1.
1971
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The world population increased by 2. 1% this year, the highest in history. January 2 Ibrox disaster, A stairway crush at the Rangers vs. Celtic football match in Glasgow, Scotland, a ban on radio and television cigarette advertisements goes into effect in the United States. January 3 – BBC Open University begins in the United Kingdom, January 5 – The 1st ever ODI cricket match is played between Australia & England at the M. C. G. January 8 – Tupamaros kidnap Geoffrey Jackson, British ambassador to Uruguay, in Montevideo, January 9 – Uruguayan president Jorge Pacheco Areco demands emergency powers for 90 days due to kidnappings, and receives them the next day. January 12 – The landmark television sitcom All in the Family, starring Carroll OConnor as Archie Bunker, January 14 – Seventy Brazilian political prisoners are released in Santiago, Chile, Giovanni Enrico Bucher is released January 16. January 15 – The Aswan High Dam officially opens in Egypt, January 18 – Strikes in Poland demand the resignation of Interior Minister Kazimierz Świtała. He resigns January 23 and is replaced by Franciszek Szlachcic, January 19 – Representatives of 23 western oil companies begin negotiations with OPEC in Tehran to stabilize oil prices, February 14 they sign a treaty with 6 Khalij el-Arab countries. January 25 In Uganda, Idi Amin deposes Milton Obote in a coup, in Los Angeles, Charles Manson and 3 female Family members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders. Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state, intelsat IV is launched, it enters commercial service over the Atlantic Ocean March 26. January 31 – Apollo program, Apollo 14 lifts off on the third lunar landing mission. February 4 – In Britain, Rolls-Royce goes bankrupt and is nationalised, February 5 – Apollo 14 lands on the Moon. February 7 An earthquake in the city of Tuscania, Italy kills 31, Switzerland gives women voting rights in state elections, but not in all canton-specific ones. Władysław Gomułka is expelled from the Central Council of the Polish Communist Party, February 8 – A new stock market index called the Nasdaq Composite debuts. February 9 The 6. 5–6.7 Mw Sylmar earthquake hits the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI, killing 64, satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to become voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame from the Negro League. Apollo program, Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned Moon landing, February 11 – The US, UK, USSR and others sign the Seabed Treaty, outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor. February 11–February 12 – Palestinian and Jordanian fighters clash in Amman, February 13 – Vietnam War, Backed by American air and artillery support, South Vietnamese troops invade Laos. February 15 Decimal Day, – The United Kingdom and Ireland both switch to decimal currency, protesting Belgian farmers bring 3 live cows to crash the EEC meeting in Brussels. February 16 – In Italy, a local parliament elects the city of Catanzaro as the capital of Calabria, February 20 Fifty tornadoes rage in Mississippi, killing 74 people
2.
Australia
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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the worlds sixth-largest country by total area, the neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. Australias capital is Canberra, and its largest urban area is Sydney, for about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages classifiable into roughly 250 groups. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the 1850s most of the continent had been explored, on 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy comprising six states. The population of 24 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard, Australia has the worlds 13th-largest economy and ninth-highest per capita income. With the second-highest human development index globally, the country highly in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom. The name Australia is derived from the Latin Terra Australis a name used for putative lands in the southern hemisphere since ancient times, the Dutch adjectival form Australische was used in a Dutch book in Batavia in 1638, to refer to the newly discovered lands to the south. On 12 December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted, in 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia. The first official published use of the term Australia came with the 1830 publication of The Australia Directory and these first inhabitants may have been ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, were originally horticulturists, the northern coasts and waters of Australia were visited sporadically by fishermen from Maritime Southeast Asia. The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland, and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent, are attributed to the Dutch. The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the Duyfken captained by Dutch navigator, Willem Janszoon. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent New Holland during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement. William Dampier, an English explorer and privateer, landed on the north-west coast of New Holland in 1688, in 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. The first settlement led to the foundation of Sydney, and the exploration, a British settlement was established in Van Diemens Land, now known as Tasmania, in 1803, and it became a separate colony in 1825. The United Kingdom formally claimed the part of Western Australia in 1828. Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales, South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, the Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia
3.
Monarch
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A monarch is the sovereign head of state in a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in the state, alternatively, an individual may become monarch by conquest, acclamation or a combination of means. A monarch usually reigns for life or until abdication, if a young child is crowned the monarch, a regent is often appointed to govern until the monarch reaches the requisite adult age to rule. A monarch can reign in multiple monarchies simultaneously, for example, the monarchy of Canada and the monarchy of the United Kingdom are separate states, but they share the same monarch through personal union. Monarchs, as such, bear a variety of titles — king or queen, prince or princess, emperor or empress, archduke, duke or grand duke, Prince is sometimes used as a generic term to refer to any monarch regardless of title, especially in older texts. A king can also be a husband and a queen can be a kings wife. If both people in a reign, neither person is generally considered to be a consort. Monarchy is political or sociocultural in nature, and is associated with hereditary rule. Most monarchs, both historically and in the present day, have been born and brought up within a royal family, different systems of succession have been used, such as proximity of blood, primogeniture, agnatic seniority, Salic law, etc. In an elective monarchy, the monarch is elected but otherwise serves as any other monarch, historical examples of elective monarchy include the Holy Roman Emperors and the free election of kings of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In recent centuries, many states have abolished the monarchy and become republics, advocacy of government by a republic is called republicanism, while advocacy of monarchy is called monarchism. A principal advantage of hereditary monarchy is the continuity of national leadership. In cases where the monarch serves mostly as a ceremonial figure real leadership does not depend on the monarch, a form of government may in fact be hereditary without being considered monarchy, such as a family dictatorship. Monarchies take a variety of forms, such as the two co-princes of Andorra, positions held simultaneously by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Urgel and the elected President of France. Similarly, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia is considered a monarch despite only holding the position for five years at a time, hereditary succession within one patrilineal family has been most common, with preference for children over siblings, sons over daughters. Other European realms practice one form or another of primogeniture, whereunder a lord was succeeded by his eldest son or, if he had none, by his brother, the system of tanistry was semi-elective and gave weight also to ability and merit. The Salic law, practiced in France and in the Italian territories of the House of Savoy, in most fiefs, in the event of the demise of all legitimate male members of the patrilineage, a female of the family could succeed. Spain today continues this model of succession law, in the form of cognatic primogeniture, in more complex medieval cases, the sometimes conflicting principles of proximity and primogeniture battled, and outcomes were often idiosyncratic
4.
Elizabeth II
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Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
5.
Governor-general
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Governor-General or governor general, in modern usage, is the title of an office-holder appointed to represent the monarch of a sovereign state in the governing of an independent realm. Governors-General have also previously been appointed in respect of major colonial states or other territories held by either a monarchy or republic, in modern usage, the term governor-general originated in those British colonies which became self-governing within the British Empire. In these cases, the Crowns representative in the federated Dominion was given the title of governor general. Another non-federal state, Newfoundland, was a Dominion for 16 years with the Kings representative retaining the title of governor throughout this time, since 2016, the title governor-general has been given to all representatives of the sovereign in independent Commonwealth realms. In these countries the governor-general acts as the representative, performing the ceremonial and constitutional functions of a head of state. The only other nation which uses the designation is Iran. In Iran, the authority is headed by a governor general. As such they held the prerogative powers of the monarch. The monarch or imperial government could overrule any governor-general, though this could often be cumbersome, the governors-general are entitled to wear a unique uniform, which are not generally worn today. If of the rank of general, equivalent or above. The report resulting from the 1926 Imperial Conference stated, in other words, the political reality of a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire with a governor-general answerable to the sovereign became clear. British interference in the Dominion was not acceptable and independent country status was clearly displayed, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were clearly not controlled by the United Kingdom. The governor-general, however, is appointed by the monarch. Executive authority is vested in the monarch, though much of it can be exercisable only by the governor-general on behalf of the sovereign of the independent realm. Except in rare cases, the only acts in accordance with constitutional convention and upon the advice of the national prime minister. The governor-general is still the representative of the sovereign and performs the same duties as they carried out historically. In some realms, the monarch could in principle overrule a governor-general, in Australia the present Queen is generally assumed to be head of state, since the governor-general and the state governors are defined as her representatives. However, since the governor-general performs almost all national regal functions, to a lesser extent, uncertainty has been expressed in Canada as to which officeholder—the monarch, the governor general, or both—can be considered the head of state
6.
