Legislative Assembly Hansard 1950
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The History of the Queensland Parliament, 1957–1989
6. The oppositional parties in the Parliament, 1957–1968 Parliamentary opposition to the Nicklin government came from a host of diverse players in the decade between August 1957 and January 1968. Especially after the Labor split of 1957, opponents of the Coalition government were a dispirited and dishevelled band, most of whom appeared as individualistic dissidents. Each had their own particular fights to fight and wars to wage. Each had different enemies in sight. Labor’s Jack Duggan and the QLP’s Ted Walsh never spoke to each other again privately after the split, despite afterwards sitting together in the Assembly for more than a decade, and frequently interjecting against each other. Adversarialism was not only a matter of formal battlelines drawn across the Chamber. Indeed, some of the most intense acrimony was found within the oppositional groups among remaining members who survived the 1957 split. If occasional internal conflicts simmered through the government side of politics, they at least demonstrated the capacity to remain in office while enjoying the comforts and trappings of power. The circumstance of being in government was sufficient to instil a collective solidarity between the Coalition parties, which was evident most strongly in the ministry. In contrast, the oppositional members were far more fragmented and querulous. They demonstrated little prospect of ever forming a single cohesive opposition. Indeed, after only one term in government, the Liberals were describing Labor as the weakest opposition in Queensland’s political history. Only towards the mid-1960s did the Labor opposition gradually develop any coherence and commitment of purpose. -
Legislative Assembly Hansard 1963
Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly TUESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 1963 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy 654 Questions [ASSEMBLY] Questions TUESDAY, 15 OCTOBER, 1963 Answer:- "Australia relies for its existence in the Mr. SPEAKER (Hon. D. E. Nicholson, world free sugar market on being economi Murrumba) read prayers and took the chair cally efficient. To this end, major economies in cost are derived by using at 11 a.m. megasse as fuel. Whilst present export prices are high, very recent history shows QUESTIONS a different position, and it would be unrealistic to assume the present high level NEW T.A.B. AGENCIES.-Mr. Dean, of prices will last indefinitely. I would pursuant to notice, asked The Treasurer,- add that every care is taken to reduce to ( 1) Did he see the newspaper statement an absolute minimum any nuisance arising made by the chairman of the Totalisator from the use of megasse as fuel during the Administration Board in The Courier-Mail crushing season." of October 7, that new Totalisator Administration Board Shops would always SEPTIC SYSTEMS AT MURARRIE AND be opening in Queensland? MAYFIELD STATE SCHOOLS.-Mr. Houston, pursuant to notice, asked The Minister for (2) If so, will he give serious con Works,- sideration to curtailing this fast-developing monster which is causing hardship in many When will septic systems be installed homes and also having a detrimental effect at the Murarrie and Mayfield State on many local business concerns, because Schools? money so spent in these shops is directed into an unproductive channel? Answer:- "No indication can be given as to when Answer:- septic systems will be installed at the (1 and 2.) "I know of no such news Murarrie and Mayfield State Schools. -
Queensland's Electoral Experience
'Adventure, Heterodoxy and Knavery': Queensland's Electoral Experience Rae Wear I have drawn the title for this paper, which celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the abolition of plural voting in Queensland, from S.R. Davis, who described the electoral experience of the Australian states as: A mixture of three things — adventure, heterodoxy and knavery. Between them, the States have fathered a crop of electoral devices, confounded their textbook behaviour, and at times and in places used them with a skill which even a fun-fair poker machine proprietor could admire.1 Electoral systems provide a great deal of scope for engineering — Grofman and Lijphart list 13 elements of political laws whose manipulation will produce different political outcomes.2 Queensland politicians experimented with most of them, and while some electoral legislation helped cement this country's reputation as a democratic 'pacemaker for the world',3 other laws were barefaced attempts to gain political advantage. Sometimes both outcomes were achieved. Even when genuine democratic advances were made, the new laws changed the political balance and advantaged one side over the other. Almost always, changes were rationalised in democratic terms: only rarely was a political purpose in tampering with electoral machinery acknowledged, although opposition parties, who operated with equal expediency when in office, usually raised the alarm. Colonial Queensland was replete with accusations of roll tampering, interference with the ballot, and intimidation of voters. Duncan -
