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Phillip Corbett

The Right Honourable Phillip Henry Corbett EC (22 March 1964 - 3 August 2024), was First Minister of New England from March 2024 until his sudden death in August of the same year. Corbett was the fourth First Minister and the first and only person to die in office.

A stern conservative for his entire life, Corbett was a timber logger before becoming involved in the United Militia at the height of the civil war. He went on to become a key player in the post-war National party and served as a minister the first Meyer government from 2015. Corbett is also unique as being the only atheist First Minister in New England's history.

• Early Life
• Agrarian Activist
• Militia Commander
• Politician
• Death and Legacy
• Ministry

Early Life

It is said that a person's most influential years during their childhood, and for Phillip Corbett this was most definitely the case. Born into a family of north coast farmers in 1964, Corbett was raised on the family farm at Nymboida, 30 km to the south of Grafton. His father was a failed dairy farmer turned timberjack, who worked a thousand acres of wooded country to the south of the village. His mother was a nurse turned housewife who retired from her career when Philip's older brother was born in 1962. The Corbett family was extremely poor throughout Philip's childhood, and often struggled to provide enough food or clothing for the children.

Philip was the second of six children born between 1962 and 1970. Schooled first at Nymboida Primary and then South Grafton High School, Corbett did not go on to attend university, but instead opted to get an apprenticeship as a plumber after he finished fourth form in 1980. In 1982, after a falling out with his boss, Corbett abandoned his apprenticeship and with his father's health deteriorating decided instead to take up the business of logging on the family property.

Between 1982 and his father's death in 1984, Corbett worked the property with the limited assistance of his father who after his death left the burden of the farm to Philip alone. Philip was able to get some help from his siblings but this was extremely limited for the most part as they had other demands placed upon them by their mother. In 1985, Corbett met Candice Brown and the two were married in late 1987. After a honeymoon Coffs Harbour, the couple returned to the farm at Nymboida. If there were two children born of the marriage, a son Matthew in 1989, and a daughter Jessica born in 1991.

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Agrarian Activist

In 1985, Corbett joined the National party's local branch in Nymboida. He became branch president in 1988, and served on the electorate council for the party between 1988 and 1996. At the same time Corbett was a prominent member all the regional farmers Federation, the timber industry Association, and the Nymboida residents Association. Throughout this time Corbett saw the emergence of a radical left-wing movement determined to undermine the regional timber industry and he attempted through his many associations to counter this movement with a concerted effort launched to counter the green movement's success in swaying public opinion against the timber industry.

However in 1996, Corbett became disillusioned with the efforts of the various movements to effectively coordinate a counterargument against the green movement, especially after the election of the Carr Labor government in New South Wales in 1995. The new government in Sydney was determined to gazette large swathes of forest previously available to loggers and other rural industries as national parks. Corbett now attended to form a regional association of concerned citizens to fight the perceived threat of a green takeover. His association known as the Rural Forests Users Association was initially not a success and led to some heated conflicts with the other associations that Corbett was a member of.

In 1998 Corbett resigned from the National Party and after a brief flirtation with the One Nation movement he chose political exile by standing as an independent in the 2001 general election. At the same time Corbett's Rural Forests Users Association became a magnet for disillusioned and disaffected rural landowners who felt that the State government was hostage to urban green interests hell bent on wrecking the agricultural sector of the state. This became the nucleus of the Clarence Valley's United Militia divisions.

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Militia Commander

In 2006, the civil war broke out on the tablelands, and within weeks had spread across the New England region. Throughout the autumn and winter of 2006, Corbett became a major contact for rebel forces hiding out in bushland between Armadale and Grafton. With the soldiers isolated by regular Australian military bombings and troop movements, the few contacts available to the rebels gave them a chance of regrouping and finding suitable shelter against Australian attack.

After a particularly brutal assault in and around the Nymboida area in Christmas 2006, Corbett was recruited into the militia as a colonel and was given command of the rebellion's operations for the upper Clarence Valley. Poorly armed and equipped and incapable of launching any offensive attack themselves, the militia regiments of the valley instead concentrated on establishing safe communication channels between themselves and other rebel groups hold up in the Macleay and Bellinger valleys. Equipped with a radio and assisted by two experts in cryptology, Corbett was able to establish a link between himself and the central command of the rebellion at Kingstown.

It wasn't until the battle of Walcha in 2008 that effective movement between the various rebel regiments was established. After the battle, Corbett was able to travel and meet with the commanders of the rebellion the first time. Coordinated strategies were devised, and put into effect over the spring of 2008. However, the group still operated as a guerrilla movement, unable to hold or indeed launch an attack upon any settlement of significance. That changed in 2009 when the first villages and towns began to fall as the full supply of weapons captured at Walcha came into the hands of rebel regiments stationed in the bush. It was Corbett himself that led the successful assault on Grafton in 2010, an event that signified the tipping point in the conflict. Despite a brutal counter-attack launched by the Australians, the rebels were able to hold most of the ground they had captured steadily between 2008 and 2010 and by September 2011 the war was over.

Immediately after the ceasefire Corbett returned to work, feeling that he had neglected his job as a logger and that the best way to restart the stagnant economy of the region was for every able-bodied man to knuckle down into a job. His son remained in with the militia and later became an officer in the newly formed New England Army.

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Politician

Corbett did not seek election to the transitional government of the territory of New England which existed between November 2011 and October 2012. He continued working right up until June 2012 when his wife persuaded him to stand for the new parliament that would assemble after independence in October. To help him in this endeavour, Corbett reconciled himself with the National Party and rejoined the local branch. He was successfully endorsed as a candidate for the seat of South Grafton in the 2012 general election. On election day, Corbett received 67% of the primary vote and was declared the winner over the United Party's candidate, Jim Sutton.

