{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Neville Warburton | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Portrait of Neville Warburton, 1976.jpg | alt = | caption = | office = Minister for Police and Emergency Services | term_start = 16 December 1991 | term_end = 24 September 1992 | premier = Wayne Goss | predecessor = Terry Mackenroth | successor = Paul Braddy | office1 = Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations | term_start1 = 7 December 1989 | term_end1 = 16 December 1991 | premier1 = Wayne Goss | predecessor1 = Vince Lester | successor1 = Ken Vaughan | office2 = Leader of the Opposition in Queensland | term_start2 = 29 August 1984 | term_end2 = 2 March 1988 | deputy2 = Tom Burns | predecessor2 = Keith Wright | successor2 = Wayne Goss | office3 = Leader of the Labor Party in Queensland | term_start3 = 29 August 1984 | term_end3 = 2 March 1988 | deputy3 = Tom Burns | predecessor3 = Keith Wright | successor3 = Wayne Goss | office4 = Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland | term_start4 = 20 October 1982 | term_end4 = 29 August 1984 | leader4 = Keith Wright | predecessor4 = Bill D'Arcy | successor4 = Tom Burns | office5 = Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in Queensland | term_start5 = 20 October 1982 | term_end5 = 29 August 1984 | leader5 = Keith Wright | predecessor5 = Bill D'Arcy | successor5 = Tom Burns | office6 = Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Sandgate | term_start6 = 12 November 1977 | term_end6 = 19 September 1992 | predecessor6 = Harry Dean | successor6 = Gordon Nuttall | birth_name = Neville George Warburton | birth_date = 23 February 1932 | birth_place = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|6 August 2018|23 February 1932}} | death_place = Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia | death_cause = | resting_place = Buderim, Queensland, Australia | party = Labor | other_party = | spouse = {{marriage|Frances Helen Doig|1956}} | partner = | children = 3 | education = Hendra State School | alma_mater = | occupation = {{hlist|Electrician|Unionist|Politician}} }} '''Neville George Warburton''' (23 February 1932 – 5 August 2018)<ref name="qp-memberslist">{{cite web|url=http://parliament.qld.gov.au/view/historical/records1860.asp?SubArea=register_W&SubNav=register_A|title=Queensland Parliament – Record of Members and Office Holders|publisher=Parliament of Queensland|accessdate=3 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711221228/http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/historical/records1860.asp?SubArea=register_W&SubNav=register_A|archive-date=11 July 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> was an Australian politician from Queensland, who served as leader of the opposition from 1984 to 1988, and as a minister in the Goss Ministry from 1989 to 1992.
==Career== ===Early career=== Warburton was elected at the 1977 election as the Labor Party candidate for the seat of Sandgate, succeeding Harold Dean who had held the seat for the ALP since 1960.<ref name="dean">{{cite web |title=Motion of Condolence: Harold Dean |url=https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/1997/970318ha.pdf |website=Hansard |publisher=Queensland Parliament |accessdate=10 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810042405/https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/1997/970318ha.pdf |archive-date=10 August 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1982, following a string of poor election results under Ed Casey, a leadership contest lead to fellow opposition frontbencher Keith Wright defeating Casey in a secret ballot. Warburton was appointed deputy opposition leader in Wright's shadow cabinet, despite having served only five years in parliament.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26235636-5018552,00.html|title=Battle of Brisbane's ship industry|last=Morley|first=Peter|publisher=The Courier Mail|accessdate=3 February 2010|date=20 October 2009}}</ref>
Warburton became a member of the then dominant Trades and Labour Council faction, an affiliation he retained during his later career.<ref name="stevens-wanna">{{cite book|author=Bron Stevens, John Wanna|title=The Goss government: promise and performance of labor in Queensland|year=1993|pages=53|isbn=978-0-7329-2622-9}}</ref>
===Leader of the Opposition=== In 1984, Wright resigned from the Legislative Assembly to stand for election to federal parliament. Warburton was elected by caucus as the new Labor leader in Queensland on 29 August 1984.<ref name="qp-mr">{{cite web|url=http://parliament.qld.gov.au/view/historical/documents/membregisterHB.pdf|title=Queensland Parliament Members Register|publisher=Queensland Parliament|pages=314|accessdate=3 February 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615105945/http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/historical/documents/membregisterHB.pdf|archivedate=15 June 2009}}</ref> Warburton was often portrayed in the media as being an "old style" Labor leader; uncomplicated and honest. Peter Bowers, a columnist with the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' declared that Warburton was "...a straight up and down politician, no charisma, no nonsense".<ref name="pbowers-smh">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=KVgVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=teQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3652,3675168&dq=nev-warburton&hl=en|title=Meet Nev, Joh's Rival|last=Bowers|first=Peter|date=20 October 1986|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=6 February 2010}}</ref>
