Geoffrey Ronald (Geoff) Craige (born 20 May 1943) is an Australian politician. He was a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House, Melbourne, Parliament ...

from 1988 to 2002, representing

Central Highlands Province Central Highlands Province was an electorate of the Legislative Council of Victoria, Australia. It existed as a two-member electorate from 1976 to 2006, with members holding alternating eight-year terms. It was a safe seat for the Liberal Party ...

. He served as Minister for

Roads A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. The ...

and Ports in the second term of the Kennett government. Craige was born at

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a city on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. Known as Galinyala by the traditional owners, the Barngarla people, it is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, and was educated at Port Lincoln High School. He served in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

from 1961 to 1980, becoming a chief petty officer in the navy's medical branch. He then served as an organiser for the

Federated Clerks' Union The Federated Clerks Union of Australia (FCU) was an Australian trade union representing clerical workers, in existence from 1911 to 1993, when it amalgamated with the Australian Services Union. History Between 1900 and 1907, attempts were made to ...

from 1980 to 1984, and was director of industrial relations for the Victorian Farmers Federation from 1984 until his election to parliament in 1988. Craige was elected to the Legislative Council at the 1988 state election, succeeding retiring MP Jock Granter in the safe Liberal seat of

. He was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Public Transport when the Liberal Party won office under

Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian former politician who served as the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party from 1982 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1999, and the Member for ...

in 1992. Craige was promoted to Minister for

and Ports in 1996, serving until the defeat of the Liberal government at the 1999 election. He unsuccessfully nominated for the position of Liberal deputy leader in the Legislative Council following the 1999 election loss, losing to Bill Forwood. He subsequently served as Shadow Minister for Manufacturing and Regional Business and Shadow Minister for Ports, before standing down from the shadow ministry in June 2000. He retired at the 2002 election. After politics, Craige was a founder of fishing lobby group VRFish, worked for the Bus Association of Victoria, and served on the board of the Port of Hastings Development Authority.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craige, Geoffrey Ronald 1943 births Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Living people Members of the Victorian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian politicians People from Port Lincoln Ministers for roads and road safety (Victoria) Ministers for ports and freight (Victoria)