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Richard Alston | |
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| President of the Liberal Party of Australia | |
| In office 25 June 2014 – 24 June 2017 | |
| Leader | Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Alan Stockdale |
| Succeeded by | Nick Greiner |
| Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom | |
| In office February 2005 – September 2008 | |
| Nominated by | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Michael L'Estrange |
| Succeeded by | John Dauth |
| Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts | |
| In office 11 March 1996 – 7 October 2003 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Michael Lee |
| Succeeded by | Daryl Williams |
| Senator for Victoria | |
| In office 7 May 1986 – 10 February 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Alan Missen |
| Succeeded by | Mitch Fifield |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Kenneth Robert Alston 19 December 1941 Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Relations | Philip Alston (brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne Monash University |
| Occupation | Barrister |
Richard Kenneth Robert Alston AO (born 19 December 1941) is an Australian businessman, former politician and former barrister. He served as a Senator for Victoria from 1986 to 2004, representing the Liberal Party. During the Howard government he held ministerial office as Minister for Communications and the Arts (1996–1997), Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts (1997–1998), and Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (1998–2003). He is simultaneously Australia's longest serving Communications minister and Arts minister.
In his ministerial capacity he led more than a dozen highly successful telecommunications and IT trade missions around the world as well as representing Australia at APEC Telecommunications Ministerial Conferences in Singapore, Cancun, Shanghai and the Gold Coast (chaired). In 1999 he received an Award for Outstanding Contribution to the IT industry from the Asia-Oceania Computing Industry Organisation. In 2002 he was voted Best Asian Communications Minister and in 2003 he received an Outstanding Service Award from the Australian Venture Capital Association.
He served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (2005–2008) where he was a Commissioner of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for three years. In 2007 he was the Australian Prime Minister's Special Envoy and Leader of the Australian delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Uganda. From 2014 to 2017 he was Federal President of the Liberal Party and a member of the Party's Federal Executive for 18 years.