A neighbour called police, who were at the house in minutes and tried to resuscitate him. Mr Newman, who was 47, had received numerous death threats because of his political campaign against crime and street violence in Cabramatta. Police said he had been at a Labor Party meeting in Cabramatta earlier in the evening and they believe his killer may have followed him home from there Neighbours told police they saw a car with its headlights turned off drive up the street seconds after the shooting. Police are searching for a dark green or blue Falcon X series sedan. He had mentioned ever since we became friends that he had great concerns about the death threats he had received Brad Hazzard

A neighbour reported hearing three shots and then a car start and drive past Mr Newman's house. Another neighbour reported hearing a woman shout from inside the Newman house: "He's been shot, he's been shot. Call the police." Mr Newman, a black belt in karate, had received death threats for a number of years. His car had been paint-bombed three times and he had expected more attacks. John Newman on the streets of Cabramatta. The photo was originally taken for a story about crime and gang problems in Cabramatta. April 1993. Credit:Kylie Pickett, Sydney Morning Herald In 1991, a shot was fired through the window of his electorate office after he took out newspaper advertisements in Vietnamese and Chinese threatening to deport members of Asian gangs if they were found guilty of violent crimes. In June this year, Mr Newman told the Herald that he had received threats after his campaign to increase police resources in his area.

The chairman of the Staysafe Committee, Mr Brad Hazzard, said Mr Newman had spoken of the death threats he had received constantly during the past 12 months. "He had mentioned ever since we became friends that he had great concerns about the death threats he had received," he said. The Premier said from Armidale last night: "That is a tragedy. It is not the Australian way and I must say that it has taken me back, and I am sure it will take back all my colleagues irrespective of their politics." Phuong Ngo in May 2000. Ngo was jailed for life in November 2001 for ordering the assassination of John Newman, his political rival in the Labor Party, in September 1994. Credit:Brendan Esposito Asked if the killing may be related to gang warfare in Cabramatta, Mr Fahey stressed that he knew no details. He said that at this stage the country Cabinet meeting planned for Armidale today would go ahead but a further decision would be made later.

The Opposition Leader, Mr Carr, said he could make no sense of the murder. "I knew John Newman for two decades as an organiser of the clerks' union,"he said. "Tragically, his wife and child were wiped out in a car accident. "That he was murdered tonight in the presence of his fiance only adds to the tragedy of his abruptly terminated life. "He was passionately committed to Cabramatta. He gave unstintingly to the ethnic communities in his electorate, even visiting refugee camps on the Thai border."

One of Mr Newman's neighbours said: "It's very sad, because he did so much for the community. If you had any problems he was always there. There has been so much crime in the area the last few years, he was trying to tackle it and that's probably why someone would want to kill him. "I've lived here for 20 years and it's only during the middle of the day, if I had to, would I go into the centre of Cabramatta. He was admired by decent family people but those on the other side of the law hated him. Police examining the scene of John Newman's murder, 5 September 1994. Credit: "He was the one behind the push for a cleaner community. He was like a father to a big family in a large multicultural community." The shooting was described by State Government sources as "the first political assassination in Australian history".

A Fairfield City councillor, Cr Chris Aquilina, said: "An attack on a politician is like an attack on a judge or a policeman, which is a total attack against the community as a whole. "John was a crusader against the criminal forces in Cabramatta. Loading "As someone who was publicly standing up against social evil, his attackers should never be released from jail. He has had paint thrown over his car twice recently; he was known to receive occasional threats from Asian criminal forces in Cabramatta." Fourteen years ago, Mr Newman's pregnant wife, Mary, and only child, David, were killed in a road accident.

Born to Yugoslav and Austrian parents, he had been an organiser with the Federated Clerks' union and Deputy Mayor of Fairfield before entering Parliament.