Fred Chaney

Frederick Michael (Fred) Chaney, AO (born 28 October 1941) is a former Australian politician who, until April 2007, held the position of deputy chairman of the Australian Native Title Tribunal and is Chair of Desert Knowledge Australia and on the Board of Directors of Reconciliation Australia.

Chaney was born in Perth, Western Australia and educated at the University of Western Australia. He practised law and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in Western Australia in 1963, and in Papua New Guinea in 1964.

He entered Federal Parliament at the 1974 election as a Senator for Western Australia for the Liberal Party, and was Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1983 until 1990 when he became the Member for Pearce in the House of Representatives, a position he held until 1993. Although still a Senator at the time, Chaney was also Parliamentary Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from May 1989 to April 1990.

He was Minister for Administrative Services from August to December 1978, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs from December 1978 until November 1980 and Minister for Social Security from November 1980 until the defeat of the Fraser government at the 1983 election. He was also Minister Assisting the Minister for Education from August 1978 to December 1979 and Minister Assisting the Minister for National Development and Energy from December 1979 to November 1980.

He was appointed as Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1997 "for service to the Parliament of Australia and to the Aboriginal community through his contribution to the establishment of the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia and mediating with the National Native Title Tribunal".

Chaney's father was Sir Fred Chaney, a minister in the Menzies government. His brothers include Michael Chaney, former chief executive of Wesfarmers and chairman of the National Australia Bank; and John Chaney, Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

Chaney is an active old boy of Aquinas College, Perth.