| Noel Crichton-Browne | |
| Senator for Western Australia | |
| Term Start: | 1 July 1981 |
| Term End: | 30 June 1996 |
| Birth Date: | 1944 2, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Wiluna, Western Australia |
| Party: | Liberal (to 1995) Independent (from 1995) |
| Occupation: | Company manager |
Noel Ashley Crichton-Browne (born 2 February 1944) is a former Australian politician. He was a Senator for Western Australia from 1981 to 1996 and served as Deputy President of the Senate from 1993 to 1995. He was a member of the Liberal Party until his expulsion amid factional conflict in 1995.
Crichton-Browne was born on 2 February 1944 in the remote mining town of Wiluna, Western Australia. He was one of three children born to Margaret Bennett and John Crichton-Browne. His father was an engineer at the Wiluna Gold Mine, while his mother worked as a nurse.
Crichton-Browne received his early education at state schools, before boarding at St Ildephonsus College' in New Norcia and Scotch College, Perth. After leaving school he joined the state government's Department of Mines as a clerk based in Southern Cross. He later moved to Marble Bar where he was appointed mining registrar in 1968 at the age of 24. After five years in Marble Bar he moved to Perth where he became wealthy through his mining and property interests.
After serving as the state president of the WA division of the Liberal Party from 1975 to 1979, Crichton-Browne was elected to the Senate for Western Australia in 1980 (term beginning 1 July 1981), 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1990.[1]
He served as a Liberal Party senator from 1 July 1981 to 9 September 1995, and thereafter as an Independent after being expelled from the Liberal Party following media publicity of his inappropriate language and behaviour towards journalist Colleen Egan.[2] His expulsion motion was initiated by WA Liberal state president David Honey, who was Crichton-Browne's protege. Crichton-Browne had helped Honey in attaining the party presidency. Honey, as party president, turned against his former mentor in response to Crichton-Browne's behaviour to Egan. Honey later became parliamentary leader of the party in 2021, and upon his election as leader, Honey brought up his role in the expulsion of Crichton-Browne as a reason why he should be party leader, who would oversee a "root and branch" analysis and restructuring of the party.[3] Honey explained, that as the party president, he had to deal with the issue of Crichton-Browne being a power broker and his "undue influence" over the party and preselections.
Crichton-Browne retired from Parliament upon the expiry of his final term on 30 June 1996.
In 1998, he pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to fraudulently claiming $4,500 in taxpayer-funded expenses for two weekends spent at holiday spots with a female companion.[4]