Paul Hasluck
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Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck KG, GCMG, GCVO was an Australian historian, poet, public servant and politician, and the 17th Governor-General of Australia. A native of Western Australia, Hasluck was born in Fremantle, into a family of Salvation Army members and he was educated at the prestigious Perth Modern School, which became something of a training-ground for future politicians. Later Hasluck attended Perths sole campus at the time, the University of Western Australia, while still a student, Hasluck joined the literary staff of Perths main newspaper, The West Australian, he also began to publish articles on the history of the state. After he had obtained his MA, he worked as a tutor in the UWAs history department, by that time he had been married for seven years to Alexandra Darker, with whom he had two sons. Alexandra Hasluck became a writer and historian in her own right. Also in 1939, Hasluck established Freshwater Bay Press, through which he released his first book, the advent of the Second World War, however, saw the publishing company go into hiatus. The Freshwater Bay Press was later revived by his son Nicholas, here he came into close contact with the Minister for External Affairs in the Labor government, Dr H. V. Evatt, towards whom he conceived a permanent aversion, fully reciprocated by Evatts attitude to him and these volumes were published as The Government and the People 1939–1941 in 1951 and The Government and the People 1941–1945 in 1970. This work was interrupted by his decision to enter politics, a decision motivated partly by his disapproval of Evatts foreign policy, at the 1949 election Hasluck won Liberal preselection for the newly created Perth-area seat of Curtin. In 1951 the Prime Minister, Robert Menzies appointed Hasluck as Minister for Territories and this gave him responsibility for Australias colonial possession, Papua New Guinea, and also the Northern Territory, home to Australias largest population of Aboriginal people. Hasluck was briefly Minister for Defence in 1963 and 1964, and he held this office during the height of Australias commitment to the Vietnam War, of which he was a passionate supporter. He worked to strengthen Australias relationship with the United States and with anti-Communist governments in South-East Asia, and opposed Australian recognition of the Peoples Republic of China. When the Prime Minister Harold Holt died in December 1967, Hasluck was determined that the Treasurer, William McMahon, of whom he had a low opinion. Although he had no ambitions for himself, Hasluck put his name forward mainly to provide an alternative to McMahon. In the event, McMahon did not stand, as the prime minister John McEwen had advised his Country Party would not serve in any government headed by McMahon. The choice was between Hasluck, John Gorton, Billy Snedden and Les Bury, although the two were never considered serious contenders. Many Liberal MPs saw Hasluck as too old at 64, too conservative, accordingly, they chose the younger and more aggressive Gorton. It is alleged that Gorton was uncomfortable having a rival such as Hasluck remaining in the Cabinet
7.
Prime minister
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A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss members of the cabinet. In most systems, the minister is the presiding member. In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the minister is the presiding and actual head of government. In such systems, the head of state or the head of states official representative usually holds a ceremonial position. The prime minister is often, but not always, a member of the Legislature or the Lower House thereof and is expected with other ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the legislature. In some monarchies the monarch may also exercise powers that are constitutionally vested in the crown. The first actual usage of the prime minister or Premier Ministre was used by Cardinal Richelieu when in 1625 he was named to head the royal council as prime minister of France. Louis XIV and his descendants generally attempted to avoid giving this title to their chief ministers, the term prime minister in the sense that we know it originated in the 18th century in the United Kingdom when members of parliament disparagingly used the title in reference to Sir Robert Walpole. Over time, however, the title became honorific and remains so in the 21st century, the monarchs of England and the United Kingdom had ministers in whom they placed special trust and who were regarded as the head of the government. Examples were Thomas Cromwell under Henry VIII, William Cecil, Lord Burghley under Elizabeth I, Clarendon under Charles II and these ministers held a variety of formal posts, but were commonly known as the minister, the chief minister, the first minister and finally the prime minister. The power of ministers depended entirely on the personal favour of the monarch. Although managing the parliament was among the skills of holding high office. Although there was a cabinet, it was appointed entirely by the monarch, when the monarch grew tired of a first minister, he or she could be dismissed, or worse, Cromwell was executed and Clarendon driven into exile when they lost favour. Kings sometimes divided power equally between two or more ministers to prevent one minister from becoming too powerful, late in Annes reign, for example, the Tory ministers Harley and St John shared power. The monarch could no longer any law or impose any tax without its permission. It is at point that a modern style of prime minister begins to emerge. A tipping point in the evolution of the prime ministership came with the death of Anne in 1714, George spoke no English, spent much of his time at his home in Hanover, and had neither knowledge of, nor interest in, the details of English government
8.
John Gorton
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Sir John Grey Gorton GCMG, AC, CH was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia and long serving minister in the governments of Sir Robert Menzies, Harold Holt, Sir John McEwen and Sir William McMahon. Gorton became Prime Minister after being elected Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, Gorton assumed the prime ministership while still a member of the Australian Senate, the only Prime Minister to have done so. Gorton would go on to lead the Liberal-Country Coalition Government to their twelfth straight win at the 1969 Australian federal election. Before entering politics, he was a skilled and respected pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force and was considered a war hero for his service during World War II. John Grey Gorton was born 9 September 1911, Wellington, New Zealand, the son of Alice Sinn, the daughter of a railway worker. The older Gorton and his wife Kathleen had emigrated to Australia by way of South Africa and they separated in Australia, and Gorton established a de facto relationship with Sinn, who died of tuberculosis in 1920. Gorton the younger went to live with his fathers estranged wife and his half-sister, Ruth, Gorton was educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School and Geelong Grammar School. He then travelled to England to attend Brasenose College, Oxford, while in England, he undertook flying lessons and was awarded a British pilots licence in 1932. He studied history, politics and economics at Oxford and graduated with a second undergraduate degree. During a holiday in Spain while still an undergraduate, Gorton met Bettina Brown of Bangor, Maine and she was a language student at the Sorbonne. This meeting came about through Gortons friend from Oxford, Arthur Brown, in 1935, Gorton and Bettina Brown were married in Oxford. After his studies were finished, they settled in Australia, taking over his fathers orchard, Mystic Park, at Lake Kangaroo near Kerang and they had three children, Joanna, Michael and Robin. On 31 May 1940, following the outbreak of World War II, at the age of 29, Gorton was considered too old for pilot training, but he re-applied in September after this rule was relaxed. Gorton was accepted and commissioned into the RAAF on 8 November 1940 and he trained as a fighter pilot at Somers, Victoria and Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, before being sent to the UK. Gorton completed his training at RAF Heston and RAF Honiley, with No.61 Operational Training Unit RAF and he was disappointed when his first operational posting was No.135 Squadron RAF, a Hawker Hurricane unit, as he considered the type greatly inferior to Spitfires. During late 1941, Gorton and other members of his squadron part of the cadre of a Hurricane wing being formed for service in the Middle East. They were sent by sea, with 50 Hurricanes in crates, in December, when the ship was at Durban, South Africa, it was diverted to Singapore, after Japan entered the war. As it approached its destination in mid-January, Japanese forces were advancing down the Malayan Peninsula, the ship was attacked on at least one occasion by Japanese aircraft, but arrived and unloaded safely after tropical storms made enemy air raids impossible
9.
William McMahon
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Sir William Billy McMahon, GCMG, CH PC, was an Australian politician who was the Leader of the Liberal Party and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia from 10 March 1971 to 5 December 1972. McMahon was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Lowe from his election in 1949 until his resignation in 1982. He rose to power at a bad time for the Coalition after over two decades in power, and he led his government to a loss to the Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam. McMahon was born in Sydney, Australia, to an Australian mother and an Irish-Australian father, and was one of four children. When his mother died in 1917, when he was 9, McMahon was brought up by relatives and guardians, the most prominent among them his maternal uncle, McMahons father died when he was 18. While at university, McMahon competed in boxing and took interest in theatre, music, after first graduating, McMahon worked as a solicitor, before serving in the Army during the Second World War. He was commissioned in the Citizens Military Force and later transferred to the Australian Imperial Force and he achieved the rank of captain in 1942 and was promoted to major in 1943, before he was classified medically unfit for overseas service. He was confined to work in Australia, where he was quartermaster for the Australian II Corps. McMahon became a minister in 1951 and he became Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in 1966. In 1971, when Prime Minister John Gorton resigned after a leadership vote ended in a tie, McMahon became leader, the McMahon Government was formed at a turbulent time for the Coalition, and in the 1972 federal election, McMahon led his party to defeat. McMahon remained a member of Parliament until 1982, when he resigned, William McMahon was born in Sydney, the son of Mary Walder McMahon and William McMahon, a lawyer. His uncle was Samuel Walder, Lord Mayor of Sydney and his father was of Irish descent. McMahons mother died when he was 9 and his father when he was 18 and he was educated at Sydney Grammar School and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in law. He practised in Sydney with Allen, Allen & Hemsley, the oldest law firm in Australia, in 1940, he joined the Army, but because of a hearing loss, he was confined to staff work. After the Second World War, he travelled in Europe and completed a degree at the University of Sydney. McMahon was elected to the House of Representatives for the Sydney seat of Lowe in the 1949 federal election and he was capable and ambitious, and in 1951 Prime Minister Robert Menzies made him Minister for Air and Minister for the Navy. McMahon served in Cabinet in one capacity or another for the next 21 years, at various times under Menzies, he was Minister for Social Services, Primary Industry and Labour and National Service. He was also Vice-President of the Executive Council, in 1966, when Harold Holt became Prime Minister, McMahon succeeded him as Treasurer and as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
10.
