Guelfi Scassola

Who is Guelfi Scassola?

Guelfi Paul Scassola was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1977 until 1983, representing the electorate of Mount Gravatt.

Scassola was born in Innisfail, the son of a cane farmer. He was raised and educated in north Queensland, attending Silkwood State Primary School and Silkwood Convent School, but his father died when he was twelve, and facing hard times, his family relocated to Brisbane. He subsequently attended St Stephen's School, St Patrick's School, Kangaroo Point State Primary School, and Brisbane State High School, before graduating in law from the University of Queensland in 1963. He did his articled clerkship at the firm of senior Liberal Party figure Leo Catt, and thereafter became a solicitor. Scassola was involved in the Liberal Party for many years, serving on the state council of the Young Liberals from 1964 to 1967, the state executive of the party from 1958 to 1968 and from 1969 to 1973, the state policy committee from 1969 to 1977, the party's federal council from 1971 to 1975, and as its Queensland state vice-president from 1963 until 1977.

Scassola was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the 1977 election, winning the seat of Mount Gravatt upon the retirement of Liberal MLA Geoff Chinchen. He was particularly concerned with family and disability issues as an MLA, the later stemming from his experience as the father of a son with Down syndrome. He was a member of the "Ginger Group" of Liberal MLAs who wished to assert a more distinct voice for the Liberal Party, and were concerned about government accountability and the little weight given by Premier Bjelke-Petersen to Liberal opposition to certain decisions.