John Hewson

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Dr John Hewson AM
Hewson speaking outdoors
Leader of the Opposition
In office 3 April 1990 – 23 May 1994
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke Paul Keating
Deputy	Peter Reith Michael Wooldridge
Preceded by	Andrew Peacock
Succeeded by	Alexander Downer
Leader of the Liberal Party
In office 3 April 1990 – 23 May 1994
Deputy	Peter Reith Michael Wooldridge
Preceded by	Andrew Peacock
Succeeded by	Alexander Downer
Member of the Australian Parliament for Wentworth
In office 11 July 1987 – 28 February 1995
Preceded by	Peter Coleman
Succeeded by	Andrew Thomson
Personal details
Born	John Robert Hewson (1946-10-28) 28 October 1946 (age 77) Carlton, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Liberal (until 2019)
Spouses	Margaret Deaves ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1985)​ Carolyn Somerville ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 2004)​ Jessica Wilson ​ ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	5
Education	Kogarah High School
Alma mater	University of Sydney University of Regina Johns Hopkins University
Occupation	Economist (Reserve Bank of Australia) Bank director (Macquarie Bank)
Profession	Financier businessman politician

John Robert Hewson AM (born 28 October 1946) is an Australian former politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party from 1990 to 1994. He led the Liberal-National Coalition to defeat at the 1993 Australian federal election.

Hewson was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and earned a PhD in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He has also attained degrees from the University of Sydney and the University of Regina. Before entering politics, Hewson worked as an economist for the Reserve Bank of Australia, an economic advisor to the Fraser government, a business journalist, and a director of Macquarie Bank.

In 1987, Hewson was elected to the House of Representatives. He was appointed to the shadow cabinet in 1988, serving under John Howard and Andrew Peacock. After Peacock lost the 1990 election, Hewson was elected leader of the Liberal Party in his place, thus becoming Leader of the Opposition. In 1991, he launched the Fightback! policy manifesto, which proposed a series of major economic reforms with a goods and services tax (GST) as its centrepiece.

Political platforms in the 1993 federal election focused mainly on economic policy, especially on how Australia should respond to the early 1990s recession. The Labor Party – led by Paul Keating – had been in power for 10 years at that point. Many polls suggested a Coalition victory, however Labor was able to mount a successful campaign, with the party's net increase in seats allowing Keating to remain Prime Minister. Hewson continued on as Liberal leader for another year, losing a leadership spill to Alexander Downer in 1994. He left parliament the following year. Since then, Hewson has continued to be a public expert in business and political commentary. He resigned his Liberal Party membership in 2019, having been a critic of its policy direction for a number of years, particularly on climate change.