Victor Garland

In July 2007 he returned to Perth, Western Australia.

Following the November 1980 federal election, Garland resigned from Parliament on 22 January 1981 to accept appointment as Australian High Commissioner in the United Kingdom, a post he held from 1981 to 1983. In 1982, he became a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).

Garland resigned from the ministry on 6 February 1976, when the Commonwealth Police began an investigation into allegations that he had violated the electoral act. He and former senator George Branson were alleged to have paid $500 to cover the electoral expenses of Michael Cavanough, an independent Senate candidate in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), on the condition that he direct his preferences to the Liberal candidate John Knight. The allegations were first publicised by The Canberra Times in the lead-up to the election. Garland and Branson denied that they had engaged in bribery, as they were of the belief that Cavanough had already agreed to give his preferences to Knight.

After the Coalition's victory at the 1975 federal election, Garland was appointed Minister for Post and Telecommunications in the Fraser Government. He was the first person to hold the title, which replaced the earlier position of Postmaster-General.

Garland was named in Billy Snedden's interim opposition executive after the election, but failed to win election to the shadow ministry when a vote was held in January 1973. However, in June 1974 he succeeded Max Fox as Chief Opposition Whip.

Following a cabinet reshuffle in August 1971, Garland was appointed Minister for Supply in the McMahon Government. Aged 37, he became the second-youngest member of the ministry after Andrew Peacock. In March 1972, he was also appointed Minister assisting the Treasurer, in place of Peacock. He retained his positions until the defeat of the government at the 1972 federal election. Notably, as supply minister he authorised the purchase of ten new Westland Sea King helicopters to replace the Westland Wessex as Australia's anti-submarine warfare helicopters. He also unsuccessfully attempted to convince cabinet to purchase Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jets from France, which would have been manufactured in Australia.

When Paul Hasluck resigned from Parliament in 1969 to become Governor-General of Australia, Garland succeeded him as the member for Curtin, a comfortably safe Liberal seat in Perth's wealthy beachside suburbs.

In 1960 he married Lynette Jamieson, and they have three children. Lady Garland is an active professional classical pianist who performs as Lyn Garland.

He joined the Liberal Party in 1957, and served in several branch and administrative roles. He was the Curtin division president in 1960–1961 and president of the Claremont branch from 1965. At the time of his preselection in 1969, he was senior vice-president of the Liberal Party's Western Australian Division.

Sir Ransley Victor Garland KBE (born 5 May 1934), usually known as Vic Garland, is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1969 to 1981, representing the Liberal Party, and served as a minister in the McMahon and Fraser Governments. He later served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1983.

Victor Garland was born on March 17, 1905 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England as Victor Nathaniel Chevalley Garland.