Richard Torbay

George Richard Torbay (born 26 March 1961) is a former Australian politician who was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Northern Tablelands from 1999 to 2013.

On the first sitting day after the 2007 election Torbay accepted an offer by Premier Morris Iemma to become Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, a position usually filled by a member of the governing party.

In August 2012, Torbay was pre-selected as the National Party candidate for the federal seat of New England for the 2013 election, challenging former fellow state independent and current sitting member Tony Windsor.

Polls consistently showed Torbay well-positioned to reclaim the seat that had been in National hands for 79 years before Windsor won it in 2001.

They were also alarmed by his ties to Labor power-broker Eddie Obeid, who at the time was the target of the biggest corruption investigation in NSW history.

[11] Reportedly, Torbay also faced questions surrounding his ownership of 20 Centrelink buildings dating back to John Howard's tenure as Prime Minister.