Peter Dowding
SC
24th Premier of Western Australia
In office
25 February 1988 – 12 February 1990
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorGordon Reid
DeputyDavid Parker
Preceded byBrian Burke
Succeeded byCarmen Lawrence
Treasurer of Western Australia
In office
25 February 1988 – 28 February 1989
PremierHimself
Preceded byBrian Burke
Succeeded byDavid Parker
Leader of the Western Australian Labor Party
In office
25 February 1988 – 12 February 1990
DeputyDavid Parker
Preceded byBrian Burke
Succeeded byCarmen Lawrence
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
In office
8 February 1986 – 26 April 1990
Preceded byJohn Harman
Succeeded byJudy Edwards
ConstituencyMaylands
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
In office
22 May 1980 – 15 January 1986
Preceded byJohn Tozer
Succeeded byTom Helm
ConstituencyNorth Province
Personal details
Born
Peter McCallum Dowding[1][lower-alpha 1]

(1943-10-06) 6 October 1943
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political partyLabor Party
Spouse4
Children4
Parent
RelativesBruce Dowding (uncle)
Alma materUniversity of Western Australia
ProfessionBarrister and solicitor

Peter McCallum Dowding[lower-alpha 1] SC (born 6 October 1943) is an Australian lawyer and former politician who was the 24th Premier of Western Australia from 25 February 1988 until his resignation on 12 February 1990. He was a member of parliament from 1980 to 1990.

Dowding graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Laws, and he subsequently worked as a solicitor and barrister. In 1980, he was elected to the North Province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, representing the Labor Party. He entered the Burke Cabinet when Labor won the 1983 state election and changed ministries several times over the ensuing years due to cabinet reshuffles. At the 1986 state election, Dowding transferred to the Legislative Assembly, winning the safe seat of Maylands.

In December 1987, Premier Brian Burke announced that he would resign on 25 February 1988. Burke picked Dowding as his preferred replacement, with a secret opinion poll showing that he was the best candidate for the party to choose. After several other contenders dropped out of the contest, Dowding was voted in unanimously as the party's leader on 30 December. He was sworn in as the premier as scheduled on 25 February 1988.

Following controversy caused by WA Inc, Dowding became unpopular. On 12 February 1990, he resigned as premier and leader of the Labor Party ahead of almost certain defeat in a Labor Party leadership spill. He was replaced by Carmen Lawrence. Dowding soon resigned from parliament, and went back to practising law. The royal commission into WA Inc was scathing of Dowding, saying that he "presided over a disastrous series of decisions".

Early life and career

Dowding was born on 6 October 1943 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[2] His parents were Keith McCallum Dowding, a high-profile Presbyterian minister and far-left political activist, and Marjorie Stuart D'Arcey, who died of suicide when Peter was eight.[5][6] He was educated at various schools in Australia and the United Kingdom, including Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne, Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, The Scots College in Sydney, and Hale School in Perth, Western Australia.[2] As a teenager, he joined the Australian Labor Party. Keith was also a member of the Labor Party and had attempted to enter Federal Parliament several times,[7] but he was expelled in the early 1960s for his opposition to the White Australia policy.[3][6][8] Dowding earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Western Australia in 1964, and was admitted to the bar in December 1966.[2][1]

In 1970, Dowding married his first wife, with whom he had two sons.[2] Between 1967 and 1972, he represented over 100 Vietnam War conscientious objectors,[8] successfully defending over 30 of them.[9] He also represented protesters who had been arrested at the Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt, a U.S.-operated naval base in Exmouth.[9] The case gained notoriety when Dowding proved that the police officers involved in the incident had swapped their name badges to prevent them from being identified. In 1968, Dowding entered into partnership as Paterson and Dowding, where he concentrated on family law, soon becoming the best divorce lawyer in Perth according to The Sydney Morning Herald.[10] He became a senior partner in 1977 and he sold out of the firm in 1980. From March 1975 until April 1976, Dowding was on the Kalamunda Shire Council, and in 1976 and 1977, he worked as a notary public with the Aboriginal Legal Service in Port Hedland, during which he met his second wife, a Ngarluma woman from Roebourne.[11][10]

In 1977, he represented defeated Labor Party candidate Ernie Bridge in a landmark case in the Court of Disputed Returns. At the 1977 state election, Bridge was defeated by Liberal candidate Alan Ridge by 93 votes in the electoral district of Kimberley. The Liberal Party had worked to disenfranchise Aboriginal voters, many of whom were illiterate, by having lawyers stand outside polling stations to question their right to vote. The court found that over 90 people were illegally prevented from voting, and so the results were overturned. The resulting 1977 Kimberley state by-election saw Ridge win again.[1][8][12][13][14] In 1980, he married his second wife, with whom he had one daughter and one son.[2][15][10]

Early political career

Poster featuring portraits of Dowding and Bridge with Australian Labor Party branding and text saying "your Labor Kimberley team
Campaign poster featuring Dowding and Kimberley candidate Ernie Bridge.

