John Bradford

Who is John Bradford?

John Walter Bradford is a former Australian politician.

Born in Sydney, he was educated at the University of Sydney and then Sydney College of Advanced Education, becoming a teacher. He served in the military 1968-1970, returning to become a retail industry executive. After moving to Queensland in 1987, Bradford was National Director of the Shopping Centre Tenants Association of Australia. He was active in local politics in Sydney, sitting on Warringah Shire Council.

In 1990, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Liberal member for McPherson. In 1992 he was one of a group of Coalition members of parliament who founded the Lyons Forum, a conservative ginger group.

On 7 April 1998, he resigned from the Liberal Party and sat as a member of the Christian Democratic Party. In the 1998 federal election, he contested the Senate in Queensland for the Christian Democrats, but was not elected.

Bradford was endorsed by the Christian Democratic Party in 2000 as the successor to Elaine Nile in the New South Wales Legislative Council. However, as a result of an internal party dispute due to Bradford's residency, Nile delayed her retirement until 2002 and Gordon Moyes was ultimately appointed to the Council, ahead of Bradford.