Paul Gibson

Infobox Politician
name = Paul Gibson
width = 150px
height = 150px
office = New South Wales Legislative Assembly
term_start = 1988
term_end = present
constituency = Londonderry (1988-1999)
Blacktown (1999-present)
birth_date = birth date and age|1944|1|19|df=yes
birth_place = flagicon|AUS Young, New South Wales, Australia
party = Australian Labor Party
children = 4
residence = SydneyInfobox rugby league biography
playername = Paul Gibson
fullname = Paul Bernard Gibson


caption =
country =
position = Five-eighth
currentclub =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1944|1|19|df=yes
placeofbirth = flagicon|AUS Young, New South Wales
countryofbirth = Australia
height =
weight =
club1 = South Sydney Rabbitohs
year1start = 1962
year1end =
appearances1 = 2
tries1 = 0
goals1 = 0
fieldgoals1 = 0
points1 = 0
club2 = Manly-Warringah
year2start = 1966
year2end =
appearances2 = 13
tries2 = 3
goals2 = 7
fieldgoals2 = 0
points2 = 23
club3 = Parramatta Eels
year3start = 1967
year3end = 1968
appearances3 = 23
tries3 = 5
goals3 = 0
fieldgoals3 = 0
points3 = 15
club4 = Penrith Panthers
year4start = 1969
year4end = 1970
appearances4 = 9
tries4 = 3
goals4 = 2
fieldgoals4 = 0
points4 = 13
updated = Oct 5, 2008
source = [http://stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/players/Paul_Gibson.html RL stats]
new = yes

Paul Bernard Gibson MP (born 19 January 1944 in Young, New South Wales) is an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He has two sons and two daughters. Prior to entering politics, Gibson played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership with several Sydney clubs including Penrith, Parramatta and Manly. [cite news|first=Robert|last=Wainwright|title=Belligerent politician dogged by controversy and confrontation|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/belligerent-politician-dogged-by-controversy-and-confrontation/2007/04/02/1175366158776.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=2007-04-03|accessdate=2007-04-04]

Gibson represented Londonderry from 1988 to 1999 and has represented Blacktown since 1999 for the Australian Labor Party. He is the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety (Staysafe). [cite web|title=Mr Paul Bernard Gibson, MP|work=Members of Parliament|publisher=Parliament of New South Wales|url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/Parlment/Members.nsf/d890a06557517cedca256e700008765e/62029844d847643d4a2567450001656a!OpenDocument|accessdate=2007-02-28]

After retaining the seat of Blacktown in the 24 March 2007 State election, Gibson was at first over-looked for a ministry position. Pressure on Premier Morris Iemma from several union bodies that supported Gibson caused him to re-consider and in light of Housing Minister Cherie Burton retiring from Cabinet, Gibson was offered the position of Minister for Sport and Recreation. This caused immediate conflict for the new ministry due to Gibson's hostile relationship with newly elected Member for the Blue Mountains Phil Koperberg, who had accused Gibson of running a smear campaign against him that "bordered on evil" [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/distressed-koperberg-will-sit-next-to-old-foe/2007/03/30/1174761758400.html Distressed Koperberg will sit next to old foe, "Sydney Morning Herald" 31 March 2007] . Koperberg suggested Gibson had been the source of domestic violence allegations levelled at him during his campaign, that suggested Koperberg, the former Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, had assaulted his wife Katherine in the 1980s. Gibson later had an affair with Koperberg's wife after they divorced.

Gibson was to be sworn in on 2 April, however allegations of criminal conduct involving an apparent assault on his former lover, one time Sport Minister Sandra Nori, forced Iemma to dump him from Cabinet [cite news|first=Anne|last=Davies|title=New minister dumped over assault claims|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/new-minister-dumped-over-assault-claims/2007/04/02/1175366158728.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=2007-04-03|accessdate=2007-04-04] .

The Police investigation has now come to an end and, due to insufficient evidence, Gibson was cleared although he was not reinstated as a Minister.

References

External links

* [http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3HHBSpeaker?open&vwCat=Gibson,%20Mr%20Paul Speeches in Hansard by Paul Gibson]

Persondata
NAME=Gibson, Paul Bernard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=New South Wales politician
DATE OF BIRTH= 19 January 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH= Young, New South Wales, Australia
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=