Ahead of the 1980 Western Australian state election, Dowding put himself forward to be the Labor candidate for the North Province, a Legislative Council seat which covered the northern side of the state, including the Pilbara and the Kimberley. With no other Labor members seeking preselection, he was endorsed as the seat's Labor candidate.[9] At the election, he beat incumbent Liberal Party candidate John Tozer. Dowding was well supported by the province's large Aboriginal population, having promised to help them gain land rights and self-management.[16] His term commenced on 22 May 1980.[2]

Upon Labor's victory at the February 1983 state election under Brian Burke, Dowding was made the minister for mines and the minister for fuel and energy.[2][17] Dowding's inclusion in the ministry was a surprise, as he was the only one that was not part of Burke's shadow ministry. Dowding was replacing Mike Barnett, who did not nominate himself for the ministry due to family reasons.[18] In 1983, the Department of Mines and the Department of Resource Development merged to form the Department of Minerals and Energy, following a report commissioned by the previous government that was critical of the interdepartmental conflicts which occurred. This necessitated a cabinet reshuffle. On 23 December 1983, Dowding became the minister for planning, the minister for employment and training, and the minister for consumer affairs.[2][19] At a cabinet reshuffle on 20 December 1984, he relinquished being the minister for planning and he became the minister for industrial relations in addition to being the minister for employment and training, and the minister for consumer affairs.[2][20]

At the February 1986 state election, Dowding left his Legislative Council seat to contest the Legislative Assembly seat of Maylands in a move widely seen as a step towards becoming premier.[10][21][22] Maylands was a safe seat for the Labor Party, and was held by the retiring John Harman. Dowding retained the seat for the Labor Party at the election, after which, he stopped being the minister for consumer affairs.[23] In Perth, Dowding lived in the suburb of Mount Lawley.[24] From October 1986, in addition to his two prior ministries, he became the minister assisting the minister for public sector management.[2] He was given the responsibility of implementing the changes recommended in a parliamentary white paper, Managing change in the public sector, which included the public sector being more selective with choosing employees, attempting to retain graduates, and cutting back on staff in health.[25] In his role as minister for employment and training, he embarked on a tour of Europe, where he developed an interest in Sweden's regulated economy. It was in Stockholm where he met his third wife. He convinced her to move to Australia, and in October 1987, they married at the old Perth Observatory.[10][26][21] His positions were renamed to the minister for productivity and employment, and the minister for labour in a March 1987 cabinet reshuffle.[2][27] He also became the minister for works and services in that reshuffle.[2]

Premier

After months of speculation, in December 1987, Burke announced his intention to resign as premier and from parliament on 25 February 1988. Dowding was the most likely candidate to replace him as Burke had named him as his preferred successor.[28][29] A secret opinion poll conducted by the Labor Party in March 1987 found that Dowding was the most "electorally acceptable" candidate, however certain trade unions and sections of the Labor Party disliked Dowding.[28][30] Other contenders were David Parker, Bob Pearce, and Julian Grill,[29] however they all pulled out of contention before the 30 December Labor caucus vote due to Burke's influence, the opinion poll, and the need for the party to be united.[28][31] Dowding was unanimously elected as the leader of the Labor Party and Parker was unanimously elected as deputy leader, replacing Mal Bryce, who had also announced his intention to resign.[28]

Dowding and his ministry were sworn in by Governor Gordon Reid on 25 February 1988. Dowding gave himself the positions of treasurer, minister for productivity, minister for public sector management and minister for women's interests.[32][33] The changes made to cabinet were designed to replace ministers who had accrued controversy in their roles. This meant that Gordon Hill was replaced as the minister for police by Ian Taylor and Pearce was replaced as the minister for education by Carmen Lawrence, a cabinet newcomer.[32]

