Charles Hopkins is an Australian politician and businessman. He was the Lord Mayor of Perth from 1988 to 1991. [1]
Hopkins was elected to the City of Perth council in 1975 at the age of 26, making him the youngest Perth councillor ever elected. [2] He served as Deputy Lord Mayor from 1980 to 1981. [3] Hopkins was elected Lord Mayor in 1988, defeating two-term incumbent Mick Michael, and also becoming the youngest Lord Mayor. [4] He ran for re-election in 1991, but was defeated by former Liberal Senator Reg Withers. [5]
Hopkins again ran for Lord Mayor in 2003, his first bid for council since his 1991 loss, but was defeated by incumbent mayor Peter Nattrass. [6] [7] He contested councillor positions for the City of Perth at both the 2009 and 2011 elections, but was unsuccessful on both occasions. [8] [9] Hopkins was the Labor candidate for the federal seat of Cowan at the 2010 election, a late replacement after initial candidate and then Wanneroo mayor Jon Kelly resigned from the race. [10] He attracted attention during the campaign for criticising the Labor government's mining tax as too tough on the resources sector, and promised to lobby for changes. [11] He was defeated by incumbent Liberal MP Luke Simpkins. [12]
Hopkins is a long-time office furniture and design retailer outside politics, and is a former auctioneer. [13] [14] He has also been involved with a number of proposed developments, including an unsuccessful attempt to purchase Raine Square in 2002, a proposed resort in Rockingham, and a housing estate in Sydney. [15] [16] [17] He is the uncle of state Labor MP and former Police Minister Michelle Roberts. [18] Hopkins was made a "Freeman of the City [of Perth]" in 2008. [19]
He contested the 2019 Australian federal election for Clive Palmer's United Australia Party. [20]