(AWU) and the Labour Movement in Queensland from 1913-1957
University of Wollongong Thesis Collections University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Year A history of the relationship between the Queensland branch of the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) and the labour movement in Queensland from 1913-1957 Craig Clothier University of Wollongong Clothier, Craig, A history of the relationship between the Queensland branch of the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) and the labour movement in Queensland from 1913-1957, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, 2005. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/1996 This paper is posted at Research Online. Chapter 8 Collusion, Communism and Collapse: The AWU, the Groups and the destruction of Labor Hegemony in Queensland, 1948-1957 As the Labor Party and the AWU entered the second half of 1948 an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty was pervasive. The Hanlon Labor Government had 'successfully' concluded the railway dispute but at a potentially enormous cost to the Party's electoral future having employed repressive legislation characterised by intimidation and violence against the strikers. For an aging Clarrie Fallon and his mighty union, its dominance remained, although there were signs that even this influence may come under some challenge as forces on both the Left and the Right of Queensland's 282 labour movement were making inroads into the Party machinery once almost exclusiveh the realm of the AWU. Although still boasting an enormous membership, the AWU had to begin to reassess its industrial and political status in an economy that was slowK developing a manufacturing industry in the post-War period. The AWU-PLP clique that still dominated Labor in Queensland politics needed to devise a strategy whereby it could confront and defeat the Communist Party and its trade union officials whilst regaining the trust of traditional supporters of Labor in Queensland. -
Scott-Young, Norman Reginald
1 References for the cover images and general images published throughout this booklet are provided on page 64, in order of publication. Message from the Speaker As we commemorate ANZAC day, A number of former Members returned the experiences of a generation home from war with extraordinary tales of Australians who lived with the of survival. disruptions and anxieties of a Geoffrey Chinchen and another officer global war more than 75 years ago escaped from a German prison in continue to resonate with us. This Europe, after being shot down in North year Queenslanders continue to face Africa, by cementing themselves inside a uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 bricked-off part of a passage for several pandemic—one of the greatest global days. Chinchen served as a Member challenges since the Second World War. of Parliament from 1963 to 1977. Lloyd The Queensland Parliament Roberts and Keith Hooper both served commemorates the lives of its 49 former as ministers after being held as prisoners members who actively served with the of war in Changi. military during the Second World War. Nev Hewitt, former Member for Each of these servicemen lived a unique Mackenzie and Auburn from 1956 to war story, but they had in common their 1980, parachuted from his disabled commitment to their country and the aircraft landing in ‘no-mans’ land in North people of Queensland. Africa. He sustained a serious ankle Charles Brown and Jack Duggan were injury and spent the next four days serving Members of Parliament when crawling mostly at night to reach his they enlisted for war service. -
The History of the Queensland Parliament, 1957–1989
The Ayes Have It: The history of the Queensland Parliament, 1957–1989 The Ayes Have It: The history of the Queensland Parliament, 1957–1989 JOHN WANNA AND TRACEY ARKLAY THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY E P R E S S E P R E S S Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/qldparliament_citation.html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: The Ayes Have It: History of Queensland Parliament 1957-1989 / John Wanna and Tracey Arklay ISBN: 9781921666308 (pbk.) 9781921666315 (pdf) Notes: Bibliography. Subjects: Politics, Australian Politics History of Australian politics, Queensland Parliament History from 1957 - 1989 Other Authors/Contributors: John Wanna and Tracey Arklay All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU E Press All images supplied by the Queensland Parliamentary Library. Printed by Griffin Press. This edition © 2010 ANU E Press Contents Acknowledgments . .vii 1 . Inside the Queensland Parliament . 1 Part I 2 . Parliament’s refusal of supply and defeat of Labor, 1957 . 29 3 . The early Nicklin years, 1957–1963 . 57 4 . Safely in the saddle: the Nicklin government, 1963–1968 . 87 5 . The Nicklin government’s legislative program . 125 6 . The oppositional parties in the Parliament, 1957–1968 . 167 7 . The Pizzey–Chalk interlude, 1968 . 203 Part II 8 . -