Dowding was not part of any Labor Party faction. When asked about this, he replied that "my heart beats in the direction of giving Labor the opportunity to govern. Social issues are not the prerogative of the Left. The Left gets sidetracked and the Right gets sidetracked. If my heart beats anywhere, it's in the centre."[34]

The March 1988 by-elections in the electoral districts of Ascot and Balga had swings away from the Labor Party of 14.8% and 21.3% respectively, which Dowding blamed on both the state and federal governments. The high informal vote caused the Dowding government to reverse the Burke government's 1987 addition of ticket voting in the Legislative Assembly.[32]

An opinion poll released in April 1988 found that 48% of those surveyed had no opinion on Dowding's performance. In an effort to increase his profile, the Labor Party ran a television advertisement campaign, Dowding released a comprehensive development strategy, and he adopted a higher profile when dealing with an industrial dispute. Polls in May and June showed that his profile had risen, with the undecided people falling to 22%. Those who rated him as "good" rose from 13% in April to 22% in June, those who rated him as "fair" rose from 33% to 50%, and those who rated him as "poor" stayed steady at 6%.[32]

Although the Labor Government was quite popular at the time,[29] the WA Inc scandal was starting to surface. The stock market crashed in October 1987, which spelled trouble for some of the government's private investments. The Rothwells merchant bank went into liquidation in November 1988.[35] Dowding said the government could lose up to $100 million from the bank's collapse, however opposition frontbencher Bill Hassell said it would cost the government $400 million. The opposition ruled out blocking supply though.[36] In November, the Labor Party paid for a two-minute prime time television commercial where Dowding made a speech promising that no more taxpayer money would be spent on Rothwells.[37]

Additionally, the government was under fire after the Teachers' Credit Society donated $5,000 to the Labor Party in April 1987 after receiving an extension on a loan from the R & I Bank, a state-owned bank. The donation was given back soon afterwards.[32][37]

In the 1988–89 state budget, there was 23% more spending on education and 26% more spending on police. This meant 1000 more police officers within three years, as well as 500 more teachers and 250 support staff for schools. This was in response to a 1988 national survey which showed that Western Australia had the largest classes in Australia. 66% of junior secondary classes had more than 25 students, and 36% had more than 30 students. The budget also included the release of 2000 state housing homes for sale, and the promise to build an electric railway line to Joondalup at a cost of $124 million.[37]

At the 1989 state election, the Labor Party had a primary vote swing of 10.5% against it, and a two-party-preferred swing of 6.5% against it. Despite this, the party only lost one net seat in the Legislative Assembly, as the largest swings occurred in safe Labor seats and marginal seats generally had smaller swings. Labor's 31 seats out of 57 were enough for a majority. Following the election, Dowding reshuffled his cabinet, removing himself from being the treasurer and the minister for productivity.[2][38]

Downfall

Within six months of the 1989 election, some Labor MPs were dissatisfied with Dowding, finding him arrogant, rude, and difficult to work with.[39] His popularity was also hurt by the District Court trial of Western Colleries Limited[lower-alpha 2] director Tony Lloyd. His defence lawyers had argued that Dowding and Acting Energy Minister Grill had ordered Lloyd to pay off a Rothwells debt using a $15 million cheque. In January 1990, Lloyd was found guilty of acting improperly, making him the first person convicted for an offence relating to WA Inc.[40][41][lower-alpha 3] After that, opinion polls showed support was as low as 32%.[40] Additionally, the 1990 Australian federal election was coming up, and the Labor Party wanted to limit the seats lost by the party in Western Australia. Having a state leader less associated with WA Inc would have helped with that.[42][40][44]

In early 1990, Dowding travelled to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, after Parker assured him that nothing would happen to his leadership while he was gone.[45] State Secretary Stephen Smith, FMWU Secretary Jim McGinty, and seven Labor politicians – Lawrence, Parker, Taylor, Kay Hallahan, Keith Wilson, Geoff Gallop and Pam Beggs – met together to discuss Peter Dowding's leadership, all deciding that he should be forced out.[43] By 7 February 1990, the majority of the 47 members of the Labor caucus had signed a letter calling for Dowding's resignation.[46][42] He returned early from the World Economic Forum on 8 February in order to shore up his leadership, spending the next several days speaking to party members in an attempt to ensure their support.[43][47] He also held a cabinet meeting on 9 February.[48] At a caucus meeting on 12 February, Dowding and Parker resigned from their positions. Lawrence was elected as the leader of the Labor Party and Taylor was elected as the deputy leader. They were sworn in as premier and deputy premier respectively later that day by the acting governor.[42][49] On that day, Lawrence promised to end WA Inc.[50] Dowding criticised the leadership challenge, saying that the timing was premature and was done to help Labor win the federal election, rather than for what's good for the state.[43]

