William Bridges-Maxwell

William Bridges-Maxwell
Member of the Australian Parliament for Robertson
In office 5 December 1964 – 25 October 1969
Preceded by	Roger Dean
Succeeded by	Barry Cohen
Personal details
Born	(1929-09-27)27 September 1929 Hobart, Tasmania
Died	15 April 1992(1992-04-15) (aged 62)
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Gillian
Children	Joanna and Michael
Education	Royal Agricultural College
Occupation	Veterinary scientist

Crawford William Bridges-Maxwell (27 September 1929 – 15 April 1992) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1964 to 1969, representing the seat of Robertson for the Liberal Party. He was a veterinary scientist by profession.

Bridges-Maxwell was born on 27 September 1929 in Hobart, Tasmania.^[1]

Bridges-Maxwell was educated at Geelong Grammar School and then the Royal Agricultural College in England, after which he became a veterinary scientist.^[2] At the time of his election to parliament, he was working as secretary of the University of Sydney's Dairy Research Foundation and Poultry Research Foundation.^[3]

Bridges-Maxwell was elected to the state executive of the Liberal Party in the late 1950s and was active on its rural policy committee.^[3] He was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1964 Robertson by-election, retaining the seat of Robertson for the Liberal Party following the resignation of Roger Dean.^[1] After his election, which coincided with the 1964 half-Senate election, an unsuccessful petition was lodged with the Court of Disputed Returns to overturn the result – along with the election of six other MPs and senators – on the grounds of alleged illegal campaign expenditure.^[4]

Bridges-Maxwell's maiden speech in parliament concentrated on education and scientific research. He called on the federal government to establish a standalone Department of Education and Science (eventually created in 1966) and establish a nonpartisan advisory committee to review government research expenditure.^[5] Bridges-Maxwell was a supporter of Prime Minister John Gorton and was a member of the Mushroom Club, an informal dinner club comprising members of Gorton's inner circle.^[6]

Prior to the 1969 federal election, Bridges-Maxwell's seat of Robertson was significantly altered in an electoral redistribution.^[7] He unsuccessfully sought Liberal preselection for the newly created seat of Berowra, but was defeated by fellow incumbent MP Tom Hughes whose own seat of Parkes had been abolished.^[8] At the election, Bridges-Maxwell was defeated by the Australian Labor Party candidate Barry Cohen as part of a nationwide swing against the Liberals.^[1] He was also disadvantaged by the Democratic Labor Party's decision not to field a candidate in Robertson, based on his reputation as a "Gorton man".^[7]

Bridges-Maxwell served as a co-opted member of the CSIRO council from 1968 to 1973.^[9]

Bridges-Maxwell died on 15 April 1992, aged 62.^[1]