The Doldrums in Opposition, 1968–1989
13 . The doldrums in opposition, 1968–1989 By 1968, after 10 years in opposition, Labor was finally getting its act together, presenting itself as a viable alternative to the government. While Labor had regrouped and seen off the rival QLP–DLP challenge, the Coalition government had entered a period of instability. In 1968, Frank Nicklin, the ‘Gentleman Premier’, had finally retired and his successor, Jack Pizzey, died suddenly after only six months in office. The new Premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, had difficulties convincing his colleagues that he had the wherewithal to lead the government and be electorally competitive. Labor had replaced the veteran Jack Duggan with Jack Houston, who was finally making some impression with voters. Labor’s vote had been increasing but was no threat to the conservative Coalition’s hegemony. Yet Labor was afflicted with bouts of internecine conflict and found it difficult to present a unified image to the electorate. It appeared that the parliamentary party (and its union wing) was perpetually feuding and driven largely by enmity, unfit to govern and incapable of denting the Coalition’s popularity. Over successive elections, Labor looked divided, presented dull and predictable campaigns and had bland leaders who spent their time looking over their shoulders. As one contemporary commentator noted: ‘The Labor Party, with wondrous inventiveness, manage[d] to find new ways to stab itself in the back’ (The Age, 29 November 1980). Labor’s three decades in opposition were not due entirely to the government’s constraints or the gerrymander; Labor would have to share some of the blame for its internal disarray and factional brawling. -
The History of the Queensland Parliament, 1957–1989
2. Parliament’s refusal of supply and defeat of Labor, 1957 By the 1950s, Queensland had already earned the dubious distinction of being ruled predominantly by one party. Queensland was a Labor-controlled state— and seemed destined to remain so for the foreseeable future. Continuity in office rather than changes of government had become the norm. Labor had enjoyed office for almost 40 years since 1915 and had been out of office for only a single term during the Great Depression years of 1929–32. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) began its long reign as a popular party of the people, but over time had seen its electoral support decline. Pork-barrelling and corruption associated with long-term incumbency were readily evident and some celebrated cases of ministerial corruption came to light in the 1950s (Parker 1980). From 1949 onwards, the Labor Party benefited from electoral malapportionment, which advantaged the number of parliamentary seats the party obtained (Campbell 1995). Labor’s zonal electoral system enabled it to win the 1950 election, despite being out-polled by the conservatives, although by 1953 and 1956 Labor’s support returned, enabling it to win more than 50 per cent of the vote in both elections (Hughes 1980:89–90). A succession of powerful Labor premiers had stamped their mark on the state and on the character of Queensland politics. Strong and often charismatic premiers were the order of the day, with some—such as T. J. Ryan, ‘Red Ted’ Theodore, William Forgan Smith (nicknamed ‘Foregone Conclusion’ because he always got his own way) and Ned Hanlon—achieving mythical status. -
UQFL433 Brian Stevenson Collection
FRYER LIBRARY Manuscript Finding Aid UQFL433 Brian Stevenson Collection Size 17 boxes, 2 parcels Contents Research notes and copies of Hansard pages, political ephemera, journal articles, newspaper cuttings, interview transcripts and other papers and records collected by Brian Stevenson in the course of his PhD research on Vincent (Vince) Clare Gair, former Queensland Premier and Senator for Queensland. The collection contains drafts of Stevenson’s PhD chapters. Date range 1932 to 2006 Biography Vincent (Vince) Gair was one of Australia’s most controversial political figures. Having won the Queensland State seat of South Brisbane for the Australian Labor Party in 1932, Gair had a slow rise to prominence, becoming Treasurer in 1950 and Premier in 1952, following the death of Ned Hanlon. Gair led the ALP to large victories in the 1953 and 1956 Queensland elections, but was expelled from the Party in 1957 over his association with the anti-Communist Industrial Groups and his attempts to restrict the influence within the party of both the conservative Australian Workers’ Union and the left-wing Trades and Labor Council. The expulsion led to a split, with the entire Queensland Cabinet resigning to form the Queensland Labor Party under Gair’s leadership. Labor lost office in the ensuing election and Gair lost his own seat in 1960. In 1964 Gair was elected to the Commonwealth Parliament as a Democratic Labor Party senator for Queensland, the Queensland Labor Party having merged with the DLP in 1962. He was also elected DLP leader. In 1974 Gair accepted an offer from the Whitlam Government to become Australia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Eire. -
