Chancellor
The Hon Richard Torbay, Hon.D. Univ., GAICD, FAICD MP
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of NSW
Member for Northern Tablelands
Mr Torbay was elected to the office of Chancellor of the University of New England on 11 December 2008.
Mr Torbay was elected as an Independent Member for Northern Tablelands on 27 March 1999 and he was elected as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of NSW on 8 May 2007. He is also the Regional Representative for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
Before entering Parliament Mr Torbay served the local community of Armidale. He is a former Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Armidale, serving on the Armidale City Council from 1991 to 1999.
Mr Torbay has acted as:
- Chairman of the NSW Country Mayors’ Association;
- Chairman of the New England Local Government Group;
- Patron of many organisations in the Northern Tablelands including the Armidale District Chamber of Commerce, the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia NSW inc. Northern Tablelands and New England Sub-Branch
and both the Armidale and Inverell Sanctuary Humanitarian Settlement organisations.
Since 1996 Mr Torbay has been a Member of the Council of the University of New England and on 6 October 2007 he was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.
Mr Torbay became a Member of the Public Accounts Committee on 3 June 1999.
He has served as a Member of the:
- Speaker’s Technology Advisory Group;
- Joint Committee on the Office of the Valuer-General;
- Regional Investment Taskforce;
- Joint Select Committee on Bushfires;
- Standing Committee on Public Works; and
- Chair of the Joint Committee on Tobacco Smoking in NSW.
Mr Torbay is married to Rosemary and has three children, Leah, Angie and Joel.