With a wide range of political and real-life experience, Corbett was elevated to the opposition frontbench immediately after his election. In the first session of Parliament, Corbett was made the National Party's spokesman for Primary Industry. In 2014, just nine months out from the 2015 general election, Corbett was a surprise elevation to the position of opposition spokesman for External Affairs. He remained in this post up to the election when the National Party won government from Jason Olsen's United Party. On the 20th July 2015, Corbett was sworn in by the King as the fourth Minister for External Affairs. For the next five years, Corbett remained the External Affairs minister, steering the country through many diplomatic hurdles as it established itself on the world stage. But after a serious breakdown in the relationship with Australia in 2016, Corbett was stripped of his responsibility for Australian affairs and had that role assigned to an Associate Minister under the direction of the First Minister.

In 2020, the National Party lost office to the United Party again, this time led by Antonia Davidson. After Jacob Meyer resigned as leader of the National Party, a ballot of MPs elected Corbett as leader of the party. The appointment was somewhat controversial, as Corbett had concealed for many years a problem with his heart, which had probably been brought upon during his time as a militia commander during the civil war. Corbett was 56 when he became opposition leader, but already he had had several operations to try and correct the problems with his heart and lungs. News of his health concerns were first reported in the New Englander about two weeks after he became opposition leader. Many backbench MPs were upset by the revelations and some were prepared to admit that they would not have voted for Corbett had they known he was unwell. Despite this, Corbett declared that he would remain leader and his popularity soon picked up in the polls.

As opposition leader, Corbett proved to be a fine sparring partner against the First Minister. A titanic struggle existed between the two throughout the term of Parliament between 2020 and the 2024 general election. The contest was made much more interesting by a change in the electoral system that had been approved by voters at the 2020 election. It was further excited by a split in the United party that occurred in 2023, when the more conservative elements of the party broke away to form the Democratic Conservative Party. This new party was soon being wooed by both the major parties in an attempt to court the significant vote it was expected to receive at the next election. Just six weeks out from polling day, Corbett won the battle and convinced the leader of the democratic Conservatives, Cassandra Yee, to enter into a coalition arrangement with the National Party. There were reservations in both parties about this arrangement, but Corbett was able to smooth the way out enough for the agreement to stick until election day.

The 2024 general election was a sweeping victory to the National Party and Corbett became the fourth First Minister of New England. Corbett named Yee as his deputy and gave her responsibility for his cherished portfolio of Conservation. Despite having never held the post himself, he felt it to be one of the most important in the government, seeing it as a major bulwark against environmental radicalism. Corbett was well aware of the tensions that existed between the two parties in the new government, in particular he soon came to realise that a major falling out was brewing between Yee and Yvonne Gates, the Minister for Treasury and Revenue. The two soon became bitter rivals in the Cabinet, and Corbett steered the best path he could between the two women.

Corbett's first few months as first Minister were a rousing success. His poll numbers remained high, and many of the promised initiatives that the National Party had brought before the public during the election were soon passed by the new parliament. In the public eye at least, Corbett appeared to be the happiest he'd ever been. But underneath this public facade, there were real concerns beginning to emerge in the government that Corbett's health was not as it should have been. He often had to cut short meetings, and public functions were kept at a minimum to avoid people seem the First Minister up close. Corbett's family in particular was very concerned about the state of his health. On several occasions Corbett was admitted to hospital, but was discharged the same day when he insisted on being released.

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Death and Legacy

On Thursday, 1st August, Corbett attended a school rugby match in Armidale and during the game he reported to his wife that he was feeling unwell. Corbett left the game at half-time, and was rushed back to Lindsay House for an examination by his doctor. The doctor was alarmed at what he found and recommended that the First Minister be hospitalised at once. Corbett refused this advice, and proceeded to his next function, which was a meeting with the King at Saumarez late that evening. The King to notice that Corbett appeared to be unwell and was later reported as having asked on several occasions if Corbett was well enough to continue the meeting. The First Minister insisted, and the King was uneasily willing to comply. He did however cut the meeting short by fifteen minutes in order to allow the First Minister to return home early and to bed.

The following morning, Corbett attended a meeting of the Executive Council, and he appeared to be somewhat better. Throughout the day he met with several lobbyists and constituents, all of whom reported that the First Minister appeared to be in good health, although some noticed that he was a little pale. Corbett left his office at 19.00. and returned to the residence five minutes later. He ate a small dinner, complaining that he was not terribly hungry, and retired to his private study to read over some papers. With his wife out of the country on a tour of New Zealand and Chile, Corbett retired to bed alone at 23.00. A guard from the household division observed Corbett closing a window at 00.30 and drawing the curtains. It is uncertain when Corbett died, but his body was discovered the following morning when a footman brought in his tea and papers at 6.00. Doctors were called at once, but pronounced Corbett dead after a brief examination.

An investigation revealed that Corbett had likely died of a heart attack between 2.30 and 3.00 on the morning of the 24th of August, 2024. Given the severity of the attack, it was unlikely that he would have survived even if medical aid had been rendered at once. Corbett went down in history as being the first and only First Minister to die in office and at the time he was the second shortest serving First Minister of the country.

Corbett's early death left a significant hole in the government, and was a major factor in the split between the National Party and the Democratic Conservatives that occurred in December 2026. Indeed his death was indirectly responsible for the fall of the government that he had led to victory just 33 months later. But on the positive side, Corbett's short time as First Minister was a successful one, with many of his initiatives becoming the cornerstone of National party policy for many years afterwards. On the balance, Corbett's time as leader was a successful one, and he is remembered as a successful but tragic leader of the nation.

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Ministry

The Corbett Ministry was the sixth Executive Ministry, and ran from the 4 March - 3 August 2024.

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