Neil Oliver (politician)

Oscar Neil Blackburne Oliver ED (16 August 1933 – 8 July 2019) was an Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1977 to 1989, representing West Province.

The Honourable Neil Oliver ED
Member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia
In office 22 May 1977 – 21 May 1989
Preceded by	Charles Abbey
Succeeded by	None (seat abolished)
Constituency	West Province
Personal details
Born	16 August 1933 Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
Died	8 July 2019 (aged 85)
Political party	Liberal

Oliver was born in Melbourne to Elizabeth Emily (née Little) and Oscar Oliver. He attended Caulfield Grammar School before going on to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, graduating with a diploma in wool technology. Oliver was an officer cadet of the Australian Army from 1952 to 1954, and then served in the Citizen Military Forces (now the Australian Army Reserve) from 1954 to 1977; reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel and receiving the Efficiency Decoration. He saw active service twice, in the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War. Outside of the military, Oliver worked as a wool broker in Victoria and New Zealand before moving to Western Australia in 1963. He entered parliament at the 1977 state election, and was re-elected at the 1983 election.[1] Oliver attempted to transfer to the Legislative Assembly at the 1989 election, winning Liberal preselection for the seat of Swan Hills. However, he was narrowly defeated by Labor's Gavan Troy (a minister in the Dowding government), who polled 51.5 percent of the two-party-preferred vote.[2]

References

1. Oscar Neil Blackburne Oliver – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
2. Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.