Jim Cox (Australian politician)

For other people named Jim Cox, see Jim Cox (disambiguation).

Alderman
Jim Cox
AM
Launceston City Council Alderman
Incumbent
Assumed office
2011
Minister for Police and Emergency Management
In office
12 February 2008 – 13 April 2010
PremierPaul Lennon
David Bartlett
Preceded byDavid Llewellyn
Succeeded byLin Thorp
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Bass
In office
13 May 1989 – 1 February 1992
In office
24 February 1996 – 13 April 2010
Personal details
Born
James Glennister Cox

(1945-10-01) 1 October 1945 (age 79)
Tasmania, Australia
Political partyIndependent
Labor Party
OccupationRadio and television presenter

James Glennister Cox AM (born 1 October 1945) is a former Tasmanian Labor politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly who represented the electorate of Bass. He held office from 1989 to 1992, and again from 1996 to 2010.

Before entering Parliament, Cox co-hosted The Saturday Night Show on TNT-9 with Graeme Goodings[1] and was a radio announcer in northern Tasmania.[2] Cox won Logie Awards for most popular male on Tasmanian television in 1979[3] and 1981.[4]

Cox ran in the 1989 Tasmanian state election. He defeated Labor incumbent Gill James and was seated in the House of Assembly.[5]

In 1989, Tasmanian media magnate Edmund Rouse, Chairman of forestry enterprise Gunns, attempted to bribe Cox with $110,000 to cross the floor of parliament in an attempt to prevent Labor forming government in alliance with the five Green Independents, and attempting to secure the return of the pro-logging Liberal Party government of Robin Gray.[2][6] Cox reported the bribery attempt to police, and ultimately Rouse served 18 months in jail.

James ran against Cox again in 1992, defeating him. In 1996, Cox ran against, and defeated, Tasmanian Green Lance Armstrong.[5] Cox was re-elected again in the 2002 and 2006 elections. He did not run in the 2010 elections and retired.[5]

Cox was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2017.[7]

  1. ^ "Graeme Goodings". Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  2. ^ a b Andrews, Alison (25 November 2009). "Cox recalls lasting impact of bribery scandal". The Examiner. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  3. ^ 1979 TV WEEK Logie Awards Archived 24 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, TV Week, 16 March 1979.
  4. ^ 1981 TV WEEK Logie Awards Archived 4 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, TV Week, 10 April 1981.
  5. ^ a b c "Retiring MPs - 2010 Tasmanian Election - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Out of control: the tragedy of Tasmania's forests". The Monthly. 23: 20–31. May 2007.
  7. ^ "Veteran politician receives accolade". The Advocate. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2022.