On 5 April 1990, Parker announced that he would resign from Parliament later that month. Although he planned on resigning later, Dowding resigned as well on 26 April 1990, allowing by-elections to occur on the same day. Judy Edwards retained the seat for Labor, succeeding Dowding as the member for Maylands at the May by-election.[42]

Lawrence initially resisted calls to establish a royal commission into WA Inc, however she relented in November 1990.[46] The royal commission found that:

Mr Dowding, as premier, presided over a disastrous series of decisions designed to support Rothwells when it was or should have been clear to him and to those ministers closely involved that Rothwells was no longer a viable financial institution. This culminated in the decision to involve the Government, through WAGH, in the Kwinana petrochemical project as a means of removing the Government's contingent liability for certain of the debts of Rothwells. Electoral advantage was preferred to the public interest.[51]

Later life

After leaving parliament, he was admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales and was a partner in Briggs Paul Dowding in Sydney from 1992 to 1994 and a managing partner of DCH Legal Group in Perth from 1993 to 1996. Since 1996, he has practiced family law. In 2002, he was appointed as Senior Counsel in Western Australia.[2][4] He was a recipient of a Centenary Medal in 2003.[2]

At some point, Dowding divorced his third wife[2] and on Boxing Day 2004, he married for the fourth time at the Round House in Fremantle.[52]

