Tim Bruxner

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Australian politician

title: "Tim Bruxner" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1923-births", "2017-deaths", "20th-century-australian-farmers", "australian-people-of-english-descent", "australian-army-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "royal-australian-air-force-officers", "royal-australian-air-force-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "national-party-of-australia-members-of-the-parliament-of-new-south-wales", "members-of-the-new-south-wales-legislative-assembly", "people-educated-at-cranbrook-school,-sydney", "australian-army-soldiers", "farmers-from-new-south-wales", "people-from-tenterfield,-new-south-wales"] description: "Australian politician" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Bruxner" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
honorific-prefix	The Honourable
name	Tim Bruxner
office	Minister for Transport
Minister for Highways
term_start	23 January 1976
term_end	14 May 1976
premier	Sir Eric Willis
predecessor	Max Ruddock
successor	Peter Cox
office1	Minister for Decentralisation and Development
term_start1	3 December 1973
term_end1	23 January 1976
premier1	Sir Robert Askin
Tom Lewis
predecessor1	John Fuller
successor1	Milton Morris
constituency_MP2	Tenterfield
parliament2	New South Wales
term_start2	3 March 1962
term_end2	28 August 1981
predecessor2	Michael Bruxner
successor2	District abolished
birth_date
birth_place	Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia
death_date
death_place	Sydney
party	Country
relations	Sir Michael Bruxner (Father)
John Bruxner (Brother)
spouse	Margaret McLeish
allegiance	Australia
branch	Australian Army
Royal Australian Air Force
serviceyears	1941–1945
rank	Pilot Officer
unit	2/9th Armoured Regiment
No. 7 Operational Training Unit RAAF
battles	World War II
::

Bruxner held positions as a Minister of the Crown for Housing, Cooperative Societies, Decentralisation and Development and Tourism in the cabinets of Sir Robert Askin and Tom Lewis. Under Sir Eric Willis, Bruxner was promoted as Minister for Transport and Minister for Highways. Upon losing government in 1976, Bruxner continued as Deputy Leader and Shadow Minister until his retirement from politics in 1981.

Early life and background

James Caird Bruxner, better known as 'Tim' (which was an old family nickname), was born 18 May 1923 in Tenterfield, New South Wales, the youngest son of NSW Country Party leader Michael Frederick Bruxner, who had served as Deputy Premier of New South Wales between 1932 and 1941, and Winifred Hay "Midge" Caird. His brother, John Michael Bruxner, later became a Judge of the District Court of New South Wales. He spent his early years on the family property "Roseneath", until he left to attend Cranbrook School, Sydney, becoming School Captain in 1940.

He began to study law at the University of Sydney, but interrupted his studies to serve in the Australian military during World War II. Volunteering for overseas service, he enlisted in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force on 13 December 1941, and was posted to the 1st Armoured Division's 2/9th Armoured Regiment, serving as a corporal. Leaving the Army on 10 July 1944, Bruxner joined the Royal Australian Air Force, 7th Operational Training Unit, as a Pilot Officer. On 18 April 1945, Bruxner married Margaret Ann McLeish, with whom he had a son. Upon being discharged on 15 October 1945, Bruxner became a grazier as the owner of 'Old Auburnvale' station near Inverell, where he was a breeder of Aberdeen Angus cattle.

Political career

When his father, Sir Michael Bruxner, retired from parliament on 5 February 1962, Bruxner gained preselection for his father's vacated seat of Tenterfield, allegedly against his parents' advice, and won it at the 1962 election for the Country Party with 50.75% of the vote. Serving in the backbenches in opposition, Bruxner was re-elected at the 1965 election with an increased margin of 57.1% of the vote. As a junior member of parliament, Bruxner continued in the backbenches when the Coalition took power under Robert Askin in 1965. He was re-elected again at the 1968 and 1971 elections with 66.9% and 56.9% respectively.

At the 1973 election, Bruxner was returned with 68.63% in Tenterfield. On 17 December 1975, in addition to his responsibilities for Decentralisation and Development, the new Premier, Tom Lewis, appointed him as the Minister for Tourism, which had been vacated by Cutler. A month later, on 22 January 1976, Lewis was deposed as Premier and Liberal Leader by several backbenchers and was succeeded by Education Minister Sir Eric Willis. Willis then appointed Bruxner as Minister for Transport and Minister for Highways in his new government on 23 January.

As the new Minister for Transport and Highways, Bruxner was the fourth Minister of that portfolio in a year and started amid speculation that he had been given the job to take the mess of transport, which was largely seen as a 'bad news' portfolio, away from the Liberal Party and offload it to the Country Party. Nevertheless, Bruxner took it in his stride, adopting his father's maxim that "We can't please everyone. Let us... go like the devil straight ahead." and oversaw the announcement of the Premier's Sydney Transport masterplan. Inheriting a department that was in "dire financial straits", Bruxner found it difficult to make an impression before the Willis Government was defeated at the election on 14 May 1976.

Later life

In opposition, Bruxner was appointed by Opposition leader Willis as Shadow Minister for Decentralisation and Development and Primary Industries. He served in this capacity under the successive Leadership of Peter Coleman until 2 November 1978. When Coleman lost his seat at the 1978 election, he was succeeded by John Mason, who appointed him as Shadow Leader of the House.

When the electoral redistribution results were published in March 1980, Tenterfield was abolished, with most going into the re-established electorate of Northern Tablelands. With this in mind, Bruxner considered his position on whether to stand again at the next election. Eventually he decided to retire as an MP and as Deputy Leader to allow younger members of the party to gain experience. Following the landslide loss at the September 1981 election, the National Country Party and the Liberals both held 14 seats. Party Leader Leon Punch then contested the vacant Leadership of the Opposition, a move which former deputy Bruxner opposed, but lost to the new leader of the Liberals, John Dowd. On his retirement, he was granted by Queen Elizabeth II, on the Governor's recommendation, retention of the title "The Honourable" for life. After leaving politics, Bruxner retired from public life and returned to his property near Inverell. He died in 2017.

Notes

References

"In Father's Footsteps...doing the job where you can't please everyone". Sydney Morning Herald 8 February 1976 pg 64.
{{Cite NSW Parliament
[http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=187196 World War II Nominal Roll:] BRUXNER, JAMES CAIRD – Army Service
[http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1041941 World War II Nominal Roll:] BRUXNER, JAMES CAIRD – RAAF Service
Hagan, Jim. (2006). "People and Politics in Regional New South Wales: 1856 to the 1950s".
(DistrictIndexes). "Elections for Tenterfield".
Davey, Paul. (2006). "The Nationals: the Progressive, Country, and National Party in New South Wales 1919–2006".
"Opposition Shadow Ministries from 1973". Parliament of New South Wales.
Davey, Paul. (2006). "The Nationals: the Progressive, Country, and National Party in New South Wales 1919–2006".
Bramston, Troy. (2006). "The Wran era".
{{London Gazette. (13 July 1976)
(30 August 2017). "In Memoriam – Tim Bruxner". [[National Party of Australia – NSW]].

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