Prominent politician dies suddenly at 63 – rocking the Australian political world: ‘We know this will come as a shock’
- Former MP Ewen Jones has tragically died
A Queensland politician has suddenly died at just 63 years old in a tragic incident which his family said would come as a ‘shock’ to all who knew him.
Ewen Jones was the Liberal MP for the Townsville-based federal seat of Herbert from 2010 to 2016, and is a stalwart of his community after moving to north Queensland in the 1990s.
His daughter, Emma Jones, revealed his sudden death in a social media post on Thursday.
‘Ewen Jones passed away around 5am this morning, surrounded by family,’ she said.
‘He is at peace now. I am so lucky to have had him as my dad.’
Devastated friends and colleagues have remembered Mr Jones, a father of three, as ‘Mr Nice Guy’ and ‘the absolute best of men’.
His daughter, Emma Jones, revealed his sudden death in a social media post on Thursday. ‘Ewen Jones passed away around 5am this morning, surrounded by family,’ she said
Ewen Jones was the Liberal MP for Herbert from 2010 to 2016 and is a stalwart of his community after moving to north Queensland in the 1990s
Mr Jones was an advocate for same-sex marriage within the Coalition when former prime minister Tony Abbott opposed the idea.
Former Liberal MP Wyatt Roy, a fellow Queenslander who was 20 when he was also first elected in 2010, remembered his former colleague fondly.
‘Today we lost my mate Ewen – the absolute best of men. Ewen had the biggest of hearts and made every day fun,’ he said.
‘He was a fiercely principled fighter, never afraid to stand up for what was right. Also never afraid to lighten a room with the most inappropriate joke. I love ya mate.’
Former treasurer Joe Hockey paid his respects, describing Mr Jones as ‘loyal, sincere, energetic, funny, witty, smart and a root and branch Queenslander’.
‘Proud and true. To Linda and the family you have all our love. Townsville and Australia will mourn his sad loss. RIP mate,’ he wrote on Twitter.
Mr Jones was a self-described ‘auctioneer by trade’ and was most recently working at Golf World Townsville as a sales team lead.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott described Mr Jones as a ‘classic Liberal candidate with a varied life’ who ‘wasn’t in it for himself, but for what he could do for others’
Mr Jones replaced Peter Lindsay as the federal member for Herbert in 2010, when Labor under former prime minister Julia Gillard was re-elected but without a majority.
He lost his seat by 37 votes to Labor’s Cathy O’Toole in 2016, in the election that saw then Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull only get narrowly re-elected.
After politics, he worked in various management roles.
Mr Abbott described Mr Jones as a ‘classic Liberal candidate with a varied life’ who ‘wasn’t in it for himself, but for what he could do for others’.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton described him as a ‘jovial man who was a marvellous teller of jokes and a captivating storyteller’.
‘Ewen will be greatly missed and always remembered. On behalf of the Coalition, I offer my heartfelt condolences to Ewen’s wife Linda, his children Abbie, Emma and Andrew, his wider family, friends and colleagues.’
