John Gayler

{{Short description|Australian politician (1943–2022)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = John Gayler | honorific_suffix = | image = | constituency_MP = Leichhardt | parliament = Australian | majority = | predecessor = David Thomson | successor = Peter Dodd | term_start = 5 March 1983 | term_end = 8 February 1993 | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1943|4|14}} | birth_place = Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2022|7|27|1943|4|14}} | death_place = Gordonvale, Queensland, Australia | spouse = | party = Labor | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Solicitor | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}

'''John Gayler''' (14 April 1943 – 27 July 2022)<ref name="deathnotice">{{cite web |title=Death Notice: John Gayler |url=https://tributes.theage.com.au/obituaries/452266/john-gayler/?r=https://tributes.theage.com.au/obituaries/theage-au/ |publisher=The Age |access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref> was an Australian politician. He served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993, representing the Queensland seat of Leichhardt for the Australian Labor Party (ALP).

==Early life== Gayler was born on 14 April 1943 in Toowoomba, Queensland. He was a solicitor prior to entering politics.<ref name=aph>{{cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22handbook/allmps/PG4%22|title=Biography for GAYLER, John|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref> According to ''The Canberra Times'', he was also a former representative rugby league player and was known for "his legal work, his involvement in prisoner aid and black affairs, as well as for his continued administrative involvement in rugby league".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116451437|title=Queensland voting trends hard to predict|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=21 February 1983}}</ref>

==Politics== Gayler was elected to parliament at the 1983 federal election, defeating the incumbent National Party member David Thomson, a minister in the Fraser government. He was re-elected at the 1987 and 1990 elections before retiring from politics at the 1993 election.<ref name=aph/>

Gayler served on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, the House Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and the House Select Committee into Aboriginal Education. He served on the council of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies from 1985 to 1990.<ref name=aph/> Gayler took a keen interest in the protection of the Daintree Rainforest within his electorate, supporting the listing of the Wet Tropics of Queensland as a World Heritage Site and drawing attention to illegal logging.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/122415896|title=Rainforest destroyed by illegal logging: MP|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=14 December 1987}}</ref> He supported Prime Minister Bob Hawke in the two leadership spills held in 1991, and in January 1992 publicly criticised Hawke's successor Paul Keating for his leadership style.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118165363|title=Keating: a swipe each way|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=21 January 1992}}</ref> He confirmed his intention to retire in mid-1992.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137168913|title=Keating adviser bids for new vacancy in WA|first=Ross|last=Peake|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=4 August 1992}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au}} {{succession box | title=Member for Leichhardt | before=David Thomson| after=Peter Dodd| years=1983–1993}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gayler, John}} Category:1943 births Category:2022 deaths Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Leichhardt Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Australian solicitors Category:People from Toowoomba Category:Australian MPs 1983–1984 Category:Australian MPs 1984–1987 Category:Australian MPs 1987–1990 Category:Australian MPs 1990–1993