The Tonkin Ministry was the 25th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, led by Labor Premier John Tonkin and deputy Herb Graham (Don Taylor replaced Graham following his resignation on 30 May 1973). It commenced on 3 March 1971, eleven days after the Brand–Nalder Ministry, led by Premier David Brand of the Liberal Party, was defeated at the 1971 election. The ministry was followed by the Court–McPharlin Ministry on 8 April 1974 after the Labor Party lost government at the state election held on 31 March.
As was the norm for Labor ministries, the caucus consisting of all parliamentary members elected the ministers, and the Premier then allocated portfolios.
First Ministry
On 3 March 1971, the Governor, Major-General Sir Douglas Kendrew, constituted the Ministry. He designated 12 principal executive offices of the Government and appointed the following ministers to their positions, who served until a reshuffle on 30 May 1973.[1][2] Four reshuffles took place—on 12 October 1971, following the resignation of Ron Bertram (due to ill health);[3][4] a minor reshuffle amongst existing ministers on 6 July 1972;[5] on 7 February 1973 following the resignation of William Willesee (also due to ill health);[6] and on 30 May 1973 following the resignation of Deputy Premier Herb Graham to chair the Licensing Board.[7]
The list below is ordered by decreasing seniority within the Cabinet, as indicated by the Government Gazette and the Hansard index. The members of the Ministry were:
| Office | Minister |
|---|---|
|
Premier |
John Tonkin, Dip.Tchg., FAIA, MLA |
|
Deputy Premier |
Herb Graham, MLA |
|
(until 12 October 1971:) (from 12 October 1971:)
Minister for Recreation (from 6 July 1972) |
Tom Evans, LL.B., MLA |
|
Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council |
William Willesee, Dip.Acctg., MLC (until 7 February 1973) |
|
Minister for Police |
Jerry Dolan, MLC |
|
Minister for Mines |
Donald May, MLA |
|
Minister for Works |
Colin Jamieson, MLA |
|
Minister for Lands |
David Evans, BA, MLA |
|
Minister for Health (until 12 October 1971:)
|
Ron Davies, MLA |
|
Minister for Labour (from 12 October 1971:)
|
Don Taylor, BA, DipEd, MLA |
| Ron Bertram, LL.B., Dip.Acctg., AASA, MLA (until 1 October 1971)[3] | |
|
Chief Secretary |
Claude Stubbs, MLC |
|
Minister for Housing |
Arthur Bickerton, MLA (from 12 October 1971) |
| Ron Thompson, MLC (from 7 February 1973) |
Second Ministry
Following the resignation of Deputy Premier Herb Graham, a major reshuffle took place on 30 May 1973. These 12 ministers served until the end of the Tonkin Ministry on 8 April 1974.
| Office | Minister |
|---|---|
| John Tonkin, Dip.Tchg., FAIA, MLA | |
|
Deputy Premier |
Don Taylor, BA, DipEd, MLA |
|
Attorney-General |
Tom Evans, LL.B., MLA |
|
Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council |
Jerry Dolan, MLC |
|
Minister for Mines |
Donald May, MLA |
|
Minister for Works |
Colin Jamieson, MLA |
|
Minister for Lands |
David Evans, BA, MLA |
|
Minister for Environmental Protection |
Ron Davies, MLA |
|
Chief Secretary |
Claude Stubbs, MLC |
|
Minister for Housing |
Arthur Bickerton, MLA |
|
Minister for Police |
Ron Thompson, MLC |
|
Minister for Labour |
John Harman, MLA |
Shadow Ministry
While serving no formal status, the Tonkin shadow ministry was a Shadow Cabinet led by the Opposition Leader and leader of the Labor Party, John Tonkin, in the Parliament of Western Australia. It lasted from March 1974 until 15 April 1976, when Tonkin stepped down at the age of 74. The Tonkin shadow ministry was the first of its kind in Western Australia.
References
- ^ "Premier's Department". Western Australia Government Gazette. 3 March 1971. p. 1971:671-672.
- ^ Hansard Index for 1971–1973, "Legislature of Western Australia"
- ^ a b "Premier's Department". Western Australia Government Gazette. 1 October 1971. p. 1971:3947. Tom Evans became acting Attorney-General on this date, while Donald May became the acting Minister for Railways.
- ^ "Premier's Department". Western Australia Government Gazette. 12 October 1971. p. 1971:4014-4015.
- ^ "Premier's Department". Western Australia Government Gazette. 6 July 1972. p. 1972:2312.
- ^ "No.12 (Special)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 7 February 1973. p. 1973:339-340.
- ^ "No.39 (Special)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 30 May 1973. p. 1973:1783-1784.
This page was last edited on 5 May 2023, at 13:34