite news | title = Alby Schultz suffering inoperable cancer | work = The Canberra Times| date = 3 July 2013 | url = http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/alby-schultz-suffering-inoperable-cancer-20130703-2paoc.html | access-date = 26 July 2013}}</ref> He died on 14 July 2015, aged 76.<ref name=death9>{{cite news|title=Late former MP Alby Schultz 'a champion of regional Australia'|url=http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/07/14/17/32/former-mp-alby-schultz-dies-at-76|access-date=15 July 2015|work=Nine News|publisher=Nine Network}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.albyschultz.com.au/ Personal website]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-nsw-la}} {{succession box | title=Member for Burrinjuck | before=Terry Sheahan | after=Katrina Hodgkinson | years=1988–1998}} {{s-par|au}} {{succession box | title=Member for Hume | before=John Sharp | after=Angus Taylor | years=1998–2013}} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, Alby}} Category:1939 births Category:2015 deaths Category:Australian monarchists Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Category:New South Wales local councillors Category:Australian people of German descent Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Hume Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:People from Goulburn Category:Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Category:Politicians from Melbourne Category:Australian politicians with disabilities Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Category:Australian MPs 1998–2001 Category:Australian MPs 2001–2004 Category:Australian MPs 2004–2007 Category:Australian MPs 2007–2010 Category:Australian MPs 2010–2013