Terry Griffiths (politician)

The Honourable Terry Griffiths
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Georges River
In office 22 February 1988 – 3 March 1995
Preceded by	Frank Walker
Succeeded by	Marie Ficarra
Personal details
Born	22 June 1944 Sydney
Died	18 June 2009 (aged 64)
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia (1988-1994) Independent (1994-1995)
Spouse(s)	Jann Mariette Hart m. 1965, diss. Diane von Westernhagen m. 1974, diss. 2000
Children	1 (f), 1 (s) with Hart; 1 (f), 2 (s) with von Westernhagen
Occupation	Army officer
Website	Parliamentary webpage
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1962–1982
Rank	Major

Major Terence Allan "Terry" Griffiths (22 June 1944 – 18 June 2009), a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Georges River from 1988 to 1995 initially for the Liberal Party and then as an independent member. During his political career with the Liberal Party, Griffiths held a number of portfolios including Minister for Justice, Minister for Police and Minister for Emergency Services.

Early years and background

Griffiths was born in Marrickville, New South Wales; his father was Richard Patrick Griffiths, an Officer of the Cadet School Portsea. He was educated at Liverpool Boys High School and the School of Military Engineering in Portsea. By 1962 he was a commissioned army officer with the rank of Major, and was also Chief Executive of the New South Wales branch of the Scout Association. In 1965 he married Jann Mariette Hart, with whom he had two children. He served in South Vietnam 1969–70; he and his wife divorced, and he remarried Diane Maree von Westernhagen on 19 January 1974, with whom he had three children (they would be divorced in 2000). Griffiths was an army attache in Washington 1978–81. He joined the Liberal Party of Australia in 1987.^[1]

Political career

In 1988, Griffiths was elected as the Liberal member for Georges River in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, defeating sitting Labor MP Frank Walker. He was re-elected easily in 1991 and became Minister for Justice, moving to the Police Ministry in 1992. In 1994, he was forced to resign from both the ministry and the Liberal Party over claims of sexual harassment.^[2] He retired at the 1995 election.^[3]

Honours and Awards

	Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975
	Vietnam Medal
	Defence Force Service Medal with 1 Rosette	for 20–24 years of service
	National Medal	for 15–24 years of service
	Australian Defence Medal	2006

References

1. Parliament of New South Wales (2008). "The Hon. Terence Allan Griffiths (1944 – 2009)". Former Members. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
2. "Oatley: NSW State election". Crikey. 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
3. Green, Antony (2010). "Contests for Georges River". NSW Election Database. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 January 2010.