Steven John Doszpot OAM (23 September 1948 – 25 November 2017[1]) was an Australian politician and member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2017. A member of the Liberal Party, he represented the electorate of Brindabella between 2008 and 2012, Molonglo from 2012 to 2016, and Kurrajong from 2016 to his death in 2017.[2][3][4] In December 2012, Doszpot was elected as the Assistant Speaker.

Steve Doszpot
Member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
for Kurrajong
In office
15 October 2016 – 25 November 2017
Succeeded byCandice Burch
Member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
for Molonglo
In office
20 October 2012 – 15 October 2016
Member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
for Brindabella
In office
29 October 2008 – 20 October 2012
Assistant Speaker of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
In office
27 November 2012 – 22 January 2014
Preceded byVicki Dunne
Succeeded byNicole Lawder
Personal details
Born
István Doszpot

(1948-09-23)23 September 1948
Budapest, Hungary
Died25 November 2017(2017-11-25) (aged 69)
Barton, Canberra, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal Party
SpouseMaureen Doszpot
ProfessionPolitician
WebsiteACT Legislative Assembly profile

Biography

edit

He was born as István Doszpot in Budapest, Hungary and in 1957, aged nine, migrated to Australia with his refugee parents after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He completed his secondary education at the Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham (1961–64).[citation needed] He moved to Canberra in 1974 and was involved in the computer industry as a senior executive with Wang Computers (Australia), Digital Equipment Corporation and Canon Australia, with a brief stint at the CSIRO ICT Centre as the Business Development Manager in Canberra[citation needed], before his election to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2008.

He was the Head of SOCOG in Canberra from 1998 to 2000, and managed the Olympic Football Tournament staged in Canberra as part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He was President of the ACT Olympic Council and Soccer Canberra and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Following the 2000 Olympic Games, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his long-term commitment and service to the sport.[5]

Doszpot was the Shadow Minister for Education and Training and the Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation from 2008; the Shadow Minister for Ageing and the Shadow Minister for ICT from 2012. He had previously held shadow portfolios for Multicultural Affairs and for Disability between 2008 and 2012.[citation needed]

On 24 October 2017, Doszpot announced that he would be resigning from the Legislative Assembly on 5 December, after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.[6] However, he died from the disease on 25 November, becoming the first Member of the Legislative Assembly to die in office. He was given a state funeral.[7]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Lawson, Finbar O'Mallon and Kirsten (25 November 2017). "'A great Canberran': MLA Steve Doszpot dies, aged 69". Canberratimes.com.au. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Steve Doszpot". Member profile. Legislative Assembly for the ACT. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  3. ^ "ACT Electoral Commission - Media Release". Archived from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Canberra Liberals". Canberraliberals.org.au. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  5. ^ "DOSZPOT, Steve". It's an honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 24 October 2000. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Liberal MLA with terminal cancer to quit politics and try to 'save lives'". ABC News. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Canberra Liberals MLA Steve Doszpot dies of cancer after a year-long fight". ABC News. 25 November 2017.
Political offices
Preceded by Assistant Speaker
2012–2014
Succeeded by
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Brindabella

20082012
Served alongside: Burch, Hargreaves, Smyth, Bresnan
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Molonglo

20122016
Served alongside: Corbell, Barr, Gallagher, Hanson, Rattenbury, Jones
Electorate abolished
Electorate created Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Kurrajong

2016–2017
Served alongside: Barr, Lee, Rattenbury, Stephen-Smith
Succeeded by