Vaughan Johnson (politician)

The Honourable Vaughan Johnson OAM
Queensland Government Chief Whip
In office 3 April 2012 – 31 January 2015
Premier	Campbell Newman
Preceded by	Margaret Keech
Succeeded by	Mick de Brenni
Shadow Minister for Police and Corrective Services
In office 29 January 2008 – 29 November 2010
Leader	Lawrence Springborg John-Paul Langbroek
Preceded by	Rob Messenger
Succeeded by	Glen Elmes
In office 9 February 2003 – 21 September 2006
Leader	Lawrence Springborg
Preceded by	Jeff Seeney
Succeeded by	Rob Messenger
Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Small Business and Industry and Shadow Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Partnerships
In office 17 September 2007 – 29 January 2008
Leader	Jeff Seeney
Preceded by	Fiona Simpson (Small Business)
Succeeded by	Rob Messenger
Shadow Minister for Transport and Main Roads
In office 21 September 2006 – 17 September 2007
Leader	Jeff Seeney
Preceded by	Michael Caltabiano
Succeeded by	Fiona Simpson
In office 2 July 1998 – 8 March 2004
Leader	Rob Borbidge Mike Horan Lawrence Springborg
Preceded by	Jim Elder
Succeeded by	Fiona Simpson
In office 2 August 1995 – 19 February 1996
Leader	Rob Borbidge
Succeeded by	Jim Elder
Deputy Leader of the Opposition of Queensland Deputy Leader of the Queensland National Party
In office 2 March 2001 – 4 February 2003
Leader	Mike Horan
Preceded by	Lawrence Springborg
Succeeded by	Jeff Seeney
Minister for Transport and Main Roads of Queensland
In office 26 February 1996 – 26 June 1998
Premier	Rob Borbidge
Preceded by	Jim Elder
Succeeded by	Steve Bredhauer
Member of the Queensland Parliament for Gregory
In office 2 December 1989 – 31 January 2015
Preceded by	Bill Glasson
Succeeded by	Lachlan Millar
Personal details
Born	(1947-07-20)20 July 1947 Bourke, New South Wales, Australia
Died	22 January 2023(2023-01-22) (aged 75)
Political party	Liberal National Party (2008–2023)
Other political affiliations	National Party (1970–2008)
Spouse	Robin Anne Balchin
Children	3
Occupation	Grazier

Vaughan Gregory Johnson OAM (20 July 1947 – 22 January 2023) was an Australian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1989 to 2015.

Early life

Born in Bourke, New South Wales, he was a grazier and contractor before entering politics.

Political career

Having moved to Queensland, he was a councillor on Quilpie Shire Council from 1970 to 1973. From 1972 to 1973, he was Chairman of the Quilpie Branch of the National Party.

In 1989, Johnson was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the National Party member for Gregory. He followed the Queensland Nationals into the Liberal National Party in 2008, and held the seat until his retirement in 2015.

Government Minister (1996–98)

After Rob Borbidge became Premier, Johnson was made Minister for Transport and Main Roads.

Opposition frontbencher (1998–2010)

Following the heavy coalition defeat at the 2001 election he was elected Deputy National Leader, a position he held until Lawrence Springborg replaced Mike Horan as leader in 2003.

Johnson held many shadow cabinet positions between 1998 and 2010 including Shadow Minister for Sport and the Shadow Minister for Police and Corrections.

Johnson was removed from the frontbench by LNP leader John-Paul Langbroek in November 2010, however he returned as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Western Queensland after Langbroek was replaced by Campbell Newman.

Johnson was appointed Government Chief Whip following the LNP victory at the 2012 election.

In October 2014, Johnson announced that he would retire from the Queensland Parliament at the next election. The Premier of Queensland, Campbell Newman, praised his contribution to Queensland, saying "Vaughan will forever be known as the bloke who fought tooth and nail for the farmers and graziers, truck drivers, small business owners and everyone in between right across Western Queensland."

Controversies

In 2014 on Fairfax Radio, Johnson stated "I'm not against Asian people, don't get me wrong – but a lot of those Asian people come from an environment where they have no comprehension of road rules in their own country". Johnson issued a letter later that day apologising for his remarks, adding "I wanted to convey that all drivers in Queensland must take care on the roads".

Personal life and death

Johnson was married with three children.

Johnson died suddenly in the early hours of 22 January 2023, at the age of 75.

Awards and honours

In 2020 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day honours list.