Maurice Newman

Maurice Newman
Maurice Newman
Born	April 20, 1938 (age 88); Ilford, England
Occupation	Businessman
Known for	Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; Chair of the Australian Stock Exchange board; Chancellor of Macquarie University; Chair of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council (2013–2015); Chairman of ADH TV

Maurice Lionel Newman AC (born 20 April 1938 in Ilford, England) is a prominent Australian businessman recognized for his leadership positions, including Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Chair of the Australian Stock Exchange board, Chancellor of Macquarie University, and Chair of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council from 2013 to 2015. His political outlook is predominantly conservative, and he has often been labeled a conspiracy theorist by Australian media outlets.

Since 2021, Newman has held the position of chairman at ADH TV.

Early life

Newman was born in Ilford, then part of Essex, and relocated with his family to Sydney at a young age, settling in Pymble. He completed his secondary education at North Sydney Boys High School and later obtained a degree in economics from the University of Sydney.

Career

Spanning four decades, Newman's career in stockbroking and investment banking included key leadership roles such as Managing Director (1984) and Executive Chairman (1985–1999) of the entity now known as the Deutsche Bank Group in Australia. He also chaired Deutsche Bank’s Asia Pacific Advisory Board and acted as Director for Deutsche Bank Asia Pacific (1999–2001). Additionally, he led Deutsche Asset Management (Australia) Limited between 1997 and 2000 before retiring in 2001.

Newman chaired significant Asian business organizations including the East Asia and Oceania Stock Exchange Federation and the Australia Taiwan Business Council. He provided advisory support to various Australian government sectors, serving as Commissioner of the National Commission of Audit (1996), Chair of the Federal Treasurer's Financial Sector Advisory Council (1998–2007), and holding leadership roles on panels addressing innovation, multicultural affairs, and workforce development.

Among his notable contributions, Newman represented Australia's private sector at the 1997 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Business Forum in London and headed a delegation promoting Australia’s financial services industry in New York in 1999.

He was Chairman of Acrux Limited from 1999 to 2003, participated on advisory boards for Australasian Medical Insurance Ltd and the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre, and was a member of the Business Council of Australia's Chairmen's Panel between 2003 and 2007. At Macquarie University, he held honorary academic appointments including Chancellor (2002–2008) and Honorary Chair of its Foundation Patrons.

From 2000 until 2004, Newman served as a Director at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation before becoming its Chairman from 2007 until March 2012. He resigned in 2012, with James Spigelman succeeding him.

In 2002, Newman took on an advisory role with the Marsh Group of Companies and joined the Queensland Investment Corporation Board in 2004. He stepped down as Chairman of ASX Limited on 24 September 2008.

Conservatism

Newman was instrumental in founding the Centre for Independent Studies, a conservative political think tank in Australia, serving on its inaugural Board alongside Neville Kennard and Ross Graham-Taylor. He delivered a speech at a CIS event in 2007 commemorating economist Milton Friedman. Although reported to have been close to former Prime Minister John Howard, Newman has emphasized that his political support is driven by policy considerations rather than party allegiance, having voted for candidates from different parties. During his time as ABC Chairman, he commented on financial regulation by advocating for transparency while cautioning against measures that could hinder business activity.

Climate change

Newman disputes the widely accepted scientific agreement on climate change, describing the related discussions as a form of "group-think." He considers himself uncertain about the issue, expressing doubts about the core data. In 2013, he accused entities such as the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology of spreading climate change misinformation and characterized the efforts of the IPCC as a psychological campaign aimed at Western industrial powers. Newman stands against Australia's renewable energy goals, contending that they increase expenses without a solid scientific foundation. In 2014, he asserted that the planet is undergoing cooling, a view that faced widespread rejection from scientists and media outlets. By 2015, he portrayed climate change as propaganda designed to facilitate the establishment of a global government under the United Nations.

Wind farms

Newman has been a prominent opponent of wind power projects near his rural residence in Crookwell, New South Wales, including participation in the Crookwell District Landscape Guardians group. In 2006, he instructed lawyers to caution neighbors considering hosting wind turbines that they would face "substantial damages" and that he was "prepared and willing to pursue legal action." He resists the growth of wind energy and has propagated various conspiracy theories concerning its deployment. In January 2012, Newman authored a piece in The Spectator alleging that a dominant oligarchy—comprising government bodies, academia, media outlets, and private sector actors such as investment banks and renewable energy firms—thrives on public funding. He claimed this coalition pressures taxpayers and penalizes energy users to sustain financial support while increasing welfare dependency among disadvantaged populations. In July 2014, Newman was expelled from a wind farm advisory committee after attempting to limit speakers at its meetings.

The Great Reset

Newman openly criticizes the World Economic Forum’s 2020 virtual sessions concerning The Great Reset. In an article from October 2020, he cautioned that individuals wary of expansive government control and who prioritize free speech, personal choice, and property rights should be deeply concerned. He identified so-called "dangerous elites," including personalities like Prince Charles, WEF founder Klaus Schwab, heads of the IMF, UN, ECB, OECD, leading technology executives, and NGO leaders—accusing them of exploiting the pandemic to push Green Plans and weaken global capitalism. Newman described former President Donald Trump as a significant barrier to the WEF’s objectives, contrasting him with President Joe Biden, whom he labeled Trump's "ideological opposite." He depicted post-pandemic dialogues as groundwork for enforcing a sinister new world order, calling it "yet another fascist experiment" designed to benefit elites’ offspring with privileged education and career opportunities while fostering inequality and servitude. By late 2021, media reports highlighted a revival of these unfounded conspiracy narratives surrounding The Great Reset.

Cricket

In 2023, Newman blamed the Australian cricket team’s defeat in India on players being excessively "woke." Despite this criticism, the team subsequently secured victories in the World Test Championship, the World Cup, and successfully defended the Ashes. Newman's commentary attracted significant condemnation from cricket analysts.

References