Election
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An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17th century, Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government. This process is used in many other private and business organizations. Electoral reform describes the process of introducing fair electoral systems where they are not in place, psephology is the study of results and other statistics relating to elections. To elect means to choose or make a decision, and so other forms of ballot such as referendums are referred to as elections. Elections were used as early in history as ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and throughout the Medieval period to select rulers such as the Holy Roman Emperor, in Vedic period of India, the raja of a gana was apparently elected by the gana. The raja belonged to the noble Kshatriya varna, and was typically a son of the previous raja, however, the gana members had the final say in his elections. The Pala king Gopala in early medieval Bengal was elected by a group of feudal chieftains, such elections were quite common in contemporary societies of the region. In Chola Empire, around 920 CE, in Uthiramerur, palm leaves were used for selecting the village committee members, the leaves, with candidate names written on them, were put inside a mud pot. To select the members, a young boy was asked to take out as many leaves as the number of positions available. This was known as the Kudavolai system, ancient Arabs also used election to choose their caliph, Uthman and Ali, in the early medieval Rashidun Caliphate. Questions of suffrage, especially suffrage for minority groups, have dominated the history of elections, males, the dominate cultural group in North America and Europe, often dominated the electorate and continue to do so in many countries. Early elections in such as the United Kingdom and the United States were dominated by landed or ruling class males. However, by 1920 all Western European and North American democracies had universal male suffrage. Despite legally mandated universal suffrage for males, political barriers were sometimes erected to prevent fair access to elections. The question of who may vote is an issue in elections. In Australia Aboriginal people were not given the right to vote until 1962, suffrage is typically only for citizens of the country, though further limits may be imposed. However, in the European Union, one can vote in municipal elections if one lives in the municipality and is an EU citizen, the nationality of the country of residence is not required
11.
New South Wales
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New South Wales is a state on the east coast of Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south and it has a coast line with the Tasman Sea on its east side. The Australian Capital Territory is an enclave within the state, New South Wales state capital is Sydney, which is also Australias most populous city. In March 2014, the population of New South Wales was 7.5 million. Just under two-thirds of the population,4.67 million. Inhabitants of New South Wales are referred to as New South Welshmen, the Colony of New South Wales was founded as a penal colony in 1788. It originally comprised a more than half of the Australian mainland with its western boundary set at 129th meridian east in 1825, in addition, the colony also included the island territories of New Zealand, Van Diemens Land, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Island. During the 19th century, most of the area was detached to form separate British colonies that eventually became New Zealand. However, the Swan River Colony has never administered as part of New South Wales. Lord Howe Island remains part of New South Wales, while Norfolk Island has become a federal Territory, as have the now known as the Australian Capital Territory. The prior inhabitants of New South Wales were the Aboriginal tribes who arrived in Australia about 40,000 to 60,000 years ago, before European settlement there were an estimated 250,000 Aboriginal people in the region. The Wodi Wodi people are the custodians of the Illawarra region of South Sydney. The Bundjalung people are the custodians of parts of the northern coastal areas. The European discovery of New South Wales was made by Captain James Cook during his 1770 survey along the eastern coast of the Dutch-named continent of New Holland. In his original journal covering the survey, in triplicate to satisfy Admiralty Orders, Cook first named the land New Wales, however, in the copy held by the Admiralty, he revised the wording to New South Wales. After years of chaos and anarchy after the overthrow of Governor William Bligh, macquaries legacy is still evident today. During the 19th century, large areas were separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria. Responsible government was granted to the New South Wales colony in 1855, following the Treaty of Waitangi, William Hobson declared British sovereignty over New Zealand in 1840
12.
Western Australia
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Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Southern Ocean to the south, the state has about 2.6 million inhabitants, around 11% of the national total. 92% of the lives in the south-west corner of the state. The first European visitor to Western Australia was the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog, the first European settlement of Western Australia occurred following the landing by Major Edmund Lockyer on 26 December 1826 of an expedition on behalf of the New South Wales colonial government. This was followed by the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, including the site of the present-day capital, york was the first inland settlement in Western Australia. Situated 97 kilometres east of Perth, it was settled on 16 September 1831, Western Australia achieved responsible government in 1890, and federated with the other British colonies in Australia in 1901. Today its economy relies on mining, agriculture and tourism. The state produces 46% of Australias exports, Western Australia is the second-largest iron ore producer in the world. The International Hydrographic Organization designates the body of water south of the continent as part of the Indian Ocean, the total length of the states eastern border is 1,862 km. There are 20,781 km of coastline, including 7,892 km of island coastline, the total land area occupied by the state is 2.5 million km2. Most of the state is a low plateau with an elevation of about 400 metres, very low relief. This descends relatively sharply to the plains, in some cases forming a sharp escarpment. The extreme age of the landscape has meant that the soils are remarkably infertile, even soils derived from granitic bedrock contain an order of magnitude less available phosphorus and only half as much nitrogen as soils in comparable climates in other continents. Soils derived from extensive sandplains or ironstone are even less fertile, nearly devoid of soluble phosphate and also deficient in zinc, copper, molybdenum, the infertility of most of the soils has required heavy application by farmers of chemical fertilisers, particularly superphosphate, insecticides and herbicides. These have resulted in damage to invertebrate and bacterial populations, the grazing and use of hoofed mammals and, later, heavy machinery through the years have resulted in compaction of soils and great damage to the fragile soils. Large-scale land clearing for agriculture has damaged habitats for native flora, large areas of the states wheatbelt region have problems with dryland salinity and the loss of fresh water. The southwest coastal area has a Mediterranean climate and it was originally heavily forested, including large stands of karri, one of the tallest trees in the world. This agricultural region is one of the nine most bio-diverse terrestrial habitats, thanks to the offshore Leeuwin Current, the area is one of the top six regions for marine biodiversity and contains the most southerly coral reefs in the world
13.
1972 in Australia
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10 May – Law professor George Duncan is drowned in the Torrens River, Adelaide. Police establish that his death was a homophobic-related murder,3 June – Douglas Nicholls becomes the first Indigenous Australian to be knighted. 29 July – Kerry Anne Wells earned Australias first Miss Universe crown, in Dorado,6 October – Faraday School kidnapping – six pupils and their teacher are kidnapped for $1 million ransom in Victoria. 15 November – First aircraft hijacking in Australia, ansett Airlines Flight 232 from Adelaide to Alice Springs with 28 passengers and a crew of 4. Followed by gun battle at Alice Springs Airport,1 December – Belinda Green is crowned Miss World in London, becoming the second Australian winner of this pageant. Australia won the two most important beauty contest in this year,2 December – Gough Whitlam becomes Prime Minister of Australia. Shane Gould is announced as Australian of the Year The health warning, Smoking is a Health Hazard becomes compulsory on cigarette packets in Australia. Thea Astleys novel The Acolyte wins the Miles Franklin Award The Adventures of Barry McKenzie 13 March – Controversial soap opera Number 96 debuts on Network 0–10,16 November – The Aunty Jack Show premieres on ABC-TV in Sydney. 16 September – Bernard Vine wins the national marathon title, clocking 2,28,21 in Richmond
14.
Monarchy of Australia
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The monarchy of Australia is a form of government in which a hereditary king or queen serves as the nations sovereign. The present monarch is Elizabeth II, styled Queen of Australia and she is represented in Australia by the governor-general, in accordance with the Australian constitution and letters patent from the Queen. In each of the states, the monarch is represented by a governor, the Australian monarch, besides reigning in Australia, separately serves as monarch for each of 15 other Commonwealth nations known as realms. This developed from the colonial relationship between these countries and the United Kingdom, but they are now independent of each other and are legally distinct. Likewise, on all matters relating to any Australian state, the monarch is advised by the ministers of the Crown of that state, the British government is thus considered a foreign power in regard to Australias domestic and foreign affairs. The sovereigns Australian title is currently Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth. Typically, the monarch is styled King or Queen of Australia and is addressed as such when in Australia or performing duties on behalf of Australia abroad, prior to 1953, the title had simply been the same as that in the United Kingdom. Australia, however, wished to have the United Kingdom mentioned as well, thus, the resolution was a title that included the United Kingdom but, for the first time, also separately mentioned Australia and the other Commonwealth realms. The passage of a new Royal Style and Titles Act by the Parliament of Australia put these recommendations into law, Queen Elizabeth II signed her assent at Government House, Canberra, on 19 October 1973. Australia does not pay any money to the Queen, either for personal income or to support the royal residences outside Australia, only when the Queen is in Australia does the Australian government support her in the performance of her duties. This rule applies equally to members of the Royal Family. Succession is according to British laws that have incorporated into Australian law. By adhering to the Statute of Westminster in 1942, Australia agreed to change its rules of only in agreement with the UK. Parallel proclamations are made by the governors in each state, regardless of any proclamations, the late sovereigns heir immediately and automatically succeeds, without any need for confirmation or further ceremony. After an individual ascends the throne, he or she continues to reign until death. The legal personality of a component of the Australian state is expressed by reference to the sovereign. In criminal prosecutions, the state as a party is named as The Queen—for instance. However, the prosecutors themselves are referred to as representing the Crown, more commonly and conveniently, however, the entity is referred to directly—for example, as The Commonwealth or The State of New South Wales or simply New South Wales
15.