Labor approached the 1986 election being given little hope of taking power, given the continued existence of the Bjelkemander, despite continued disunity and infighting between the Liberal and National parties that formed government. Warburton's policies included the introduction of random breath testing in Queensland, and a ban on uranium mining in Queensland,<ref name="pbowers-smh" /> an idea that would become longstanding Labor party policy. Warburton also made overtures to the Liberals, offering to form a coalition government with them in order to break the National Party's grip on power.<ref name="smh-usorthem">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=L1gVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=teQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3659,9595176&dq=nev-warburton&hl=en|title=It's us or them, Sir Joh tells voters|date=28 October 1986|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=6 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317104831/https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=L1gVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=teQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3659,9595176&dq=nev-warburton&hl=en|archive-date=17 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> However, on polling day, the National party won a resounding victory that enabled them to govern in their own right, and Labor lost two seats, despite polling more votes than the Nationals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elections.uwa.edu.au|title=Parliament of Queensland, Assembly election, 1 November 1986|author=Australian Government and Politics Database|accessdate=6 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118085343/http://elections.uwa.edu.au/|archive-date=18 January 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Warburton hung on as leader of the opposition after this defeat, but eventually handed over the party leadership to Wayne Goss in 1988.
===Minister in the Goss Government===
Warburton stayed on the opposition frontbench at the invitation of Goss, and when Labor won power for the first time in over thirty years at the 1989 election, he was appointed as Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial relations. In 1991, he switched portfolios and became Minister for Police and Emergency Services, a post he held until he retired from Parliament in 1992.<ref name="qp-mr" />
==Lawn bowler==
In addition to his political career, Warburton was also an enthusiastic participant in the sport of lawn bowls.<ref name="age-sl">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=TuAQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kpEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6517,5721143&dq=nev-warburton&hl=en|title=Queensland catches up at last|last=Loane|first=Sally|date=30 November 1989|publisher=The Age|accessdate=7 February 2010}}</ref>
==Death== Warburton died on 5 August 2018 on the Sunshine Coast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/former-labor-leader-nev-warburton-dies-aged-86-20180809-p4zwfd.html|title=Former Labor leader Nev Warburton dies aged 86|last=Moore|first=Tony|date=9 August 2018|website=Brisbane Times|language=en|access-date=10 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809112232/https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/former-labor-leader-nev-warburton-dies-aged-86-20180809-p4zwfd.html|archive-date=9 August 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> At the time of his death he was the only surviving ALP leader who did not become Premier and the last surviving Opposition Leader who had led his party during its 32 years in Opposition between 1957 and 1989.
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{succession box | title=Member for Sandgate | before=Harold Dean| after=Gordon Nuttall| years=1977–1992}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | title=Leader of the Opposition| before=Keith Wright | after=Wayne Goss | years=1984–1988}} {{s-end}}
{{Leaders of the Labor Party in QLD}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warburton, Nev}} Category:1932 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Politicians from Brisbane Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:Leaders of the opposition in Queensland Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland