Alex Somlyay

2025-05-17T13:54:19Z

2A04:4A43:50BF:E7CF:B899:EEC6:7359:CABC:

{{Short description|Australian politician (born 1946)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name = Alex Somlyay
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Alex Somlyay.jpg
| constituency_MP3 = [[Division of Fairfax|Fairfax]]
| parliament3 = Australian
| term_start3 = 24 March 1990
| term_end3 = 5 August 2013
| predecessor3 = [[Evan Adermann]]
| successor3 = [[Clive Palmer]]
| office2 = [[Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads (Australia)|Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government]]
| term_start2 = 9 October 1997
| term_end2 = 21 October 1998
| primeminister2 = [[John Howard]]
| predecessor2 = [[Warwick Smith (politician)|Warwick Smith]]
| successor2 = [[Ian Macdonald (Australian politician)|Ian Macdonald]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|1|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Budapest]], Hungary
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]]
| relations =
| spouse = Jenny
| children = 3
| residence =
| occupation = Public servant
| alma_mater = [[Australian National University]]
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Alexander Michael Somlyay''' (born 18 January 1946) is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] from 1990 to 2013, representing the [[Queensland]] seat of [[Division of Fairfax|Fairfax]] for the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]]. He briefly held ministerial office in the [[Howard government]] as Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government from 1997 to 1998.

==Early life==
Somlyay was born on 18 January 1946 in [[Budapest]], Hungary.<ref name=aph>{{cite news|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=ZT4|title=Hon Alexander Somlyay|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref> He is of [[Hungarian-Jewish]] descent; he and his parents arrived in Australia in 1949 as [[stateless person]]s, with his parents having been stripped of their Hungarian citizenship during World War II. In the early 1990s he renounced any claim to Hungarian citizenship in accordance with [[section 44 of the Constitution of Australia|section 44(i) of the Australian constitution]], in advance of a new Hungarian law that would have granted citizenship retrospectively.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/turnbull-defensive-amid-mp-citizenship-crisis/news-story/6d5b67377e8328dc773d93acf653ac8b|title=PM defensive amid MP crisis|work=The Australian|last1=Kelly|first1=Joe|last2=Chambers|first2=Geoff|date=4 November 2017|access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref>

Somlyay joined the [[Commonwealth Public Service]] in 1963 and worked for several different departments.<ref name=abc>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/fair.htm|title=Fairfax|work=Australia Votes 2007|publisher=ABC|access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref> He completed the degree of [[Bachelor of Economics]] in 1975 at the [[Australian National University]] (ANU).<ref name=aph/> He later moved to the [[Sunshine Coast, Queensland]], where he was a consultant economist and company director.<ref name=abc/>

==Politics==
Somlyay was senior private secretary to [[National Country Party]] MP [[Evan Adermann]] from 1976 to 1980.<ref name=anu>{{cite news|url=https://cbe.anu.edu.au/alumni/alumni-hall-fame/hon-alexander-somlyay|title=The Hon. Alexander Somlyay|publisher=Australian National University|access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref> He later joined the Liberal Party and was chair of its [[Maroochydore]] branch.<ref name=aph/>

At the [[1990 Australian federal election|1990 federal election]], Somlyay won the seat of [[Division of Fairfax|Fairfax]] for the Liberal Party following Adermann's retirement. He defeated high-profile Nationals shadow minister [[John Stone (Australian politician)|John Stone]], who was attempting to transfer to the House of Representatives from the [[Australian Senate|Senate]]. His campaign targeted Stone as an outsider who would not make a suitable local member.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/122102115|title=Why John Stone was unturned in Fairfax|newspaper=Canberra Times|date=22 April 1990}}</ref>

Somlyay was a member of the informal conservative faction the [[Lyons Forum]] when it was active in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/lyons.html#qld |title=The Lyons Forum |accessdate=24 September 2010 |publisher=Electronic Frontiers Australia |year=1997}}</ref> He held junior portfolios in [[John Hewson]]'s shadow ministry from 1992 to 1994, as secretary to the shadow cabinet and shadow parliamentary secretary to the leader of the opposition.<ref name=aph/> In 1997 he was appointed Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government in the [[Howard government]], following a ministerial reshuffle.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.afr.com/politics/reshuffled-ministry-plummets-to-new-depths-19971009-k7q78|title=Reshuffled ministry plummets to new depths|first=John|last=Stone|newspaper=Australian Financial Review|date=9 October 1997|access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref> He was not retained in the ministry after the [[1998 Australian federal election|1998 federal election]].<ref name=aph/>

