Bill Byrne | |
Office: | Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries |
Term Start: | 11 November 2016 |
Term End: | 7 October 2017 |
Premier: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
Predecessor: | Leanne Donaldson |
Successor: | Anthony Lynham |
Term Start1: | 16 February 2015 |
Term End1: | 7 December 2015 |
Premier1: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
Predecessor1: | John McVeigh |
Successor1: | Leanne Donaldson |
Office2: | Minister for Rural Economic Development |
Term Start2: | 11 November 2016 |
Term End2: | 7 October 2017 |
Premier2: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
Predecessor2: | New ministry |
Successor2: | Anthony Lynham |
Office3: | Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister for Corrective Services |
Term Start3: | 7 December 2015 |
Term End3: | 11 November 2016 |
Premier3: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
Predecessor3: | Jo-Ann Miller |
Successor3: | Mark Ryan |
Office4: | Minister for Sport and Racing |
Term Start4: | 16 February 2015 |
Term End4: | 7 December 2015 |
Premier4: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
Predecessor4: | Steve Dickson |
Successor4: | Curtis Pitt (Sport) Grace Grace (Racing) |
Office5: | Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation |
Term Start5: | 4 March 2014 |
Term End5: | 14 February 2015 |
Leader5: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
Predecessor5: | Curtis Pitt |
Successor5: | Jann Stuckey |
Office6: | Shadow Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services Shadow Minister for Construction and Public Works Shadow Minister for National Parks |
Term Start6: | 19 April 2012 |
Term End6: | 14 February 2015 |
Leader6: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
Predecessor6: | John-Paul Langbroek (Police) Ros Bates (Building Industry) |
Successor6: | Jarrod Bleijie (Police) Rob Molhoek (Public Works) Stephen Bennett (National Parks) |
Office7: | Shadow Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection |
Term Start7: | 19 April 2012 |
Term End7: | 10 May 2012 |
Leader7: | Annastacia Palaszczuk |
Predecessor7: | Andrew Powell |
Successor7: | Jackie Trad |
Constituency Mp8: | Rockhampton |
Parliament8: | Queensland |
Term Start8: | 24 March 2012 |
Term End8: | 25 November 2017 |
Predecessor8: | Robert Schwarten |
Successor8: | Barry O'Rourke |
Birth Name: | William Stephen Byrne |
Birth Date: | 1958 4, df=yes |
Birth Place: | Bundaberg, Queensland |
Party: | Labor |
Allegiance: | Australia |
Branch: | Australian Army (1980–1999) Australian Army Reserve (2000–present) |
Serviceyears: | 1980–present |
Unit: | 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment |
William Stephen Byrne (born 19 April 1958) is an Australian Labor politician who was elected to represent Rockhampton in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland at the 2012 state election. He served until his retirement due to ill health in 2017.[1]
His party was heavily defeated at the 2012 election and Byrne was one of seven ALP members of the Legislative Assembly returned at that election.
Of the seven ALP members returned at the general election, Byrne was the only one new to the Legislative Assembly although Jackie Trad was soon elected in South Brisbane replacing former Premier Anna Bligh who resigned immediately after the election defeat.
After Labor's victory in the 2015 Queensland state election, he was sworn in as Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Sport and Racing in the Palaszczuk Ministry on 16 February 2015.[2]
In December 2015, Byrne's portfolio in the Palaszczuk Ministry changed when he became the new Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services and the new Minister for Corrective Services.[3] He regained the Agriculture and Fisheries portfolio and was given the new ministry of Regional Economic Development in a November 2016 reshuffle.[4]
In February 2016, the state opposition called for an investigation into Byrne under firearms laws after he admitted to using a rifle to shoot rats at his home twenty years earlier.[5]
On 7 October 2017, Byrne announced that he had resigned from the Queensland Cabinet as Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Economic Development, and that he would not be contesting the next election. He cited a serious and "life threatening" health issue as the reason for his retirement.[6]