Michael Field | |
---|---|
38th Premier of Tasmania | |
In office 29 June 1989 –17 February 1992 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor | Sir Phillip Bennett |
Deputy | Peter Patmore |
Preceded by | Robin Gray |
Succeeded by | Ray Groom |
Constituency | Braddon |
Chancellor of the University of Tasmania | |
In office 1 January 2013 –30 June 2021 | |
Preceded by | Damian Bugg |
Succeeded by | Alison Watkins |
Personal details | |
Born | Latrobe,Tasmania,Australia | 28 May 1948
Political party | Labor Party |
Spouse | Jan Field |
Alma mater | University of Tasmania |
Occupation | Politician |
Profession | Politics |
Michael Walter Field AC (born 28 May 1948 in Latrobe,Tasmania),is a former Australian politician,holding office as the Premier of Tasmania between 1989 and 1992. Field is also a former chancellor of the University of Tasmania,holding that position from January 2013 to 30 June 2021. He was leader of the Tasmanian Branch of the Labor Party from 1988 until his retirement in 1996. Field is best known for operating in minority government with the support of the Independents,Tasmania's nascent Green party,with an agreement known as the Labor–Green Accord.
Field grew up on the north-west coast of Tasmania,attending Devonport High School. He graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science. He was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Braddon in 1976 and was at various times a cabinet minister,premier and leader of the opposition.
At the 1989 state election,Labor suffered a one-seat swing. However,the incumbent Liberal government under Robin Gray lost two seats,and in the process lost its majority. The balance of power rested with the Greens who won five seats. Field then reached an agreement with Independent leader Bob Brown,giving Field enough support to form government by one seat.
Gray had initially intended to form a minority government. When the accord was signed on 29 May,Gray asked the Governor,Sir Phillip Bennett for new elections. However,Bennett refused,concluding that Gray no longer had enough support to govern and had therefore lost the right to seek a dissolution. The Greens had also privately assured Field that they would support a Labor minority government. This was tested on the floor of the house and a motion was passed that expressed no confidence in Gray and confidence in Field. Bennett then duly commissioned Field as premier.
Field's government presided over painful fiscal reforms that,while unpopular at the time,helped rehabilitate the state's finances in the long run. The Greens terminated the accord in 1990 but Field was able to survive a confidence vote in 1991. However,at the 1992 state election,Labor was severely punished not only for its fiscal belt-tightening,but for dealing with the Greens. Its popular vote plummeted to 28.9 percent,while the Liberals won a solid majority. Despite this severe defeat,Field was not blamed for the debacle and stayed on as leader.
Field stayed on through a federal intervention in the state Labor Party,and led Labor into the 1996 state election. Field promised that he would only govern in majority. He also promised that if the Liberals were reduced to a minority government,he would not bring it down in its first year. At the election,Labor took three seats. While this cost the Liberals their majority,it was short of what Labor needed to make Field premier once again. Although Labor and the Greens had enough seats between them to form government,Field kept his word and did not seek Green support to govern. This left a Liberal minority government supported by the Greens as the only realistic option. However,Groom had also promised only to govern in majority,and resigned as premier in favour of Tony Rundle,who reached a deal with the Greens.
Since retiring from politics in 1997,Field began working as a management and leadership consultant. In 2003,Field was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for his service to the Parliament of Tasmania. He received a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from the University of Tasmania in 2000 for his service to the state and the university. [1]
Field was chairman of the Tasmanian Innovations Advisory Board from its inception in 1999. [2]
On 3 July 2012,Field was announced as the chancellor of the University of Tasmania,with effect from January 2013. [3] He stepped down from the role on 30 June 2021. [4]
Field and his wife,Jan,reside on the Tasman Peninsula,and they have three children:Emma Field,Claire Field and Tom Field.
