Jack Birney

Jack Birney
Member of the Australian Parliament for Phillip
In office 13 December 1975 – 5 March 1983
Preceded by	Joe Riordan
Succeeded by	Jeannette McHugh
Personal details
Born	(1928-09-26)26 September 1928 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	1 January 1995(1995-01-01) (aged 66) Coolah, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Liberal
Relations	Matt Birney (son)
Occupation	Barrister

Reginald John Birney (26 September 1928 – 1 January 1995) was an Australian barrister and politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1983, representing the New South Wales seat of Phillip.

Early life

Birney was born in Sydney on 26 September 1928.

Birney was a barrister prior to entering politics. In 1963 he represented Geoffrey Chandler at the inquest into the Bogle–Chandler case, which involved the mysterious death of Chandler's wife. Later that year he represented accused serial killer William MacDonald, mounting an unsuccessful insanity defence.

Politics

In 1962, Birney was a vice-president of the United Australia Movement, which campaigned for the Territory of Papua and New Guinea to be granted representation in federal parliament and for Australian annexation of Dutch New Guinea. He visited Port Moresby where he spoke on "the immediacy of the Indonesian threat to East New Guinea", and with solicitor Bruce Miles was subsequently involved with the New Guinea Party which stood candidates at the 1963 federal election.

Birney was elected to the New South Wales state council of the Liberal Party in 1974. He was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1975 federal election, winning the seat of Phillip from the incumbent Australian Labor Party (ALP) MP Joe Riordan.

Birney was reportedly an "enthusiastic backbencher" with "a talent for getting his name in print, usually as a champion of the bizarre or the sanctimonious". He was one of the few Liberal MPs to oppose the construction of the Franklin Dam in Tasmania. He suffered a heart attack while visiting the protest site in 1983.

Birney was re-elected at the 1977 and 1980 elections, but lost his seat to the ALP candidate Jeanette McHugh as the Coalition was defeated at the 1983 election. He was later an unsuccessful preselection candidate for the New South Wales Legislative Council prior to the 1984 New South Wales state election.

Later life

Birney returned to his legal practice following the end of his parliamentary career. In 1984 he represented Lebanese organised crime figure Frank Hakim at a special commission inquiry into alleged bribery of the state prisons minister Rex Jackson, which ultimately led to Jackson's imprisonment.

Personal life

Birney's first marriage was to Shirley Kirk. He later married journalist Toni McRae, although they separated in the late 1970s. He had a total of five children across his marriages, including Matt Birney who briefly served as leader of the Liberal Party in Western Australia.

Birney died in his sleep on 1 January 1995, aged 66, while on holiday at Coolah, New South Wales.