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Richard Alston was most recently Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, a position he held from 2005 to 2008 following a notable Australian political career.
He is an adjunct professor of IT at Bond University in Queensland, a member of the Bell Shakespeare Foundation and a director of the Melba Foundation, supporting Australian classical artists and musicians. In the UK he is a member of the Governing Board of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the vice patron of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Friends in the UK).
Mr Alston’s first career was as a barrister, practising in common, commercial and administrative law. After politics, he entered the business sector as a consultant and served on the boards of a number of companies before taking up his current position.
Mr Alston’s parliamentary career extended over almost 20 years. He was a Senator for Victoria in the Australian Parliament from 1986 to 2004 (representing the Liberal Party). During this time he held numerous ministerial and parliamentary party positions including:
- Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts – 1998-2003
- Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts – 1997-1998
- Minister for Communications and the Arts – 1996-1997
- Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate – 1996-2003
In opposition, Mr Alston was responsible for a number of shadow portfolios including communications, the arts, social security, superannuation and child care.
In addition to his Monash MBA and Master of Laws, Mr Alston has Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Melbourne. |
