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Parliamentary Library Wa Premiers of Western Australia PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY WA PREMIERS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA The Fast Facts on the Premiers of Western Australia THE FIRST PREMIER THE LONGEST THE ONLY PREMIER THEOFTHE FIRST WESTERN FIRST PREMIER PREMIER OF PREMIERSHIP IS HELD BY TO DIE IN OFFICE IN AUSTRALIAWESTERNOF WESTERN AUSTRALIA WAS SIR SIR DAVID BRAND WHO WA WAS GEORGE JOHNWASAUSTRALIA SIRFORREST JOHN FORRESTINWAS 1890 SIR. SERVED FOR 11 YEARS: LEAKE. HE DIED OF JOHN FORRESTIN 1890. IN 1890. 2 APRIL 1959 - 3 MARCH PNEUMONIA ON 24 1971 JUNE 1902. THE YOUNGEST THE SHORTEST WA PREMIER IN WA WAS PREMIERSHIP IS HELD JOHN SCADDAN AGED 35 BY HAL COLEBATCH YEARS WHO HELD OFFICE WHO SERVED FOR ONE BETWEEN 1911 AND 1914. CALENDAR MONTH IN 1919. THE ONLY PREMIER TO HE WAS ALSO THE ALSO BE A GOVERNOR OF ONLY PREMIER WHO WESTERN AUSTRALIA WAS A MEMBER OF WAS SIR JAMES MITCHELL. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THE LONGEST WA THE OLDEST PREMIERSHIP IS HELD BY PREMIER IN WA WHEN SIR DAVID BRAND WHO SWORN IN WAS JOHN SERVED FOR 11 YEARS IN TONKIN AGED 69 YEARS 1971. IN 1971. THE ONLY FATHER THE FIRST WOMAN AND SON PREMIERS IN PREMIER IN WA AND WA WERE SIR CHARLES AUSTRALIA WAS COURT AND RICHARD CARMEN LAWRENCE COURT. FROM 1990 TO 1993. November 5, 2013 History Notes: Premiers of Western Australia Premiers of Western Australia “COURTESY TITLE” Premier’s Role: ‘first among equals’ When Western Australia first commenced responsible The Premier is the Head of Government of the State in Western government in 1890 the word Australia with executive power that is subject to the advice of the premier was merely a courtesy Cabinet. After a general election the Premier is the leader of the party, or coalition of parties, with a majority of the 59 seats in the Legislative title as the position was not Assembly. By convention the Premier is commissioned by the Governor to recognised constitutionally. be the ‘first among equals’, as the leader of the Ministry or Cabinet, and However John Forrest adopted form government. The Premier would resign if the party loses the support the title of premier when he of the majority of the house. took office that year. Forrest’s actual appointment was The Premier has ministerial responsibilities but also coordinates the work Colonial Treasurer. The of other ministers. In Labor governments, the Premier is the leader of the Constitution Act and the parliamentary party and is chosen by the Caucus (meeting of all elected Constitution Amendment Act Labor members). The Premier allocates portfolios to members who are elected to the Ministry by the Caucus. provide for appointment of the “principal executive In Liberal and National Party coalitions, the Premier is usually elected offices of the Government by the parliamentary members of the dominant party in the coalition liable to be vacated on (Liberal Party). The Premier chooses the Ministry and allocates the political grounds” but does not portfolios. An agreement between the Liberal and National Parties mention the executive office determine the number of ministerial posts held by each party. of Premier. Until 1917 the ministry lists published in the The specifics of the Premier’s role are: Government Gazette did not • Lead the government in the state • Chair Cabinet meetings mention the office. Sir James • Coordinate administration of the state Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor- • Provide advice to Her Majesty the Queen on the exercise of powers and functions of the Governor in-Council finally resolved it on • Select ministers and allocate portfolios (Liberal and Nationals) 3 April 1947 by declaring ‘the or allocate portfolios to ministers chosen by Caucus (Labor) • Set out the principal ministerial responsibilities of ministers and office of Premier, Treasurer, the Acts they will administer (through Executive Council) Minister for Housing, Forests • Authorise a minister to perform the duties and functions of another minister and the North-west’ as one of • Advise the Governor on the opening day of a parliamentary the eight ‘principle executive sessions and the proroguing o Parliament prior to a general election offices of the Government’. • Ensure adherence to caretaker government conventions and Mitchell then appointed the practices following a general election announcement • Be the prime communicator between the Governor and Hon. Ross McLarty MLA as Cabinet, the Western Australian Government and Federal, Premier. Subsequently the State and Territory Governments, and between the Western Australian Government and overseas governments office of premier has been • As a Member of Parliament represent his or her electorate listed as the head of every government of WA. November 5, 2013 History Notes: Premiers of Western Australia Premiers of Western Australia Big John Forrest: First Premier of Western Australia Sir John Forrest was a surveyor, explorer and Western Australia’s first Premier. In the new Federal Government he was a Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the first Treasurer. He was born at the ‘Leschenault windmill home’ near Bunbury, Western Australia on 22 August 1847 to William and Margaret Forrest. His father was a Scottish miller who migrated to Western Australia in 1842. Forrest was the fourth child of ten children. He was educated at a government school in Picton, near Bunbury and later Bishop Hale’s School in Perth. In 1863 he was apprenticed to TC Carey, Government Surveyor in Bunbury and was appointed temporarily as a Government Surveyor by 1865. At 21 years, with his brother Alexander Forrest as deputy, he led an expedition into the interior of Australia to search for missing explorer, Leichhardt’s remains. He also led expeditions to Adelaide in 1870 and 1874. In 1876 he was appointed Deputy Surveyor general. In the same year he married Margaret Elvire Hamersley, a member of Perth’s elite, at St George’s Cathedral in Perth. In January 1883, Forrest became Surveyor General and Commissioner of Crown Lands with a seat in the Legislative and Executive Councils. Forrest was State Premier and Treasurer from 29 December 1890 to 14 February 1901. He was a founding father of the Federation of Australia which involved drafting the Commonwealth constitution in the late 19th century. On 30 March 1901 he was elected unopposed to the federal seat of Bunbury which he held until 3 September 1918. He held several Cabinet positions including defence, home affairs and treasury; and in 1907 he was acting Prime Minister. Due to a long illness Forrest resigned as Federal Treasurer on 27 March 1918. In June that year he set sail for London to take his seat in the House of Lords in London. He died on board the troopship, Marathon off the coast of Sierra Leone on 3 September 1918. He was finally buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in 1919. Forrest achieved much during his political career including the construction of the Fremantle harbour, Goldfields water pipeline and the transcontinental railway. Premier John Forrest (left) and party at the Mt Malcolm branch of the National Bank, 1899. Battye Library 024276PD West Australian, 29 December 1890, p. 3 November 5, 2013 History Notes: Premiers of Western Australia Premiers of Western Australia The Hon. Colin Barnett: Western Australia’s 29th Premier The Hon. Colin Barnett was born in Nedlands, WA in 1950 to Coralie and James Barnett. He was educated at Nedlands Primary School and Hollywood Senior High School. He studied economics at the University of Western Australia, after first studying geology, graduating with honours. He later achieved a Master’s Degree in Economics. In 1970 he received a cadetship at the Australian Bureau of Statistics in Canberra and afterwards worked as a cadet research officer. He returned to Western Australia to be senior tutor and lecturer at the School of Economics and Finance at WAIT (later named Curtin University of Technology). Barnett was an economist with the WA Confederation of Industry from 1982 to 1985 and then executive director of the WA Chamber of Commerce until 1990. He was awarded the Centenary of Federation medal in 2003. Barnett won the seat of Cottesloe, for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, in a by-election on 11 August 1990. His portfolios have included resources, state development, energy, tourism, education and treasury. From 1992 to 2001 he was Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party and Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly from 1993 to 2001. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2005, and from August to September 2008. Barnett led the Liberal Party to victory in September 2008. He was sworn into the office of Premier on 23 September, 2008, a position he still holds today. He is also the Minister for State Development and Minister for Science. Mr Barnett has three sons from his first marriage. He remarried in 1989 and had another son. He spends his spare time at his 45ha sheep stud farm at Toodyay. “My pledge to this Parliament is that I shall continue to remain true to the principles of free e nterprise and the free market and to work in support of the rights of the individual. I also take some personal pride in initiatives of the Chamber of Commerce to Mr Speaker, I hope that over the course of my parliamentary career I might make a positive contribution to the economic and social development of Western Australia.” Hon. Colin Barnett, Inaugural Speech, 12 September 1990 “Premier Colin Barnett in his State Parliamentary suite, Havelock Street, West Perth, 26 February 2013”. Colin Barnett, Liberal Premier of WA was photographed by Philip Gostelow during an interview with Australian Financial Review's Perth bureau chief Jonathan Barrett. BA2493/45-46 Battye Library November 5, 2013 History Notes: Premiers of Western Australia Premiers of Western Australia PREMIERS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, listed in chronological order There have been 29 premiers since responsible government was formed in Western Australia in 1890.
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