Somlyay chaired a number of committees during his parliamentary tenure and was [[Whip in the Australian House of Representatives|chief opposition whip in the House of Representatives]] from 2008 to 2010.<ref name=aph/> Following the [[2010 Australian federal election|2010 federal election]], at which the [[Australian Labor Party]] (ALP) retained office at the head of a [[minority government]], he publicly announced that he would stand for [[Deputy Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives|deputy speaker of the House of Representatives]] with the endorsement of the ALP. His announcement was controversial as the position is typically held by a member of the governing party and he stated that he would support the government on [[confidence and supply]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/gillard-gains-extra-toehold-20100925-iutib|title=Gillard gains extra toehold|newspaper=Australian Financial Review|date=25 September 2010|first=David|last=Crowe|access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref> However, Somlyay subsequently withdrew his candidacy for the position.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.afr.com/politics/somlyay-jammed-by-labor-says-entsch-20100926-iute0|title=Somlyay 'jammed' by Labor, says Entsch|newspaper=Australian Financial Review|date=26 September 2010|access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref>

In September 2010 Somlyay announced that he would not stand for re-election at the next federal election.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/lib-speaks-for-himselfdefies-gag-by-abbott/1951905.aspx |title=Lib speaks for himself,defies gag by Abbott |work=[[The Canberra Times]] |date=25 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927083727/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/lib-speaks-for-himselfdefies-gag-by-abbott/1951905.aspx |archivedate=27 September 2010 }}</ref> In his valedictory speech to parliament in June 2013 he stated that his political career had been affected by a range of health issues including "a stroke in 1993 followed by two lots of heart bypass surgeries, seven angioplasties, a pacemaker, diabetes and cancer".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2F2eef31f5-7b33-4563-b8f6-7aaab944f4d2%2F0115%22|title=Valedictory|date=24 June 2013|work=Hansard|publisher=House of Representatives|access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref>

===Expenses investigation===
An investigation by a [[Fairfax Media]] reporter published in the [[Sydney Morning Herald]] in January 2014 alleged that Somlyay had used his parliamentary office to pay his wife almost seventy thousand [[Australian dollar|dollars]] for the year 2012–13 "for non-existent work in his electorate office."<ref name="smh.com.au">{{Cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/allegations-mps-wife-drew-taxpayerfunded-salary-despite-doing-no-work-20140113-30qwu.html|title = Allegations MP's wife drew taxpayer-funded salary despite doing no work|date = 13 January 2014}}</ref> The report also alleged that Somlyay had obscured his wife's identity in his list of employed staff.<ref name="smh.com.au"/> Somlyay defended the payments from his taxpayer-funded budget to his wife, claiming that he had done nothing wrong.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-14/former-mp-alex-somlyay-defends-employing-wife-as-researcher/5199544|title=Former MP Alex Somlyay defends employing wife to work from home as researcher|website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=15 Jan 2014|accessdate=18 July 2014}}</ref> On February of the same year, the ''Herald'' again reported that the [[Australian Federal Police]] had found nothing that "would constitute a criminal offence" related to the employment of his wife and closed the investigation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/police-end-probe-into-mp-alex-somlyays-hiring-of-wife-20140221-33759.html|title=Police end probe into MP Alex Somlyay's hiring of wife|last=Swan|first=Jonathan|date=21 February 2014|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=18 July 2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef |before=[[Warwick Smith (politician)|Warwick Smith]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads (Australia)|Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government]] |years=1997–1998}}
{{s-aft |after=[[Ian Macdonald (Australian politician)|Ian Macdonald]]}}
{{s-par|au}}
{{s-bef |before=[[Evan Adermann]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[Division of Fairfax|Member for Fairfax]] |years=1990–2013}}
{{s-aft |after=[[Clive Palmer]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somlyay, Alexander Michael}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian National University alumni]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia]]
[[Category:Liberal National Party of Queensland members of the Parliament of Australia]]
[[Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Fairfax]]
[[Category:Hungarian emigrants to Australia]]
[[Category:People who lost Hungarian citizenship]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of Australia]]
[[Category:People from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1990–1993]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1993–1996]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1996–1998]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1998–2001]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 2001–2004]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 2004–2007]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 2007–2010]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 2010–2013]]

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Alex Somlyay