John Dawkins
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The Honourable John Dawkins AO |
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File:John-Dawkins-1984.jpg | |
Treasurer of Australia | |
In office 27 December 1991 – 22 December 1993 |
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Prime Minister | Paul Keating |
Preceded by | Ralph Willis |
Succeeded by | Ralph Willis |
Minister for Employment, Education and Training | |
In office 24 July 1987 – 27 December 1991 |
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Prime Minister | Bob Hawke Paul Keating |
Preceded by | Susan Ryan |
Succeeded by | Kim Beazley |
Minister for Trade | |
In office 13 December 1984 – 24 July 1987 |
|
Prime Minister | Bob Hawke |
Preceded by | Lionel Bowen |
Succeeded by | Michael Duffy |
Minister for Finance | |
In office 11 March 1983 – 13 December 1984 |
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Prime Minister | Bob Hawke |
Preceded by | Dame Margaret Guilfoyle |
Succeeded by | Peter Walsh |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Fremantle |
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In office 10 December 1977 – 4 February 1994 |
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Preceded by | Kim Beazley |
Succeeded by | Carmen Lawrence |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Tangney |
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In office 18 May 1974 – 13 December 1975 |
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Preceded by | New seat |
Succeeded by | Peter Richardson |
Personal details | |
Born | Perth, Western Australia |
2 March 1947
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Australian Labor Party |
Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
Occupation | Economist |
John Sydney "Joe"[1] Dawkins, AO (born 2 March 1947), Australian politician, was Treasurer in the Keating Labor government from December 1991 to December 1993. He is notable for his reforms of tertiary education as Minister for Employment, Education and Training, his period as Treasurer when he attempted to increase taxes in order to balance the budget and his abrupt exit from politics.[citation needed]
Early life
Dawkins was born in Perth, Western Australia. He was educated at Roseworthy Agricultural College gaining a Diploma in Agriculture, then at the University of Western Australia, where he graduated in economics.[2]
Political career
In 1974, aged 27, Dawkins was elected to the House of Representatives for the marginal seat of Tangney, but he was defeated at the 1975 election by Liberal Peter Richardson which followed the dismissal of the Whitlam government.[2]
In 1977 Dawkins returned to the House as member for the safe Labor seat of Fremantle, succeeding Kim Beazley (senior), and defeating his son, Kim Beazley, for the Labor preselection. In 1980 he was promoted to the Opposition front bench and was Shadow Education Minister from 1980 to 1983. He became Minister for Finance following the election of the first Hawke government in 1983. In the second Hawke Ministry (1984–1987) he was Minister for Trade. From 1987 to 1991 he was Minister for Employment, Education and Training.[2] It was in this position where he brought in a series of reforms of the higher education sector, which included expansion of Australian universities, the forced mergers of universities and colleges of advanced education, and the re-introduction of university fees (abolished by Kim Beazley senior in 1973) in the form of the HECS. This later became known as the Dawkins Revolution and aroused bitter opposition among academics and university administrators.
A key supporter of Paul Keating, Dawkins became Treasurer following Keating's unseating of Hawke as ALP leader and Prime Minister, in his second and successful leadership challenge in December 1991. After Keating's unexpected victory in the 1993 federal election, Dawkins brought down a budget which contained a series of highly-unpopular revenue measures which were seen as an attack on Labor's traditional supporters. The Cabinet, which had hitherto grudgingly accepted Keating's neo-liberal policies, rebelled against the Dawkins budget. Dawkins didn't help his stock when he taunted Liberal MP Kathy Sullivan by calling her "sweetheart," angering several female MPs from his own party.
In December 1993 Dawkins, frustrated at what he saw as the lack of economic realism of his colleagues, suddenly announced his resignation, and quit politics altogether soon after. It was during his farewell speech that he suggested that the date of presenting the Budget be moved from August to May, a practice that would be started by his successor Ralph Willis in May 1994. He was succeeded in Fremantle by former West Australian Premier Dr Carmen Lawrence.
Post political career
Since leaving politics, Dawkins has had an active business career. He has been non-executive Chair of Elders Rural Bank, LawCentral, Integrated Legal Holdings, The Retail Energy Market Company which operates the retail gas markets in South Australia and Western Australia, Fortuna Funds Management and director of Genetic Technologies and MGM Wireless.[3]
In 2000 he was a made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the reform of international trade as foundation Chairman of the Cairns Group, to the reform of the federal budget, education and training, and to the Australian Parliament.[4]
In 2000, Dawkins's family agreed to use 104 hectares of their sizeable holdings of grazing land in Forrestdale outside Perth in a property venture where the profits from land sales would be invested in research and development for technology that is conducted at the CY O'Connor ERADE Village, including research laboratories, offices and accommodation, at the entrance of the twelve hectare estate. The development was believed to be worth around $100 million.[5]
His principal employment is as Director of the Adelaide office of Government Relations Australia, a lobbying firm.[6] He has also worked as a consultant to large Australian and foreign companies and the World Bank and the OECD. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of South Australia and the Queensland University of Technology.
He is currently board chairman of the gold exploration company Sovereign (ASX: SOC).[7] A cousin of the same name, John Dawkins, is a current Liberal member of the South Australian Legislative Council.
References
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Political offices | ||
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Preceded by | Minister for Finance 1983–1984 |
Succeeded by Peter Walsh |
Preceded by | Minister for Trade 1984–1987 |
Succeeded by Michael Duffy |
Preceded by | Minister for Employment, Education and Training 1987–1991 |
Succeeded by Kim Beazley |
Preceded by | Treasurer 1991–1993 |
Succeeded by Ralph Willis |
Parliament of Australia | ||
Preceded by
None
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Member for Tangney 1974–1975 |
Succeeded by Peter Richardson |
Preceded by | Member for Fremantle 1977–1994 |
Succeeded by Carmen Lawrence |
- Use Australian English from May 2012
- All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
- Use dmy dates from April 2011
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- Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Fremantle
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Tangney
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Members of the Cabinet of Australia
- Treasurers of Australia
- Officers of the Order of Australia
- University of Western Australia alumni