Bill Morrison (Australian politician)
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The Honourable Bill Morrison AO |
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|---|---|
| Minister of Defence | |
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In office 6 June 1975 – 11 November 1975 |
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| Preceded by | Lance Barnard |
| Succeeded by | James Killen |
| Minister for Science and Consumer Affairs | |
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In office 12 June 1974 – 6 June 1975 |
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| Preceded by | Lionel Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Clyde Cameron |
| Minister for Science | |
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In office 19 December 1972 – 12 June 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Gough Whitlam |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Minister for External Territories | |
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In office 19 December 1972 – 30 November 1973 |
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| Preceded by | Gough Whitlam |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for St George | |
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In office 25 October 1969 – 13 December 1975 |
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| Preceded by | Len Bosman |
| Succeeded by | Maurice Neil |
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In office 18 October 1980 – 26 October 1984 |
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| Preceded by | Maurice Neil |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Dubois |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
3 November 1928 Lithgow, New South Wales |
| Died | 15 February 2013 (aged 84) Bardwell Valley, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Marty Hessell |
| Children | Tanya, Melanie (daughters), Kim (son) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
William Lawrence "Bill" Morrison AO (3 November 1928 – 15 February 2013) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Australian House of Representatives and a Cabinet minister in the Whitlam government.
Morrison was born in Lithgow, New South Wales and graduated with an honours degree in economics from the University of Sydney in 1949. He was a diplomat in the Department of External Affairs from 1950 to 1969, with postings to London, Moscow, Washington, D.C., Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. His posting to Moscow was terminated by the expulsion of the entire mission in 1954 as a result of the Petrov Affair. His posting to Malaysia was as Deputy High Commissioner. In 1958, he married Marty Hessell, an American citizen, in Bangkok.
In 1969 Morrison resigned from the diplomatic service to successfully contest the seat of St George in the 1969 election for the Australian Labor Party. In 1969 he was elected deputy chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of the Sub-committee on Australia's Relations with Indonesia of that committee. He also became a member of the Select Committee on Aircraft Noise, a matter of relevance to his electorate, which was close to Sydney Airport. Following the election of the Whitlam government in 1972 Morrison was appointed Minister for External Territories and Minister for Science in the Second Whitlam Ministry. With the granting of self-government to Australia's main external territory, Papua New Guinea, on 1 December 1973, the position of Minister for External Territories was abolished and he became Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to Papua New Guinea. From 6 June 1975, he was Minister for Defence, Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to the Islands of the Pacific and Minister for Science and Consumer Affairs. He was Minister for Defence during Indonesia's invasion of East Timor. He lost his seat in the 1975 election.
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