David Connolly (politician)

Born in Sydney,and spent his early years with his parents in Sri Lanka. Connolly Was educated at St Ignatius College and at the [[University of Sydney, serving on

the SRC as the evening student’s representative.  He was a research officer with the NSW Liberal Party before becoming private secretary to Senator [Sir Alister McMullin]], the [[President of the Australian Senate, between 1963 and 1965 when he joined the Australian Diplomatic Service, and served in Sri Lanka, UN New York and Israel. 

In 1974, Connolly was selected as the Liberal candidate for the very safe seat of Bradfield on the retirement of the former member, Harry Turner. He was elected to the Australian House of Representatives, and held the seat until 1996, when he was defeated for preselection by future Liberal leader Brendan Nelson. In Government He was chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee between 1975 and 1983 and in Opposition a shadow minister continuously up to his retirement. It has been speculated that without his pre-selection defeat he would have become a minister.[1]

Connolly served as Australia's High Commissioner to South Africa between 1998 and 2002 with accreditation to Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.[2][3] Later he was a board member of ARIA the Commonwealth's superannuation fund, Chairman of Rice Warner Actuaries and a part-time member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal from 2006 to 2011, and of the Migration and Refugee Review Tribunals from 2002 to 2010.In retirement he was a member of the Braidwood Pasture Protection Board and served as General zSecretary of the Canberra Liberals.

In the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours Connolly was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "service to the Parliament of Australia, to the development of superannuation policy reform, to international relations, and to the community".[4]