Thwaites was elected to the South Melbourne City Council in 1985 and served until 1993,and was Mayor in 1991–92.[citation needed]
State Parliament
Thwaites entered Parliament at the 1992 election,as member for the inner city seat of Albert Park. Labor,having been in office for ten years,suffered a landslide defeat at the hands of the Liberal Party under Jeff Kennett. In the last three years of its term,Labor,under Joan Kirner,had presided over a sharp recession and a series of financial disasters including the forced sale of the State Bank of Victoria,and the collapse of Pyramid Building Society. Most commentators expected Labor to be in opposition for many years.[citation needed]
In the greatly reduced Labor Caucus,Thwaites gained rapid promotion. He became Shadow Minister for Health in January 1994,Shadow Minister for Health and Community Services in April 1996,and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in December 1996. Thwaites belonged to neither of the dominant factions of the Victorian Labor Party,the right-wing Labor Unity or the left-wing Socialist Left,and was an acceptable compromise candidate as Deputy to the then Opposition Leader,John Brumby.[citation needed]
Labor was again heavily defeated at the 1996 election,and it became apparent that the party could not recover under Brumby's leadership. Thwaites had been a loyal deputy to Brumby,although in March 1999 he supported moves to have Brumby resign. Thwaites could not become leader himself because he had a small factional base,but instead supported Steve Bracks for the leadership.[citation needed]
As Shadow Minister for Health,Thwaites campaigned against the Kennett Government’s cuts to health and the privatisation of ambulance services. He used Freedom of Information documents to highlight long delays in hospital emergency departments and health budget cuts. (“Austin in patient crisis,says Labor”,The Age,3 October 1996.) Thwaites also highlighted concerns about privatisation of ambulance dispatching to a private company,Intergraph,which the Auditor General found “at best involved serious mismanagement or,at worst,constituted corrupt activity”. (“State backs Intergraph reports bid”,The Age,3 September 1999). The Intergraph affair and concerns about hospital privatisation and ambulance services were major issues in the 1999 state election.[1][2]
Deputy Leader
In September 1999 Bracks polled surprisingly well in the election,and three rural independent members gave Labor the opportunity to govern as a minority government. As Deputy Leader,Thwaites became Deputy Premier and was given the senior Health portfolio,with a mandate to increase funding to the public health system which had been the subject of cutbacks under the Liberal government. He was also Minister for Planning from 1999 to February 2002. Shortly after taking office,Thwaites cancelled the proposed privatisation of the Austin Hospital and announced plans for the government to rebuild the hospital with public funds. (“Labor to cancel Austin hospital privatisation”The Age 28 October 1999) (“Can the new government fix health? The Age 20 November 1999). Like all state health ministers,he had only limited success in reducing waiting lists at public hospitals,but did succeed in restoring the numbers of nurses.[citation needed]
One of Thwaites first actions as Health Minister was to ban smoking in restaurants.[3] He later introduced legislation to ban smoking in gaming venues.[4]
As Planning Minister,Thwaites put controls on high-rise development around Port Phillip Bay and introduced a residential planning code,Rescode,to preserve neighbourhood character in planning decisions.[5] He also initiated "Melbourne 2030",a 30-year strategy plan for Melbourne.[citation needed]
After the November 2002 state election,at which Labor was returned with a record majority,Thwaites was appointed Minister for Environment,Water and Victorian Communities. Thwaites' term as Minister for Water coincided with the millennium drought in southeast Australia that put significant pressure on urban and rural water supplies. Premier Steve Bracks and Thwaites led a major water saving campaign commencing in 2003 that by 2006 had reduced water use per head by 22 per cent[6] compared to the 1990s.[citation needed]
Thwaites introduced major reforms to water policy and legislation in Victoria including giving the environment a statutory right to water,reforming irrigation water rights and establishing sustainable water planning strategies. He also oversaw programs to return environmental flows to the Murray,Snowy,and Thomson Rivers.[citation needed]
In 2007,after Victoria had experienced its worst year of drought and the lowest streamflows in the state's history,Premier Steve Bracks and Thwaites announced the "Our Water Our Future" plan which included a new desalination plant at Wonthaggi,modernising Victoria’s irrigation system to save water lost through inefficiencies,expanding a water grid across Victoria and increased recycling and water conservation.[7]
As Minister for Environment,Thwaites introduced measures to lower greenhouse emissions and water consumption. Victoria was the first state to introduce five-star energy efficiency requirements for new homes together with incentives for rainwater tanks and solar hot water.[8]
In the second term of the Bracks government,Thwaites led the development of the government's social justice strategy,"A Fairer Victoria",working with other social policy ministers. The strategy committed $788 million in the 2005 state budget and $818 million in the 2006 budget to tackle disadvantage across a range of areas including early childhood development,mental health,disability,and community development.[11] It was described by the head of the Brotherhood of St Laurence as “an unprecedented effort to make Victoria a better place for those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.[12]”
Thwaites was re-elected at Victorian elections 2006 with a comfortable but slightly reduced majority. While there was some speculation he might be dumped as Deputy Premier,Premier Bracks has supported him continuing in this role. In the cabinet re-shuffle after the election he became minister for climate change but lost the portfolio of Victorian communities.[13]
In June 2007,amid rumours of Bracks resigning as premier,there was a series of leaks from inside government about Mr Thwaites and his family being given free accommodation,lift passes,food and drink at ski resorts over the last five years without declaring it. The family stayed at government-owned apartments at the invitation of the management boards,which he had appointed.[14][15] Documents obtained under freedom-of-information laws show Thwaites made 17 taxpayer-funded visits to Victoria's snowfields and national parks between 2003 and 2007. He had eight stays at Tidal River on Wilsons Promontory,five trips to Mount Hotham and two each to Mount Buller and Falls Creek in the four years he was environment minister. Expenses for the trips,which each required at least one night's accommodation,totalled more than $17,500.[16]
Resignation
When Premier Steve Bracks announced his surprise resignation on 27 July 2007,only hours later Thwaites announced he too would resign.[17] He said he had been Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party in Victoria for ten years and it was now time "to give someone else a go and bring in some new blood".[18] He officially resigned on 30 July 2007 and from parliament on 6 August 2007.
He has also been appointed to a number of senior board positions,including president,Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI),chair Australian Building Codes Board,chair the Climate Group,chair Peter Cullen Trust,and director of Green Building Council of Australia and Fair Trade Australia New Zealand.[19] He was also a consultant to Maddocks Solicitors with specialty areas of practice in environment,water and climate change between 2008 and 2015.[20]
In 2011,Thwaites was appointed as chair of the Australian Building Codes Board,the body responsible for developing and managing Australia's building regulations. In 2012,he was appointed as chair of the National Sustainability Council that provides independent advice to the Australian Government on sustainability issues and produces independent reports on sustainability indicators and trends.
Thwaites is currently[when?] the chair of Melbourne Water,which manages Melbourne’s water,sewerage,drainage and waterway health,and sits on a number of water advisory bodies.
Thwaites has been appointed to a number of reviews and advisory bodies for the federal and state governments. In 2016,the Victorian Government appointed him with Terry Mulder and Patricia Faulkner to conduct an independent review of retail electricity and gas markets.[21][22]
The review recommended major reforms to energy pricing for households and small business including a "no frills" electricity price to be regulated by the Essential Services Commission,the end of misleading marketing,and requiring retailers to fix offer prices for 12 months.[23][24] The Victorian Government has now implemented most of these reforms.[25]
In 2017,amid public concern about flammable cladding on buildings,Thwaites was appointed with former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu to co-chair the Victorian Cladding Taskforce to oversee the investigation and audit of buildings with dangerous cladding.[26] Following recommendations of the Cladding Taskforce,the Victorian Government conducted a statewide audit of multi-story buildings,boosted enforcement of building regulations and announced a $600 million plan to remove dangerous cladding from buildings.[27]
Since leaving politics,Thwaites has worked with governments,business and academics to promote sustainable development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In 2012,he was appointed by the Australian Government as chair of the National Sustainability Council to provide independent advice to the government on sustainability issues. The Council produced the Sustainable Australia Report 2013.[28] He currently[when?] chairs the National Sustainable Development Council,which in 2018 produced the "Transforming Australia:SDG Progress report" on Australia's progress in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is currently[when?] co-chair of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) launched by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to mobilise universities in support of the SDGs.
Stephen Phillip Bracks is a former Australian politician and was the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Labor Party and was party leader and premier from 1999 to 2007.
John Lenders is an Australian politician. He represented the Southern Metropolitan Region in the Victorian Legislative Council. He was most notably the Minister for Education in the Bracks Government and Treasurer of Victoria in the Brumby Government.
John Mansfield Brumby is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier after the resignation of Steve Bracks. He also served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. He contested his first election as premier at the November 2010 Victorian state election. His government was defeated by the Liberal/National Coalition led by Ted Baillieu. Brumby resigned as Labor leader after the election,on 30 November,to be replaced by Daniel Andrews. Within weeks of this leadership change,Brumby left parliament,with a Broadmeadows by-election taking place on 19 February 2011.
Rob Justin Hulls is a former Australian politician who was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2012,representing the electorate of Niddrie. As well as serving as the Deputy Premier of Victoria,he held the posts of state attorney-general and Minister for Racing.