Governor-General of Australia
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The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the Australian monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor-General is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia, when travelling abroad, the Governor-General is seen as the representative of Australia, and of the Queen of Australia, so is treated as a head of state. The Governor-General is supported by a staff headed by the Official Secretary to the Governor-General, a Governor-General is not appointed for a specific term, but is generally expected to serve for five years subject to a possible short extension. Since 28 March 2014, the Governor-General has been General Sir Peter Cosgrove, from Federation in 1901 until 1965,11 out of the 15 Governors-General were British aristocrats, they included four barons, three viscounts, three earls, and one prince. Since then, all but one of the Governors-General have been Australian-born, as of 2017, only one Governor-General, Dame Quentin Bryce, was a woman. The selection of a Governor-General is a responsibility for the Prime Minister of Australia, the candidate is approached privately to confirm whether they are willing to accept the appointment. The prime minister advises the monarch to appoint his nominee. This has been the procedure since November 1930, when James Scullins proposed appointment of Sir Isaac Isaacs was fiercely opposed by the British government, Scullin was equally insistent that the monarch must act on the relevant prime ministers direct advice. Both of these appointments had been agreed to despite British government objections, despite these precedents, George V remained reluctant to accept Scullins recommendation of Isaacs and asked him to consider Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood. However, Scullin stood firm, and, on 29 November, the King agreed to Isaacss appointment and this right to not only advise the monarch directly, but also to expect that advice to be accepted, was soon taken up by all the other Dominion prime ministers. This, among other things, led to the Statute of Westminster 1931, having agreed to the appointment, the monarch then permits it to be publicly announced in advance, usually several months before the end of the current Governor-Generals term. During these months, the person is referred to as the Governor-General-designate, the actual appointment is made by the monarch. Governors-General have during their tenure the style His/Her Excellency the Honourable, since May 2013, the style used by a former Governor-General is the Honourable, it was at the same time retrospectively granted for life to all previous holders of the office. From the creation of the Order of Australia in 1975, the Governor-General was, ex officio, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order, and therefore became entitled to the post-nominal AC. In 1986 the Letters Patent were amended again, and Governors-General appointed from that time were again, ex officio, until 1989, all Governors-General were members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and thus held the additional style the Right Honourable for life. The same individuals were also usually either peers, knights, or both, in 1989, Bill Hayden, a republican, declined appointment to the British Privy Council and any imperial honours. Dame Quentin Bryce was the first Governor-General to have had no title or pre-nominal style. Until 2015, the honour continued after the retirement from office of the Governor-General, formerly, the Governor-General automatically became a knight or dame upon being sworn in
16.
Prime Minister of Australia
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The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the head of government of Australia. The individual who holds the office is the most senior Minister of the Crown, the leader of the Cabinet, the office is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia and exists only through longstanding political convention and tradition. Despite this, in practice it is the most powerful position in Australia. The individual who holds the office is commissioned by the Governor-General of Australia, almost always and according to convention, the Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party or largest party in a coalition of parties in the House of Representatives. However, there is no requirement that the prime minister sit in the House of Representatives. The only case where a member of the Senate was appointed minister was John Gorton. Malcolm Turnbull has held the office of Prime Minister since 15 September 2015, the Prime Minister and Treasurer are traditionally members of the House, but the Constitution does not have such a requirement. Before being sworn in as a Minister of the Crown, a person must first be sworn in as a member of the Federal Executive Council if they are not already a member. Membership of the Federal Executive Council entitles the member to the style of The Honourable for life, the senior members of the Executive Council constitute the Cabinet of Australia. The Prime Minister is, like ministers, normally sworn in by the Governor-General. When defeated in an election, or on resigning, the Prime Minister is said to hand in the commission, in the event of a Prime Minister dying in office, or becoming incapacitated, the Governor-General can terminate the commission. Despite the importance of the office of minister, the Constitution does not mention the office by name. The conventions of the Westminster system were thought to be entrenched in Australia by the authors of the Constitution that it was deemed unnecessary to detail them. The formal title of the portfolio has always been simply Prime Minister, except for the period of the Fourth Deakin Ministry, Page was the leader of the smaller party in the governing coalition, the Country Party. He held the office for three weeks until the UAP elected a new leader, Robert Menzies, in August 1941 Menzies resigned as prime minister. In July 1945 John Curtin died suddenly and his deputy, Frank Forde, was sworn in the next day as prime minister, although the Labor Party had not had an opportunity to meet and elect a new leader. Forde served for eight days until Ben Chifley was elected leader, Chifley was then sworn in, replacing Forde, who became Australias shortest-serving prime minister. Harold Holt disappeared while swimming on 17 December 1967 and was declared presumed dead on 19 December, the governor-general, Lord Casey, commissioned the Leader of the Country Party, John McEwen, to form a government until the Liberal Party elected a new leader
17.
Gough Whitlam
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Edward Gough Whitlam AC QC was the 21st Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The Leader of the Labor Party from 1967 to 1977, Whitlam led his party to power for the first time in 23 years at the 1972 election. He won the 1974 election before being dismissed by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr. Whitlam remains the only Australian prime minister to have his commission terminated in that manner, Whitlam served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II for four years as airforce navigator in the Pacific and worked as a barrister following the war. He was first elected to Parliament in 1952, representing Werriwa in the House of Representatives, Whitlam became Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in 1960, and in 1967, after the retirement of Arthur Calwell, was elected Leader and became the Leader of the Opposition. After narrowly losing the 1969 election, Whitlam led Labor to victory at the 1972 election after 23 years of continuous Liberal-Country Coalition Government. The government and the opposition then had equal numbers in the Senate where they voted against the six trigger bills which had formed the basis for the 1974 double dissolution. The Whitlam government then instituted the first and only 1974 joint sitting enabled under s.57 of the Constitution as part of the dissolution process. All six of the bills were then passed at the Joint Sitting in August 1974. Whitlam refused to back down, arguing that his government, which held a majority in the House of Representatives, was being held to ransom by the Senate. The crisis ended on 11 November, when Whitlam arrived at a meeting with the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr. Kerr had agreed to the documents and the date for the half-Senate election—13 December—with Whitlam over the preceding days. Whitlam described it as the greatest shock I had ever experienced when Kerr instead dismissed him without warning and commissioned the opposition leader, Malcolm Fraser, as prime minister. Later that afternoon, the House of Representatives passed a motion of no confidence in Fraser, Kerr refused to see the Speaker of the House or receive the motion of the House of Representatives and prorogued parliament with Fraser still in office. Labor lost the subsequent election by a landslide, Whitlam stepped down after losing again at the 1977 election, and retired from parliament in 1978. Upon the election of the Hawke Government in 1983, he was appointed as Ambassador to UNESCO, a position he filled with distinction and he remained active into his nineties. The circumstances of his dismissal and the legacy of his government remain a part of Australian political discourse. Edward Gough Whitlam was born on 11 July 1916 at the family home Ngara,46 Rowland Street, Kew and he was the older of two children born to Martha and Fred Whitlam
18.
Chief Justice of Australia
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The Chief Justice of Australia is the informal title for the presiding justice of the High Court of Australia and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Commonwealth of Australia. The incumbent is Susan Kiefel, the first woman to hold the office, the Court was constituted by, and its first members were appointed under, the Judiciary Act 1903, with the first appointments to the High Court commencing on 5 October 1903. The Chief Justice is first among equals among the Justices of the High Court, all Justices, including the Chief Justice, are appointed by the Governor-General of Australia, on the advice of the federal government. They can be removed only by the Governor-General, on a request from both houses of the parliament, although this has never been done. Since 1977, appointment has been until the retirement age of seventy. The Chief Justice often acts as the Governor-Generals deputy, especially at such as the opening of Parliament after an election. Chief Justice Samuel Griffith was several times consulted by Governors-General of Australia on the exercise of the reserve powers, the Chief Justice also administers the Oath of Allegiance to the Monarch and an Oath of Office to the Governor-General-designate when he or she takes up his or her appointment. Chief Justice Sir John Latham was absent from the office when he served from 1940 to 1941 as Australias first ambassador to Japan, Sir George Rich was Acting Chief Justice in Lathams absence
19.
