Ian Sinclair

The Right Honourable Ian Sinclair AC
Sinclair in 1970
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office 4 March 1998 – 31 August 1998
Preceded by	Bob Halverson
Succeeded by	Neil Andrew
Leader of the National Party
In office 17 January 1984 – 9 May 1989
Deputy	Ralph Hunt Bruce Lloyd
Preceded by	Doug Anthony
Succeeded by	Charles Blunt
Deputy Leader of the National Party
In office 2 February 1971 – 17 January 1984
Leader	Doug Anthony
Preceded by	Doug Anthony
Succeeded by	Ralph Hunt
Parliamentary Offices Father of the House In office 20 February 1990 – 31 August 1998 Preceded by Tom Uren Succeeded by Philip Ruddock Leader of the House In office 19 August 1980 – 7 May 1982 Leader Malcolm Fraser Preceded by Ian Viner Succeeded by Sir James Killen In office 22 December 1975 – 27 September 1979 Leader Malcolm Fraser Preceded by Fred Daly Succeeded by Ian Viner Manager of Opposition Business In office 16 March 1983 – 28 April 1987 Leader Malcolm Fraser Andrew Peacock John Howard Preceded by Lionel Bowen Succeeded by John Spender In office 14 June 1974 – 11 November 1975 Leader Billy Snedden Malcolm Fraser Preceded by unknown Succeeded by Gordon Scholes
Cabinet Posts Minister for Defence In office 7 May 1982 – 11 March 1983 Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser Preceded by Jim Killen Succeeded by Gordon Scholes Minister for Communications In office 3 November 1980 – 7 May 1982 Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser Preceded by Tony Staley Succeeded by Neil Brown Minister for Special Trade Representations In office 19 August 1980 – 3 November 1980 Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser Preceded by Douglas Scott Succeeded by office abolished Minister for Primary Industry In office 11 November 1975 – 27 September 1979 Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser Preceded by Rex Patterson Succeeded by Peter Nixon In office 5 February 1971 – 5 December 1972 Prime Minister John Gorton William McMahon Preceded by Doug Anthony Succeeded by Lance Barnard Minister for Shipping and Transport In office 28 February 1968 – 5 February 1971 Prime Minister John Gorton Preceded by Gordon Freeth Succeeded by Peter Nixon Minister for Social Services In office 22 February 1965 – 28 February 1968 Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies Harold Holt John McEwen John Gorton Preceded by Reginald Swartz Succeeded by Bill Wentworth
Member of the Australian Parliament for New England
In office 30 November 1963 – 31 August 1998
Preceded by	David Drummond
Succeeded by	Stuart St. Clair
Member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales
In office 23 April 1961 – 24 October 1963
Succeeded by	Alexander Alam
Personal details
Born	Ian McCahon Sinclair (1929-06-10) 10 June 1929 (age 95) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	National
Spouses	Margaret Tarrant ​ ​ (m. 1956; died 1967)​ Rosemary Fenton ​ (m. 1970)​
Relations	Peter King (son-in-law)
Children	4
Occupation	Grazier

Ian McCahon Sinclair AC (born 10 June 1929) is an Australian former politician who served as a Member of Parliament for 35 years, and was leader of the National Party from 1984 to 1989. He served as either a minister or opposition frontbencher for all but a few months from 1965 to 1989, and later Speaker of the House of Representatives from March to August 1998.

Sinclair was born in Sydney and studied law at the University of Sydney. He later bought a farming property near Tamworth. Sinclair was elected to parliament in 1963, and added to the ministry in 1965 as part of the Menzies Government. Over the following six years, he held various portfolios under Harold Holt, John McEwen, John Gorton and William McMahon. Sinclair was elected deputy leader of his party in 1971. He was a senior member of the Fraser government, spending periods as Minister for Primary Industry (1975–1979), Minister for Communications (1980–1982), and Minister for Defence (1982–1983). In 1984, Sinclair replaced Anthony as leader of the Nationals. He led the party to two federal elections, in 1984 and 1987, but was replaced by Charles Blunt in 1989. Sinclair was father of the parliament from 1990 until his retirement at the 1998 election. He spent his last months in parliament as Speaker of the House of Representatives, following the sudden resignation of Bob Halverson; he is the only member of his party to have held the position. He also served as co-chair of the 1998 constitutional convention, alongside Barry Jones.

Along with Peter Nixon, Sinclair is the only other surviving Country/Nationals MP elected in the 1960s,^[1] and he is the last surviving minister who served in the Menzies Government and the First Holt Ministry. He is entitled to the Right Honourable prefix as one of the few surviving Australian members of the Privy Council of the UK.^[2]