As of 2022, Dowding lives in South Fremantle.[53] In August 2023, he released a book co-authored with Ken Spillman about the life of his uncle, Bruce Dowding, who was part of the French Resistance and worked to smuggle Allied servicemen out of Nazi-occupied France in 1940 and 1941. He was eventually caught by the Gestapo and executed in 1943.[54][55][56]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Some sources say M'Callum.[2][3][4]
  2. ↑ Western Colleries Limited was a subsidiary of Rothwells, a company at the centre of WA Inc.
  3. ↑ Tony Lloyd was cleared of acting improperly in the court of appeal in May 1990.[42][43]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Premiers – Constitutional Centre of Western Australia exhibition". WA.gov.au. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Peter M'Callum Dowding". Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 Kennedy 2019, p. 137.
  4. 1 2 "Media Alert: 13 November 2002: Appointment of Senior Counsel" (PDF). Supreme Court of Western Australia. 13 November 2002. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  5. ↑ Peachey 1992, p. 92, 99; Kennedy 2019, p. 137.
  6. 1 2 McNaughton, Jenny; Stephens, Tony (7 October 2008). "Crusader for politics of good". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Peachey 1992, p. 92–98.
  8. 1 2 3 Loxley, Stephen (21 December 1987). "Burke Lines Up His Following Leaders". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 Kennedy 2019, p. 138.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Loxley, Steven (18 November 1989). "Rise and rise of an angry son". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 83.
  11. ↑ Peachey 1992, p. 99; Kennedy 2019, p. 138.
  12. ↑ "Remote WA court hearing". The Canberra Times. 23 July 1977. p. 18. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ Parker, Gareth (15 January 2015). "Don't take a vote for granted". The West Australian. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  14. ↑ Park, Erin (19 May 2022). "Political dirty tricks and 'skulduggery' scar electoral history in outback Australia". ABC News. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  15. ↑ Peachey 1992, p. 99.
  16. ↑ Jordan, Deirdre F. (February 1983). "Identity as a problem in the sociology of knowledge: The social construction of Aboriginal identity with special references to the "world" or education" (PDF). UCL Discovery. p. 185. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  17. ↑ Gallop, Geoff (December 1983). "Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 29 (3): 518–523. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1983.tb00214.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
  18. ↑ Barker, E. A. (24 February 1983). "Key job goes to Parker (29)". The West Australian. p. 1, 41.
  19. ↑ Gallop, Geoff (August 1984). "Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 30 (2): 274. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1984.tb00576.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
  20. ↑ Gallop, Geoff (August 1985). "Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 31 (2): 330. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1985.tb00334.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
  21. 1 2 Peachey 1992, p. 100.
  22. ↑ McGeough, Paul (4 June 1985). "Dowding coy on plans for future". The West Australian. p. 16.
  23. ↑ Barclay, Glen St J. (January 1986). "Australian Political Chronicle". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 32 (3): 484–486. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1986.tb00890.x. ISSN 1467-8497.
  24. ↑ "Just call me a private sort of bloke". The Daily News. 20 April 1988. p. 7.
  25. ↑ "Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea July – December 1986". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 33 (2): 131. August 1987. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1987.tb01220.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
  26. ↑ "Minister ties the knot". The West Australian. 12 October 1987. p. 26.
  27. ↑ "Man who lost legs in Vietnam a minister". The Canberra Times. 17 March 1987. p. 10. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  28. 1 2 3 4 "Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea July – December 1987". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 34 (2): 231–232. August 1988. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1988.tb01176.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
  29. 1 2 3 "Burke will quit and keep word". The Canberra Times. 23 December 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  30. ↑ "Changing times in WA with Labor choosing a new leader". The Canberra Times. Australian Associated Press. 28 December 1987. p. 14. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  31. ↑ "Dowding without rival, will be Premier of WA". The Canberra Times. 29 December 1987. p. 10. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 "Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea January–June 1988". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 34 (3): 430–437. December 1988. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1988.tb01188.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
  33. ↑ "Friday, 26 February 1988" (PDF). Government Gazette of Western Australia. p. 2. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  34. ↑ Miller, Ian (10 April 1988). "Dowding's tough path to survival". The West Australian. p. 64.
  35. ↑ "Rothwells goes: What next?". The Canberra Times. 4 November 1988. p. 1. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  36. ↑ "Supply 'safe' in WA". The Canberra Times. 7 November 1988. p. 3. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  37. 1 2 3 "Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea July–December, 1988". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 35 (2): 270–275. August 1989. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1989.tb00020.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
  38. ↑ "Political Chronicle: Australia January–June, 1989". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 35 (3): 465–470. December 1989. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1989.tb01305.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
  39. ↑ Kennedy 2019, p. 149; Oliver 2003.
  40. 1 2 3 "Dowding discord: PM sings Carmen". The Canberra Times. 8 February 1990. p. 1. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  41. ↑ Hewett, Jenni (6 April 1990). "Casting Off A Grubby Past". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 "Australia January–June, 1990". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 36 (3): 446–452. December 1990. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1990.tb00667.x.
  43. 1 2 3 4 Oliver 2003.
  44. ↑ "Will he or won't he? Hawke toys with March 17 poll". The Canberra Times. 12 February 1990. p. 1. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  45. ↑ Kennedy 2019, p. 150.
  46. 1 2 Black, David (5 October 2008). "The Lawrence Government: Perspective by David Black". John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library. Curtin University. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  47. ↑ "Dowding returns for showdown WA Premier begins battle to save his job". The Canberra Times. 9 February 1990. p. 2. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  48. ↑ "WA Cabinet fails to solve crisis on Dowding". The Canberra Times. 10 February 1990. p. 1. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  49. ↑ "WA's 'change in direction'". The Canberra Times. 13 February 1990. p. 1. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  50. ↑ Humphries, David (11 February 2020). "From the Archives, 1990: New Premier pledges to close WA Inc". WAtoday. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  51. ↑ Report of the Royal Commission to inquire whether there has been (a) corruption; (b) illegal conduct; or (c) improper conduct, by any person or corporation in the affairs, investment decisions and business dealings of the Government of Western Australia or its agencies, instrumentalities and corporations, part II, page 22
  52. ↑ Mendez, Torrance (29 December 2004). "Dowding ties the knot at the Roundhouse". The West Australian. p. 2.
  53. ↑ Charman, Belinda; Liddelow, Callum (20 May 2022). "Dowding Calls For Commission". Fremantle Herald Interactive. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  54. ↑ Harvey, Ben (12 August 2023). "Peter Dowding: Former WA Premier's book tells story of his uncle who fought for the french resistance". The West Australian. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  55. ↑ Webb, Carolyn (29 July 2023). "Before his brutal death, this Wesley teacher helped save hundreds of lives". The Age. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  56. ↑ "Former Premier Finds Family Hero". The Perth Voice Interactive. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.

Bibliography

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.