Garfield Barwick
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Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick, AK GCMG QC was the Attorney-General of Australia, Minister for External Affairs and the seventh and longest serving Chief Justice of Australia. He was an ad hoc judge of the International Court of Justice in 1973–74 in the Nuclear Tests and Nuclear Tests cases, representing Australia, Barwick was one of three brothers born to Methodist parents, of Cornish origin, he would later be very insistent on his Cornish identity. He was raised in Stanmore, an inner-city suburb of Sydney and he graduated from the University of Sydney with a University Medal in law. A very diligent student, Barwick was admitted to practice soon after finishing university. This was held against him by many throughout his career, nevertheless, he practised as a barrister from 1927 in many jurisdictions, achieving considerable recognition and the reluctant respect of opponents. Barwick represented the plaintiff, and although they lost, his name well known from that point onwards. Having been briefed in many of Australias defining constitutional cases, he was knighted in 1953, a famous example of his astute advocacy involved thirteen Malaysians sentenced to death who appealed to the Privy Council. Twelve retained Barwick, who found a technical deficiency in the arrest warrants. The last, whose counsel was not so thorough, was hanged, Barwick was elected to the House of Representatives as the Liberal member for Parramatta at a by-election on 8 March 1958, and re-elected in the general elections of 1958,1961 and 1963. During his period in parliament, he served as Attorney-General and Minister for External Affairs, as Attorney-General, he promoted acts amending the Matrimonial Causes Act and the Crimes Act. He established a model for restrictive trade legislation and led the Australian delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations for its 15th, 17th. An alleged war criminal Ervin Viks found refuge in Australia, Viks died in Australia in 1983. On 27 April 1964, Barwick was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, succeeding Sir Owen Dixon and he was instrumental in the construction of the High Court building in Canberra, and became the first president of the Australian Conservation Foundation in 1966. Higgins, Edward McTiernan, John Latham, and Lionel Murphy, in 1972 he became President of the Australian Institute for International Affairs. He was an ad hoc judge of the International Court of Justice in 1973–74 in the Nuclear Tests and Nuclear Tests cases, representing Australia and New Zealand jointly. A significant decision of the Barwick court marked the beginning of the interpretation of the corporations power. The court also decided several cases relating to the historic 1974 joint sitting of the Parliament of Australia, including Cormack v Cope, the Barwick court decided several infamous cases on tax avoidance and tax evasion, almost always deciding against the taxation office. Led by Barwick himself in most judgments, the court distinguished between avoidance and evasion, the decisions effectively nullified the anti-avoidance legislation and led to the proliferation of avoidance schemes in the 1970s, a result which drew much criticism upon the court
20.
Premier of New South Wales
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The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature, prior to Federation in 1901 the term Prime Minister of New South Wales was used, Premier was used from 1901. The current Premier is Gladys Berejiklian, the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, Berejiklian replaced Mike Baird on 23 January 2017, after Baird resigned as Premier. As of January 2017, nine former Premiers are alive, the oldest being Barrie Unsworth, the most recent premier to die was Tom Lewis on 25 April 2016. List of Premiers of New South Wales by time in office Deputy Premier of New South Wales
21.
Robert Askin
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Sir Robert William Askin GCMG was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name, before being knighted in 1972, however, he was generally known as Bob Askin. Born in Sydney in 1907, Askin was educated at Sydney Technical High School, after serving as a bank officer and as a Sergeant in the Second World War, Askin joined the Liberal Party and was elected to the seat of Collaroy at the 1950 election. Askin quickly rose through party ranks, eventually becoming Deputy Leader following Walter Howarths resignation in July 1954, when long-serving party leader Vernon Treatt announced his resignation in August 1954, Askin put his name forward to replace him. At the vote, he became deadlocked against Pat Morton and Askin asked his commanding officer Murray Robson to take the leadership instead. Robson did not live up to expectations and was deposed in September 1955 by Morton, Askin remained as Deputy until, after leading the party to a second electoral defeat in 1959, Morton was deposed and Askin was elected to succeed him. At the May 1965 election, Askin presented the Liberal Party as an alternative government. He won a victory, ending a 24-year Labor hold on government. More controversial changes included the 1967 abolition of Sydney City Council and increased rates of development in Sydney, often at the expense of architectural heritage and this culminated in the Green ban movement of the 1970s led by the Union movement to conserve the heritage of Sydney. At the end of his term, after winning three elections, Askin was the longest-serving Premier of New South Wales, his record has since been overtaken by Neville Wran. Askin remains the longest-serving Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, since his death in 1981, however, Askins legacy has been tarnished by persistent unproven allegations that he was involved in organised crime and official corruption. In a PhD published in 2016, “A History of the Askin Government 1965-1975” and his parents later married on 29 September 1916. Askin spent his years in Stuart Town before his family moved to Glebe. After primary education at Glebe Public School, Askin was awarded a bursary to study at Sydney Technical High School, at school he gained good marks, with a particular interest in Mathematics and History, and enjoyed swimming and Rugby League. He completed his Intermediate Certificate in 1921, at the age of 15, after a short time in the electrical trade, in 1922 Askin joined the Government Savings Bank of New South Wales as a Clerk. However, when the Savings Bank closed due to the Great Depression in 1931, between 1925 and 1929 Askin served part-time as a Lieutenant in the 55th Battalion, Citizens Military Forces. On 5 February 1937 Askin married Mollie Isabelle Underhill, a typist at the bank, at Gilbert Park Methodist Church and they lived in Manly for the rest of their lives. He began his interest in politics by assisting in Percy Spenders successful campaign for Askins local seat of Warringah as an Independent candidate at the 1937 Federal election, in 1940 Askin was appointed manager of the Bank service department, which focused on public relations
22.
Leader of the Opposition (New South Wales)
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The Leader of the Opposition is a title held by the leader of the second-largest party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of New South Wales. There is also a Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and he or she acts as the public face of the opposition, leading the opposition on the floor of parliament. They act as a critic of the government and ultimately attempt to portray the opposition as a feasible alternate government. They are also certain additional rights under parliamentary standing orders. Since 2015, the Leader of the Opposition is Luke Foley, adam Searle serves as leader in the Legislative Council. Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party Leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales Opposition
23.
Pat Hills
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Patrick Darcy Pat Hills AO was a New South Wales politician. He served in high offices across the state most notably the Deputy Premier of New South Wales, Leader of the Opposition. Hills was born in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills and he was educated at Marist Brothers High School, Darlinghurst and was apprenticed as an electrical engineer. He was an alderman on Sydney City Council from 1948 to 1956 and Lord Mayor of Sydney from 1953 to 1956, when only in his thirties. Hills was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Phillip in 1954, representing the Australian Labor Party, then, until 1988, he served as member for Elizabeth. He was Minister for Local Government in the cabinet of Premier Robert Heffron, in opposition he served as Deputy Leader for three years and Leader for five years. One of his achievements was the building of the Eraring. He was also responsible for the Hilton Hotel, which he rubber stamped, more importantly, he has been accused of sabotaging the 1948 Cumberland County Plan for Sydney, flogging the green belt out the back door before the ink was dry. He served as a member of the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sports Ground Trust from July 1961 to December 1989, Hills died in Sydney and was cremated with his ashes interred at Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens. Hills was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988, the suburb of Hillsdale, New South Wales is named after Hills
24.
Premier of Queensland
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The Premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the Premier is the leader of the party with a majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Queensland, the incumbent Premier of Queensland since the 2015 election is Annastacia Palaszczuk of the Australian Labor Party. Under section 42 of the Constitution of Queensland the Premier and other members of Cabinet are appointed by the Governor and are responsible to Parliament. The text of the Constitution assigns to the Premier certain powers, such as the power to assign roles to Assistant Ministers, although ministerial appointments are the prerogative of the Governor of Queensland, in normal circumstances the Governor will make these appointments under the advice of the Premier. A re-elected government will be resworn, with adjustments to the ministry as determined by the Premier, the Premier has an office in the Executive Annexe of Parliament House, Brisbane, which is normally used while Parliament is sitting. At other times the Premiers ministerial office is in 1 William Street, before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only, before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and disorganised by modern standards. As of February 2015, six former premiers are alive, the oldest being Russell Cooper, the most recent premier to die was Wayne Goss, on 10 November 2014. List of Premiers of Queensland by time in office Government of Queensland Politics of Queensland
25.
