House of Representatives
At the 1983 election,Morris was elected to the House of Representatives,retaining the seat of Newcastle for the ALP following the retirement of incumbent MP Charles Jones. He was re-elected on six further occasions (including at a supplementary election following the death of a candidate at the 1998 election),eventually retiring prior to the 2001 election. [1]
In parliament,Morris served as chair of the House Standing Committee on Community Affairs from 1993 to 1996 and as deputy chair of the House Standing Committee on Industry,Science and Resources from 1998 to 2001. [1] He was factionally unaligned within the ALP and came into conflict with the Hawke government on several occasions,including on changes to the assets test for pensions and the Bell Group's 1986 takeover bid for BHP. [3] [4] In 1990,he publicly criticised the government's decision to renege on an election promise to relocate the Australian Maritime Safety Authority from Canberra to Newcastle. [5]
