Charles Porter (Australian politician)

[1] He was the Liberal member for the Electoral District of Toowong in the Legislative Assembly of the Australian state of Queensland from 1966, and the Minister for Aboriginal and Island Affairs from 1977.

[3] He wrote a variety of radio plays which were broadcast in Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Denmark.

[2] He once called himself “complete radio Dog’s body”[2] as he worked in so many different fields for the one station, including: “stock announcer, compere, commentator (once for an Australian Rules game that [he] had never seen before in [his] life and of which [he] knew absolutely nothing), playwright, producer, actor, women’s session announcer, children’s uncle, news analyst, advertising space salesman, and programme manager”.

[7] Porter's activity in the Ginger Group included “vigorously attacking”[7] the Liberal state executive after electing not to contest the by-election of the constituency of Landsborough in 1967, going against parliamentary tradition.

[7] He went on to support Peter Nelson Gracie as “an ‘unofficial’ candidate” for this by-election alongside another member of the Ginger Group, John Murray.

[7] Porter moved to the ministry in 1974, joining fellow Ginger Group member Lickiss, with the premier's support,[7] and later that year was appointed Chairman of the Select Committee on Punishment of Crimes of Violence in Queensland, and held this position throughout its proceedings.

[7][9] Following Ron Camm's announcement of his resignation as minister and MLA of Whitsunday, Porter – along with members Fred Campbell and Nev Hewitt – elected not to recontest, receiving a valedictory motion at the session's closure.

[10] By the end of 1980, Porter retired from his position in the cabinet, and was succeeded by Ken Tomkins as both the minister for Water Resources and Aboriginal and Island Affairs.

[3] He was also involved as either executive member or patron of many community organisations and sporting groups[3] Porter passed away on 14 April 2004 of natural causes.