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
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Sir Johannes Joh Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, the effect earned Bjelke-Petersen the nickname of the Hillbilly Dictator. In 1985 Bjelke-Petersen launched a campaign to move into politics to become prime minister. From 1987 his administration came under the scrutiny of a commission into police corruption. Bjelke-Petersen was unable to recover from the series of damaging findings and after initially resisting a party vote that replaced him as leader, Bjelke-Petersen was born in Dannevirke in the southern Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand, and lived in Waipukurau, a small town in Hawkes Bay. The Australian Bjelke-Petersen family are of Danish and Swedish descent, Joh Bjelke-Petersens parents were both Danish immigrants, and his father, Carl, was a Lutheran pastor. In 1913 the family moved to Australia, establishing a farm, Bethany, the young Bjelke-Petersen suffered from polio, leaving him with a lifelong limp. The family was poor, and Carl Bjelke-Petersen was frequently in poor health and he taught Sunday school, delivered sermons regularly in nearby towns and joined the Kingaroy debating society. In 1933, Bjelke-Petersen began work land-clearing and peanut farming on the newly acquired second property. His efforts eventually allowed him to work as a contract land-clearer and to acquire further capital which he invested in farm equipment. He developed a technique for quickly clearing scrub by connecting a heavy anchor chain between two bulldozers, by the time he was 30, he was a prosperous farmer and businessman. Obtaining a pilots licence early in his life, Bjelke-Petersen also started aerial spraying. He would hold this seat, renamed Barambah in 1950, for the next 40 years, the Australian Labor Party had held power in Queensland since 1932 and Bjelke-Petersen spent eleven years as an opposition member. On 31 May 1952, Bjelke-Petersen married typist Florence Flo Gilmour, in 1957, following a split in the Labor Party, the Country Party under Nicklin came to power, with the Liberal Party as a junior coalition partner. He also served as acting minister for education, police, Aboriginal and Island Affairs, local government and conservation and labour, on 31 July 1968, after just seven months in office, Pizzey suffered a heart attack and died. Chalk was sworn in as caretaker premier, the Country Party had 27 seats in Parliament, the Liberals had 20. Nonetheless, there was dispute over whether the Liberals should take senior status. Matters were brought to a head when Bjelke-Petersen—elected Country Party leader within days of Pizzeys death—threatened to pull the Country Party out of the Coalition unless he became Premier, after seven days Chalk accepted the inevitable, and Bjelke-Petersen was sworn in as Premier on 8 August 1968
26.
Leader of the Opposition (Queensland)
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This is a list of Leaders of the Opposition in Queensland. Prior to 1898, opposition to the government of the day was less organised, thus the Queensland Parliamentary Record does not designate Leaders of the Opposition before then. The Leader is responsible for managing the Opposition and has a role in administering the Legislative Assembly through the Committee of the Legislative Assembly
27.
Premier of South Australia
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The Premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature, the current Premier is Jay Weatherill, the Leader of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party. Weatherill replaced Mike Rann on 21 October 2011, after Rann resigned as Premier, before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from the 1893 election to 1905 election with the support of the South Australian United Labor Party, Labor took government with the support of eight dissident liberals in 1905 when Labor won the most seats for the first time. The rise of Labor saw non-Labor politics start to merge into various party incarnations, Labor formed South Australias first majority government after winning the 1910 state election, triggering the merger. The 1910 election came two weeks after federal Labor formed Australias first elected majority government at the 1910 federal election, no Country or rural conservative parties emerged as serious long-term forces in South Australian state politics, often folding into the main non-Labor party. There are six living former premiers, the oldest being Steele Hall, the most recent premier to die was John Bannon on 13 December 2015. In the following timeline, the legend includes the Liberal and Democratic Union, the Liberal Union, the Liberal Party of Australia is represented as Liberal only. The grey area represents the duration of Playmander electoral malapportionment, beginning in 1936, in effect until the 1970 election
28.
Don Dunstan
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Donald Allan Don Dunstan AC, QC was a South Australian politician. Dustans father was a manager for the Morris Hedstrom chain in Fiji. However, from an early age Don was educated in Australia and he excelled academically before experiencing his progressive political awakening while training in law and arts at the University of Adelaide. His upper-class background and scholarly bearing made him unusual for the Labor Party at the time, Dunstan quickly achieved prominence as Labors standout performer, a charismatic and aggressive debater in an era of sedate political conduct. Dunstan stridently pursued the LCL over the Playmander, in the late 1950s, Dunstan became well known for his campaign against the death penalty being imposed on Max Stuart, who was convicted of rape and murder of a small girl. He harried Playford aggressively over the matter, creating an uproar over what he saw as an unfair process, Playford eventually relented, and appeared shaken thereafter, the event was seen as a turning point in the LCLs decline, and Labor gained momentum. During Labors time in opposition, Dunstan was prominent in securing some reforms in Aboriginal rights, Labor conducted an extensive campaign in marginal LCL seats at the 1965 election, resulting in 21 of 39 seats, with Frank Walsh and the Labor Party taking power. As Deputy Premier and Attorney-General, the youthful and charismatic Dunstan made his older peers look lethargic as television became increasingly ubiquitous, the LCL opposition changed leaders and installed the young Steele Hall, worrying Labor as the elderly Walsh appeared bumbling in contrast. This resulted in Labor replacing Walsh with Dunstan, despite maintaining a much larger vote over the LCL, Labor lost two seats at the 1968 election, with the LCL forming government with support of an independent. Dunstan responded by increasing his attacks on the Playmander and was able to convincingly sustain Playmander attacks with the effect of convincing the LCL into watering down the malapportionment. Again with little change in Labors vote but with the Playmander removed, with a fairer seat and boundary system in place, Dunstan won three more elections, in 1973,1975 and 1977. A reformist, Dunstan brought profound change to South Australian society and he encouraged cultural exchanges with Asia, multiculturalism and an increase in the states culinary awareness and sophistication. He is recognised for his role in reinvigorating the social, artistic and cultural life of South Australia during his nine years in office, however, there were also problems, the economy began to stagnate, and the large increases to burgeoning public service generated claims of waste. In addition, policy problems and unemployment began to mount, as well as unsubstantiated rumours of corruption, Dunstan became increasingly short-tempered, and the strain was increased by the death of his second wife. Dunstan was born on 21 September 1926 in Suva, Fiji to Francis Vivian Dunstan and his parents had moved to Fiji in 1916 after his father took up a position as manager of the Adelaide Steamship Company. He spent the first seven years of his life in Fiji, Dunstan was beset by illness, and his parents sent him to South Australia hoping that the drier climate would assist his recovery. He lived in Murray Bridge for three years with his mothers parents before returning to Suva for a period during his secondary education. During his time in Fiji, Dunstan mixed easily with the Indian settlers and indigenous people and he won a scholarship in classical studies and attended St Peters College, a traditional private school for the sons of the Adelaide establishment
29.
Leader of the Opposition (South Australia)
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By convention, he or she is generally a member of the House of Assembly. He or she acts as the face of the opposition. They are also certain additional rights under parliamentary standing orders. Should the opposition win an election, the Leader of the Opposition will be nominated to become the Premier of South Australia, before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from the 1893 election to 1905 election with Labor support, Labor took government with the support of eight dissident liberals in 1905 when Labor won the most seats for the first time. The rise of Labor saw non-Labor politics start to merge into various party incarnations, Labor formed South Australias first majority government after winning the 1910 state election, triggering the merger. The 1910 election came two weeks after federal Labor formed Australias first elected majority government at the 1910 federal election, the current opposition leader is Liberal Steven Marshall. A record, Marshall is the opposition leader since their party lost office in 2002. In comparison, each Labor leader for over half a century has served as Premier, the following is a list of Leaders of the Opposition in South Australia, from 1884 to present. According to the official parliament record, prior to the year 1884 no definite evidence of the holder of the office could be found. Premier of South Australia Statistical Record of the Legislature 1836 to 2007, p. 118-119 – parliament. sa. gov. au
30.