Legislative Assembly Hansard 1957
Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly WEDNESDAY, 12 JUNE 1957 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy Supply. [12 JUNE.] Death of Mr. W. Bertram. 55 WEDNESDAY, 12 JUNE, 1957. Mr. SPEAKER (Hon. J. H. Mann, Brisbane) took the chair at 11 a.m. QUESTION. LEGAL EXPENSES, CoLLINSVILLE ROYAL COMMISSION. Mr. JESSON (Hinchinbrook) asked the Premier- '' With refe1·ence to payments to barristers in connection with the Royal Commission which inquired into certain matters relating to the State Coal Mine at Collinsville,- 1. ·what amounts for legal expenses were paid (a) to Mr. D. Casey, (b) to Mr. D. McCawley, and (c) for any other legal expenses~ 2. What was the total cost of the Commission~ ' ' Hon. V. C. GAIR (South Brisbane) replied- " 1. (a) £4,499 5s.; (b) £4,630 10s.; (c) £5,170 4s. '' 2. £31,989 18s.'' DEATH OF MR. W. BERTRAM. MOTION OF CONDOLENCE. Hon. V. C. GAIR (South Brisbane Premier) (11.2 a.m.), by leave, without notice: I move- '' 1. That this House desires to place on record its appreciation of the services rendered to this State by the late William Bertram, Esquire, a former Member and Speaker of the Parliament of Queensland. "2. That Mr. Speaker be requested to convey to the family of the deceased gentleman the above resolution, together with an expression of the sympathy and sorrow of the members of the Parliament of Queensland, in tne loss they hav~ sustained. ' ' 56 Death of Mr. W. Bertram. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. Hon. members will learn with regret of the know, was a very enthusiastic member of the death yesterday of the former Speaker ot Caledonian Society. -
Queensland's Cold Warrior: the Turbulent Days Of
Queensland's Cold War Warrior: The Turbulent Days of Vincent Clair Gair, 1901-1980 Author Stevenson, Brian F Published 2007 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School Department of Politics and Public Policy DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/1554 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367090 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au QUEENSLAND’S COLD WARRIOR: THE TURBULENT DAYS OF VINCENT CLAIR GAIR, 1901-1980 BY BRIAN F STEVENSON DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own independent research, and that all sources which have been consulted are acknowledged in the bibliography. The material has not been submitted, either in whole or in part, for a degree at this or any other university. ------------------------------------ 2 DEDICATION This is for Carol 3 Certain facts, however, which have eluded most writers altogether, or have been mentioned only haphazardly by others, or are recorded only in decrees or in ancient votive inscriptions, I have tried to collect with care. In doing this my object is not to accumulate useless detail, but to hand down whatever may serve to make my subject’s character and temperament better understood. Plutarch, Nicias 1. 1 1 Plutarch. The rise and fall of Athens: nine Greek lives by Plutarch. London: Penguin, 1960, p 208. Translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert. 4 …of Vincent Clair Gair it may well be said that he was a man who walked with Kings and lost the common touch. Legion Journal, May 1957. -
Split, Intervention, Renewal: the ALP in Queensland 1957 – 1989 Susan Terrencia Yarrow Bachelor of Arts
Split, intervention, renewal: The ALP in Queensland 1957 – 1989 Susan Terrencia Yarrow Bachelor of Arts A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics Abstract On 1 March 1980, the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party intervened in the affairs of its Queensland Branch, dissolving the existing party arrangements, seizing the financial statements and party assets, and creating a new administration. The conflict that precipitated this drastic step followed years of internal division and publicly aired disputes while the Queensland leadership delivered poor electoral results at both state and federal elections. This thesis examines the conflict in detail, its causes (including the lasting impact of the 1957 split), the combatants, and what the intervention reforms eventually delivered. In this thesis, I analyse the factors that led to intervention including the nature and outlook of the Queensland leaders, the ‘Old Guard’ often referred to as the Trades Hall Group, and the background and motivations of the reformers, the ‘New Guard.’ The Old Guard finally succumbed to reform, threatened from within by the influx of new members clamouring for change, and by the federal intervention from without. I examine how, over time, the party reformed, modernised and adapted to change and in so doing re-invented and renewed itself sufficiently, after 32 years in opposition, to once again win government in Queensland for 21 of the next 23 years. ii Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text.