Tony Staley obituary

Australian politician and businessman Anthony Allan Staley has died. Staley was born on 15 May 1939 and died 3 May 2023 at age 83.

Staley was born in Horsham, Victoria on May 15, 1939. He attended Scotch College in Melbourne. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne.

Staley was elected to parliament in the 1970 Chisholm by-election, which was called after the death of incumbent Liberal MP Wilfrid Kent Hughes.

He was the Member for Chisholm from 1970 to 1980, Minister for the Capital Territory in the Fraser Government from February 1976 to December 1977, and then Minister for Post and Telecommunications until his retirement from Parliament.

From 1993 to 1999, he was the Liberal Party’s national president. During his tenure, The Liberals had a successful period during which John Howard became leader and became one of Australia’s longest-serving prime ministers.

Staley went on to have a successful business and public life after leaving politics, serving on the boards of Mitsubishi Motors, Alexander Stenhouse, Ogilvie and Mather, and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, among others.

He was involved in a serious car accident in 1990, which left him unable to walk without the use of calipers.

He was married five times, to: Elsa, Cynthia, Maggie, Sue, and Susie and had five children: Richard, Samuel, Alexandra, Jonathan and Lucinda.