Steele Hall
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Raymond Steele Hall was the 36th Premier of South Australia 1968-70, a senator for South Australia 1974-77, and federal member for the Division of Boothby 1981-96. Hall was originally a farmer from Owen, eighty kilometres north of Adelaide and his wife, Joan Hall, was a Liberal politician representing the electoral district of Morialta in the South Australian parliament from 1993 to 2006. The couple met when Bullock was working for Hall as a political staffer, Hall was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly as the Liberal and Country League member for Gouger at the 1959 election. Playford, who had served as premier for 26 years. Hall served as Leader of the Opposition for two years leading the LCL into the 1968 election. Considered young and handsome, he was also the first Australian state premier to sport sideburns, indeed, the 1968 election, fought between Hall and his Labor opponent Don Dunstan, was described by the Democratic Labor Party as the battle of the matinee idols. The election resulted in a parliament, with Labor and the LCL winning 19 seats each. LCL-leaning independent Tom Stott announced his support for the LCL, Dunstan and Labor were defeated in the legislature on 17 April, and Hall was sworn in as premier later that day. Hall immediately set out to deal with the issue of electoral reform, deliberately inequitable electoral boundaries, called the Playmander, had greatly advantaged the LCL over the past 40 years. Since 1932, the House of Assembly had 39 members—13 from the Adelaide area and 26 from country areas, however, by the 1960s, even though Adelaide accounted for two-thirds of the states population, a vote in Adelaide was effectively worth only half a country vote. Hall was highly embarrassed that the LCL had been in a position to win government despite winning 43. 8% of the first preference vote compared to Labors 52% and he was also concerned by the level of publicity and growing public protest about the issue. This made him all the more committed to the principle of an electoral system. Hall expanded the House of Assembly to 47 seats, including 28 in the Adelaide area, while it fell short of one vote one value, as Dunstan and Labor had demanded, it was a much fairer system than its predecessor. Hall undertook this knowing that it would considerably strengthen Labors hand, even at the height of the LCLs popularity under Playford, Labor had dominated Adelaide, with the LCL only able to win a few seats in the eastern crescent and around Holdfast Bay. Conventional wisdom thus held that Hall pushed for electoral reform knowing that he was handing the premiership to Dunstan at the next election. It ranks as one of the few instances in Australian political history when a politician initiated a reform knowing full well that it would put his own party at a disadvantage, in addition to electoral reform, Hall also introduced improvements in social welfare, aboriginal affairs and abortion regulation. Hall served as his own Treasurer for two months in 1970, Hall and Stott soon fell out over the location of a dam. Stott wanted the dam built in his electorate while Hall thought it more use to locate it elsewhere, constituent anger forced Stott to vote against the Hall government, leading to the 1970 election. its purpose for existence
31.
Premier of Tasmania
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The Premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly will nominate its leader to be Premier, the nominated politician is then invited by the Governor of Tasmania to act as their principal adviser. Before the 1890s, there was no party system in Tasmania. Party labels before that time indicate a general tendency only, the current convention of appointing the Premier from the House of Assembly was not generally applied prior to 1920, with Premiers often appointed from the Legislative Council. The incumbent Premier of Tasmania since the 2014 election is Will Hodgman of the Liberal Party of Australia, as of 24 January 2011, eight former premiers are alive, the oldest being Tony Rundle. The most recent premier to die was Sir Angus Bethune, on 27 August 2004, the most recently serving premier to die was Jim Bacon, on 20 June 2004. List of Premiers of Tasmania by time in office Leader of the Opposition Governors of Tasmania PREMIERS OF TASMANIA Parliament of Tasmania
32.
Angus Bethune (politician)
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Sir Walter Angus Bethune was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He was Premier of Tasmania from 26 May 1969 to 3 May 1972, Bethune was born in Sheffield in north-western Tasmania, and was educated at Launceston Grammar School and The Hutchins School in Hobart. Before entering politics, Bethune worked as a jackaroo, on 15 August 1940, during World War II, he enlisted as an airman and Warrant Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force. Bethune was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 1946 general election on 23 November 1946, representing the seat of Wilmot for the newly formed Liberal Party of Australia. On 19 March 1960, Bethune became Leader of the Opposition when the leader of the Liberal Party, Tim Jackson resigned in protest at party disunity and a lack of support for his leadership. On 7 September 1966, Kevin Lyons resigned from the state Liberal Party after a dispute over preselection, in 1969, Lyons held the balance of power, and offered his support to Bethune to form government with himself as Deputy Premier. This forced Labor Premier Eric Reece to resign on 26 May, making Bethune the first non-Labor Premier of Tasmania in 35 years, and he also served as his own Treasurer. During his term as Premier, Bethune introduced a number of important initiatives, Bethune was instrumental in the establishment of a Hansard service for the Tasmanian parliament, although he was no longer Premier by the time the system was introduced. Kevin Lyons had lost a vote to introduce Hansard in 1960, the report was not completed until 1973, but Hansard was considered by Bethunes successors Eric Reece and Doug Lowe until finally being implemented in 1979. In 1972, Kevin Lyons dissolved the coalition between the Centre and Liberal parties, and was critical of Bethune. Bethune was forced to the polls, and the instability in his government saw him lose power in the election to Eric Reece, who returned as Premier. Bethune retired from politics on 30 June 1975, and later joined forces with his rival, Eric Reece. Sir Angus died after an illness on 22 August 2004 in Hobart. He was accorded a funeral which was held on 27 August. Bethune was made Knight Bachelor on 16 June 1979 in recognition of service to the Federal Parliament and he was also awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001
33.
Leader of the Opposition (Tasmania)
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The Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania is the title of the leader of the largest minority party in the state lower house, the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He or she acts as the face of the opposition. They thus act as a critic of the government and ultimately attempt to portray the opposition as a feasible alternate government. They are also certain additional rights under parliamentary standing orders. Should the opposition win an election, the Leader of the Opposition will usually be nominated to become the Premier of Tasmania, the position of Leader of the Opposition was essentially informal throughout the nineteenth century, with formal recognition only being granted in the early twentieth century. As there was no party system until 1909, the loose ideological blocs in parliament tended to change regularly, the current Leader of the Opposition is Rebecca White of the Australian Labor Party. She has been in the role since 17 March 2017, having been elected unopposed after the resignation of Bryan Green
34.
Eric Reece
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Eric Elliott Reece, AC was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions, from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975. Born in the small Tasmanian town of Mathinna, Reece joined the Australian Workers Union in 1934, from 1935 to 1946 he was in charge of the AWUs West Coast District organisation. Reece attempted to enter the House of Representatives for the Division of Darwin at the elections of 1940 and 1943. In 1943, his opponent was Dame Enid Lyons. On 23 November 1946, Reece was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly and he would represent this seat, renamed Braddon in 1955, until his retirement in 1975. These roles he combined with the presidency of the Labor Party between 1952 and 1955. He became Premier in 1958 after Cosgroves resignation, unexpectedly, Reece lost the premiership in 1969, when the ALP was narrowly defeated by the Liberal Party led by Angus Bethune. This ended 35 years of uninterrupted Labor government in Tasmania, the Liberals had gained a one-seat majority in the House of Assembly by forming a coalition with former Speaker Kevin Lyons, who had founded his own Centre Party. Nevertheless, the period of rule ended when Lyons quit the coalition. Reece and the Labor Party regained control in a landslide win and this was as much a personal victory as a political one, since Reece himself topped the poll in Braddon with 35. 4%, still a record for an individual candidate in that electorate. As of 2016 he remains the last person to make a comeback as Premier of any Australian state after losing the position. Well known for his support of Tasmanias Hydro Electric Commission and its power development schemes on the Gordon River. Reece refused Whitlams offer, stating that he would not have the Federal Government interfering with the rights of Tasmania. Reece was quoted as saying, There was a National Park out there, at least, it wasnt of substantial significance in the scheme of things. The thing that was significant was that we had to double the output of power in state in 10 years in order supply the demands of industry. And this was the scheme that looked as though it could do a part of job for us. For a while during the 1970s, Reece combined his duties as Premier with a return to the ALPs federal presidency, on 31 March 1975 he retired from the premiership and from the legislature, by this stage, the party had introduced a mandatory retirement age of 65. Despite being no longer involved with state politics after 1975
35.
Premier of Victoria
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The Premier of Victoria is the leader of the government in the Australian state of Victoria. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the party able to secure a majority in the Legislative Assembly. Responsible government came to the colony of Victoria in 1855, between 1856 and 1892, the head of the government was commonly called the Premier or the Prime Minister, but neither title had any legal basis. The head of government always held another portfolio, usually Chief Secretary or Treasurer, the first head of government to hold the title of Premier without holding another portfolio was William Shiels in 1892. The incumbent Premier of Victoria since the 2014 election is Daniel Andrews of the Australian Labor Party, as of September 2016, six former premiers are alive, the oldest being John Cain. The most recent premier to die was Joan Kirner, on 1 June 2015, department of Premier and Cabinet, Victoria Deputy Premier of Victoria List of Premiers of Victoria by time in office ABC News - Premiers of Victoria
36.