Timothy James Holding is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2013. He served as minister for water;minister for finance,WorkCover and the Transport Accident Commission;and minister for tourism and major events in the Brumby Ministry.
Gavin Wayne Jennings is an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1999 to 2020,representing Melbourne Province (1999–2006) and then the South Eastern Metropolitan Region (2006–2020). He was Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council and Special Minister of State in the Andrews Ministry from 2014 to 2020.
Robert Graham Cameron is a former Australian state politician. He represented the electorate of Bendigo West in the Victorian Legislative Assembly. He served as the Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Corrections.
Edward Norman Baillieu is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014,representing the electorate of Hawthorn. He was elected leader of the Liberal Party in opposition in 2006,and served as Premier from 2010 until 2013 after winning the 2010 state election. He resigned as Premier on 6 March 2013,and was succeeded by Denis Napthine.
Lynne Janice Kosky was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Government of Victoria. She represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party from 1996 to 2010 and held key ministerial posts from 1999 through to her retirement from politics,including the key education and public transport portfolios.
Bronwyn Jane Pike is an Australian former politician. She was Minister for Education in Victoria in the Brumby Government,and was the Member of Parliament for Melbourne from 1999 to 2012.
Richard William Wynne is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2022,representing the electorate of Richmond. He served as the Minister for Planning between December 2014 and June 2022 and the Minister for Housing between November 2018 and June 2022. He also served as Minister for Multicultural Affairs between November 2018 and March 2020.
Theo Charles Theophanous is a former Australian politician. He entered politics in 1988 as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. Theophanous served from 1988 to 2006 as one of the two members for Jika Jika Province,before the reforms to the Victorian Legislative Council that introduced proportional representation. He served as a Minister in the Kirner Government and as the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council from 1993 until 1999. From 2006 until 2010 he represented the Northern Metropolitan Region and served as Minister in the Bracks and Brumby Governments.
Timothy Hugh Pallas is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2006,representing the electorate of Tarneit until 2014 and Werribee thereafter. He has served as Treasurer of Victoria in the all three of the Andrew Ministries since December 2014. and is currently still serving as treasurer in the Allan Ministry in 2023. Pallas previously served as Minister for Roads and Ports and Minister for Major Projects in the Brumby Ministry until 2010.
The 2010 Victorian state election,held on Saturday,27 November 2010,was for the 57th Parliament of Victoria. The election was to elect all 88 members of the Legislative Assembly and all 40 members of the Legislative Council. The incumbent centre-left Labor Party government,led by John Brumby,was defeated by the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition,led by Ted Baillieu. The election gave the Coalition a one-seat majority in both houses of parliament.
Martin Peter Foley is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly between 2007 and 2022,representing Albert Park. He was the Minister for Equality in the First and Second Andrews Ministry between December 2014 and June 2022 and the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services between September 2020 and June 2022. He was previously the Minister for Mental Health and Minister for Creative Industries prior to September 2020.
Steven Ralph Herbert is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Parliament of Victoria from 2002 to 2017:in the Victorian Legislative Assembly as member for Eltham from 2002 to 2014,and in the Victorian Legislative Council for Northern Victoria Region from 2014 to 2017.
The Brumby Ministry was the 66th ministry of the Government of Victoria. It was led by the Premier of Victoria,John Brumby,and Deputy Premier,Rob Hulls. It succeeded the Bracks Ministry on 3 August 2007,following the retirement of former Premier Steve Bracks and his deputy John Thwaites. Brumby had been sworn as Premier three days earlier on 30 July;he had temporarily been sworn into Bracks' and Thwaites' portfolios until a reshuffle could be arranged.
Natalie Maree Hutchins,also known as Natalie Sykes-Hutchins,is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2010,representing the electorates of Keilor (2010–2014) and Sydenham (2014–present).
The Bracks Ministry was the 65th ministry of the Government of Victoria. It was led by the Premier of Victoria,Steve Bracks,and Deputy Premier,John Thwaites. It succeeded the Kennett Ministry on 20 October 1999,following the defeat of Jeff Kennett's Liberal government in the 1999 state election. The ministry dissolved as a result of the retirement of Bracks and Thwaites and was replaced by the Brumby ministry led by new Labor leader John Brumby.
The Victorian Labor Party,officially known as the Australian Labor Party and commonly referred to simply as Victorian Labor,is the Victorian state branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The party forms the incumbent government in the state of Victoria and is led by Jacinta Allan,who has served concurrently as Premier of Victoria since 2023.
References
↑ "Selloffs the big difference", The Age, 9 September 1999.
↑ "Ambulance scandal threatens Kennett", The Age, 28 September 1999
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