About Alex Somlyay MP

Alex and his wife, Jenny, live in Peregian Springs and have three adult children, Michelle, Victoria and Mark. All three grew up on the Coast and went to school locally. Alex is the proud grandfather of four grandsons and enjoys spending his rare spare time with them.

First elected to Federal Parliament in 1990, Alex has almost 20 years experience as the local federal member. Over that time he has seen major changes occur on the coast. As the local member Alex has fought hard for funding for projects in the electorate including the duplication of the Bruce Highway, support for families and pensioners and measures to keep Australia’s economy strong to provide jobs and opportunities for the next generation.

Alex is the only refugee ever elected to Federal Parliament. He was born in Budapest, Hungary. At the age of three his family migrated to Australia as refugees and settled in Sydney. After leaving high school and whilst working full time, Alex completed an economics degree at The Australian National University. He is a qualified economist.

After the election of the Fraser government in 1975, Alex joined the staff of new minister, Evan Adermann, and became his chief of staff. Evan represented the Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher (and later Fairfax), and Alex moved his family to the Coast in 1976. In 1990, Alex was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Fairfax and won the election.

In Parliament, Alex remains an effective advocate for Fairfax and the Sunshine Coast. He has been a member and Chair of numerous House of Representatives Standing Committees, was a minister for regional development, territories and local government in the first Howard government, and currently serves as the Chief Opposition Whip, a senior role in the Federal Coalition Opposition.

Click here to visit Alex's House of Representatives webpage.