Henry Bolte
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Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG was an Australian politician. He was the 38th and longest serving Premier of Victoria, Henry Bolte was born in Ballarat, the son of a publican of German descent. He was to spend the first 24 years of his life in the western district town of Skipton. He was educated at Skipton primary school and Ballarat Grammar School, after working in various manual jobs he married Edith Elder in 1934 and bought a small farm at Bamganie near Meredith, where he lived for the rest of his life, running sheep and cattle. In 1940 Bolte joined the Australian Army and served as a sergeant with a regiment until 1945. After the war he returned to farming and became active in the newly formed Liberal Party, at the 1945 election he stood unsuccessfully for the seat of Hampden in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, but in 1947 he stood again and was elected. Victorian politics was volatile at this time, with a succession of weak short-term governments, the electoral system was malapportioned in favour of rural areas, which gave the minority Country Party disproportionate power. As a rural Liberal, Bolte despised the Country Party nearly as much as the Labor Party, when Bolte was elected to Parliament in 1947 the Liberal leader was Thomas Hollway, who also came from Ballarat but was a much more liberal politician than Bolte. In 1951 Hollway tried to reform the system, which caused a split in the Liberal Party and his replacement by Trevor Oldham. When Oldham was killed in an air crash on the way to the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, Bolte won the 1955 elections with a huge majority, routing both Labor and the Country Party. He was able to form the first stable conservative government in Victoria for many years, Bolte was a rough-hewn politician who liked to be seen as a simple farmer, but he had a shrewd political mind. He rapidly consolidated himself in power, helped by the faction of the Labor Party, the Democratic Labor Party. His populist attacks on the unions, intellectuals, protesters. A portrait of Bolte by William Dargie hangs in Queens Hall at Parliament House Victoria, Bolte used state debt to provide a wide range of state infrastructure and he was very successful at winning overseas investment for the state. Bolte was easily re-elected at the 1958,1961 and 1964 state elections and he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in the New Years Day honours list of 1966. In the New Years Day honours list of 1972 he was advanced to the rank of Knight Grand Cross. His wife, Lady Edith Lilian Bolte, known as Jill Bolte, was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1972 for Public service to Victoria, Bolte was a proponent of using capital punishment as a deterrent against violent crime. Justice Starke subscribed to the substitute Tait theory, Starke had defended Tait, Starke said After Bolte was denied with Tait he simply waited for the next cab off the ranks, and poor Ryan happened to be the next cab
37.
Premier of Western Australia
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The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive branch of government in the Australian state of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions. The incumbent Premier of Western Australia is Mark McGowan who won the 2017 state election and was sworn in on 17 March 2017 by Governor Kerry Sanderson as the 30th Premier of Western Australia. The premier must be a member of one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, and by convention the premier is a member of the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. He or she is appointed by the governor on the advice of the lower house, consequently, the premier is almost always the leader of the political party or coalition of parties with the majority of seats in the lower house. The office of premier of Western Australia was first formed in 1890, the Constitution of Western Australia does not explicitly provide for a premier, and the office was not formally listed as one of the executive offices until the appointment of Ross McLarty in 1947. Nonetheless, John Forrest immediately adopted the title on taking office as first premier of Western Australia in 1890, John Forrest was the only premier of Western Australia as a self-governing colony. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, Western Australia became an Australian state, Party politics began in Western Australia with the rise of the Labor party in 1901. By 1904, the party system was entrenched in Western Australian politics, since then the premiers have been associated with political parties. Western Australias constitution contains nothing to preclude the premier being a member of the upper house, historically and by convention, however, the premier is a member of the Assembly. During the economic boom of the 1980s, the Western Australian government became involved with a number of large businesses. A succession of deals were made between the government and businesses, and these ultimately caused great losses for the state, a subsequent royal commission found evidence of widespread corruption. Three former premiers were found to have acted improperly and two of them, Ray OConnor and Brian Burke, were jailed and this scandal became popularly known as WA Inc. As of 4 April 2017, seven former premiers are alive, the oldest being Peter Dowding, the most recent premier to die was Ray OConnor, on 25 February 2013, aged 86. He served as premier for a month before resigning after no seat could be found. b Prior to the 1904 election, no organised political parties existed, walter Kingsmill served as Acting Premier during this time
38.
David Brand
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Sir David Brand KCMG was an Australian politician. He resigned as leader of the Liberal Party in 1973, and retired from politics in 1975, Brand was born in Dongara, Western Australia, the eldest of four children of Albert John Brand, a farmer, and his wife Hilda, née Mitchell. His maternal grandfather was Samuel Mitchell, a Cornish immigrant who was a pioneer of the industry in Western Australia. Brands parents farmed at Northampton and moved to a farm near Mullewa in 1924 and he left school at 14 to work on the farm, and at Mullewa became secretary of the local branch of the Primary Producers Association, a forerunner of the Farmers Federation. In 1935, Brand moved to Kalgoorlie and worked at the Golden Horseshoe Mine, as a driver, treatment hand, filter specialist. In his spare time, he was active in the Methodist Church, Brand was of Cornish descent, like both his predecessor, Albert Hawke, and successor, John Tonkin, as premier. Following the outbreak of World War II, Brand enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 23 November 1939, as a Private, he was assigned to the 2/11th Battalion, part of the 6th Division, which embarked for the Middle East on 20 April 1940. Brand was eventually sent back to Australia for further treatment, arriving in August and he was re-mobilised in September, as an instructor with the 7th Battalion, Volunteer Defence Corps, in Geraldton and was promoted to Warrant Officer in January 1943. With the war beginning to wind down, Brand was discharged from the army in January 1945. Brand married Doris Elspeth McNeill at Mingenew Methodist Church on 20 March 1944, after his army discharge, Brand took over the general store at Dongara. The incumbent Labor member for the State seat of Greenough, John Newton, was killed in action with the RAAF in 1945, Brand won the seat for the Liberal Party in a by-election that year, defeating Newtons brother by a narrow margin. Brand was the first person in Australia to win election to an Australian parliament as a candidate of the newly formed Liberal Party, in October 1949, Ross McLarty became Premier and Brand entered the Ministry as Minister for Housing, Forests and Local Government. From April 1950 he was Minister for Works, Water Supply, Brand would later describe this as one of his greatest achievements. He was also involved in the creation of major industrial projects. After the Coalitions defeat in 1953, Brand became deputy leader of the Opposition, after McLartys retirement, Brand was elected party leader on 1 March 1957. The Coalition was returned to power in 1959, and Brand was sworn in as Premier on 2 April and his administration retained office at the elections of 1962,1965, and 1968. This was achieved with the assistance of the West Australian branch of the Democratic Labor Party which split the Labor vote in some metropolitan electorates, the DLP was active in Western Australia between 1959 and 1974. In 1960, the Federal government lifted its embargo on iron exports, the mining of large bauxite deposits in the Darling Scarp also commenced, along with expansion of mineral processing at Kwinana and the South West
39.
John Tonkin
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John Trezise Tonkin AC, popularly known as Honest John, was an Australian politician. A number of landmarks were named or renamed after him, including the Tonkin Highway. Tonkin was born in Boulder, Western Australia, on 2 February 1902, of Cornish descent, he attended Boulder City Central School and Eastern Goldfields High School, and began working as a schoolteacher, teaching in several schools in country Western Australia. By 1923, he was teaching at Forest Grove, near Witchcliffe in the South West and he married Rosalie Cleghorn on 29 December 1926 at St. Marys Church in West Perth. At the 1933 state election, Tonkin was elected to the seat of North-East Fremantle, with the ALP, led by Philip Collier and his campaign manager for the 1933 election was Jerry Dolan. In May 1935, he received the Silver Jubilee Medal of King George V, in December 1943, Tonkin was made Minister for Education, succeeding William Kitson, a position which he held until the 1947 election. He had previously served as Minister for Agriculture, as a part of a major redistribution before the 1950 election, his seat, North-East Fremantle, was abolished. Tonkin ran for the newly formed seat of Melville, which he won, Tonkin was made Deputy Premier on 23 February 1953 as part of the Cabinet of Albert Hawke. He regained his role as Minister for Education, and was also appointed Minister for Works, in April 1956, he was stripped of his education portfolio in favour of Bill Hegney, as part of a cabinet reshuffle. The Labor Party lost government at the 1959 state election, after Labor, again under Hawke, lost both the 1962 and 1965 elections, Tonkin was elected Leader of the Opposition in January 1967. His party lost the 1968 election, but gained two seats and his wife, Rosalie, died in 1969 of cancer. He married his wife, Joan West, in Wesley Church, Perth, on 13 June 1971. Tonkin gained power at the 1971 state election, narrowly defeating the coalition led by Sir David Brand, Tonkin was in a rather shaky position. Labor had only won government by one seat in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, owing to a severe malapportionment that over-represented rural areas, Tonkin had to contend with a Legislative Council in which Labor was outnumbered by almost 2-to-1. He was also not helped by the unpopularity of the Whitlam federal Labor government, liberal leader Charles Court quickly formed a coalition with the National Alliance, forcing Tonkin to resign. He was thus one of the few state premiers to have turned out of office after only one term. He stayed on after the election as State parliamentary leader of the ALP until his retirement in 1976, at the time he became Premier and married his second wife in the early 1970s, he was already renowned for his tireless support of the Tronado anti-cancer machine. In the Queens Birthday Honours of 1977, John Tonkin was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia and he died in Perth in 1995, at the age of 93
40.
Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
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By convention, the leader is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly. The current Leader of the Opposition is Mike Nahan of the Liberal Party, prior to 1911, the Western Australian political system had neither organised political parties nor an organised opposition. The notion of leader of the opposition was however. Maitland Brown, for example, was referred to as Leader of the Opposition during his period as an outspoken critic of Governor Robinsons Government. Leaders of the Opposition from 1905
