Ross Alexander Cameron

Between 2013 and 2018, he was a contributor and host at Sky News Live, including a controversial stint as a co-host of Outsiders, before his employment was terminated for racist remarks made on air. Early life The son of Jim Cameron, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, he was born in Sydney, New South Wales, grew up in Turramurra in Sydney and was educated at Knox Grammar School and Sydney University. He was a lawyer before entering politics. He was policy adviser and research officer to the New South Wales Minister for Transport, Bruce Baird, and an intern to United States Republican Senator Mark Hatfield. Member of Parliament Cameron was elected to parliament in the 1996 Federal election, winning the Division of Parramatta from the sitting Labor member Paul Elliott. A noted orator, he delivered his maiden speech to the House of Representatives without notes.[2] Cameron held the traditionally Labor seat of Parramatta for three terms. While a member of parliament, Cameron was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Family and Community Services from 2001 to 2003 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer (Peter Costello) 2003–2004.[3] Cameron ran regular prayer meetings for politicians in his office in Parliament House.[4] He has also been associated with the American evangelical Christian organisation, The Fellowship.[5] Mark Latham wrote of Ross Cameron in 1997: "Ross Cameron, the brilliant but creepy Liberal member for Parramatta, has talked me into participating in his youth leadership forum in Canberra. I rather suspect it's a front for mobilising Christian soldiers, plus some quality box for Ross".[6] Cameron ran an eight-year campaign while in office against the Parliament House contemporary art collection. Extramarital affair In August 2004, Cameron revealed in an interview in Good Weekend that he had an extramarital affair with an "exotic solicitor" while his wife was pregnant with twins.[9] Cameron "was a frequent overnight visitor to the house his mistress shared with a reporter".[10] In Truth Overboard, journalist Tom Dusevic wrote in Time magazine that once Cameron's story was in the public domain "...reporters in Canberra immediately ran with further details of Cameron's private life, unleashing stories they'd been sitting on for years" which included accounts of numerous other affairs which he had failed to disclose in the original interview with Good Weekend.[11][12][13] The admission was considered to be the main reason why he lost his seat at the 2004 Federal election.[14][15] He was one of only three sitting coalition members to lose their seat at that election. In 2011 Cameron said he may run for a seat at the next federal election and had discussed the matter with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott,[15] but this did not eventuate.