Geoff Prosser

Who is Geoff Prosser?

Geoffrey Daniel Prosser, Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from July 1987 until the 2007 election, representing the Division of Forrest, Western Australia.

Prosser was born in Bunbury, Western Australia, and was a self-employed businessman and company director before entering politics. He was a member of the Bunbury City Council 1979–85.

Prosser was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from 1990 to 1996. After the Liberal Party's election at the March 1996 election, he was appointed Small Business and Consumer Affairs in the Howard ministry. On the basis of Liberal prime minister John Howard's 1996 Guide on Key Elements of Ministerial Behaviour Geoff Prosser had to resign in July 1997 because of improper business dealings. He continued to be a major retail landlord, and this was seen to conflict with his responsibilities as Minister for Small Business and Consumer Affairs.

Prosser was believed to have been one of the wealthiest politicians in Federal Parliament, if not the wealthiest during his time as the member for Forrest. In 2010 his estimated net worth was $186 million.

On Saturday, 3 March 2007 The Australian newspaper published allegations made by former Western Australia Premier Brian Burke that Prosser was a client of his and that Prosser had paid for lobbying services. There was no truth to the allegation. The paper also alleged that Prosser was recently seen dining with Julian Grill, Burke's business partner.