Richard Alston (politician)

The Honourable Richard Alston AO
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 (1941-12-19) 19 December 1941 (age 82) 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 Australia's longest serving both 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.