Field's last election as ALP leader in 1996 saw the entrance to Parliament of popular union leader Jim Bacon,who was touted as a potential ALP leader. When Field retired in 1997,Bacon did not hesitate in succeeding him as leader,and Bacon became premier when he led the party back to power a year later in 1998.
Robin Trevor Gray is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Tasmania from 1982 to 1989. A Liberal,he was elected Liberal state leader in 1981 and in 1982 defeated the Labor government of Harry Holgate on a policy of "state development," particularly the building of the Franklin Dam,a hydroelectric dam on the Franklin River. He was only the second non-Labor premier to hold the post in 48 years,and the first in 51 years to govern in majority.
The Tasmanian Greens are a political party in Australia which developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania,including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the Franklin Dam campaign. They form a part of the Australian Greens.
Paul Anthony Lennon is a Labor Party politician. He was Premier of Tasmania from 21 March 2004 until his resignation on 26 May 2008. He was member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for the seat of Franklin from 1990 until officially resigning on 27 May 2008. He left office abruptly after his preferred premier rating fell to 17%,largely as a result of perceptions of corruption in his government's fast-tracked approval of the Gunns Bell Bay Pulp Mill proposal,which had effectively bypassed normal planning procedure.
Anthony Maxwell Rundle AO was the Premier of the Australian State of Tasmania from 18 March 1996 to 14 September 1998. He succeeded Ray Groom and was succeeded himself by Jim Bacon. He is a Liberal who held the seat of Braddon between 1986 and 2002. A former journalist,he is married to Caroline Watt. He has twin daughters from his first marriage.
Raymond John Groom is an Australian lawyer and former sportsman and politician,representing the Liberal Party in the Federal Parliament 1975–84 and the Tasmanian Parliament 1986–2001. He was a Federal and state minister for a total of 13 years. He was Premier of Tasmania from 1992 to 1996 and also served as Deputy Premier and Attorney-General.
An election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 18 March 2006,the same day as the South Australian elections. The Labor Party led by Premier Paul Lennon,won a third successive majority government term in office,despite predictions the election would result in a minority government. Although there was a small swing against Labor,they finished with 14 seats,and there were no changes in the party composition of the assembly. The Liberal Party led by Rene Hidding gained a small swing and finished with seven seats. The Tasmanian Greens led by Peg Putt suffered a small swing and finished with four seats;meaning no change in seat representation since the last election. Had the Greens lost one of their four seats,they would have lost their status as a major party and would lose financial resources,offices and support staff.
William Edward Felix Hodgman is an Australian diplomat and former politician who has been the High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore since February 2021. He was the 45th Premier of Tasmania and a member for the Division of Franklin in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from the 2002 state election until his resignation in January 2020. He became premier following the 2014 state election,having been Leader of the Opposition since 2006. He was re-elected to a second term in government following victory in the 2018 state election.
David John Bartlett is an Australian former politician in the state of Tasmania,serving as the 43rd Premier of Tasmania from May 2008 until January 2011. He was a Labor Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison from 2004 to 2011 when he retired.
The 1996 Tasmanian state election was held on 24 February 1996 in the Australian state of Tasmania to elect 35 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The election used the Hare-Clark proportional representation system —seven members were elected from each of five electorates. The quota required for election was 12.5% in each division.
The 1989 Tasmanian state election was held on 13 May 1989 in the Australian state of Tasmania to elect 35 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The election used the Hare-Clark proportional representation system —seven members were elected from each of five electorates. The quota required for election was 12.5% in each division.
The 1992 Tasmanian state election was held on 1 February 1992 in the Australian state of Tasmania to elect 35 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The election used the Hare-Clark proportional representation system —seven members were elected from each of five electorates. The quota required for election was 12.5% in each division.
The Labor–Green Accord was a 1989 political agreement between the Labor Party and the Tasmanian Greens to form government in the Australian state of Tasmania after the 1989 general election had resulted in a hung parliament.
Kenneth Shaw Wriedt was an Australian politician and leader of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party.
The 2010 Tasmanian state election was held on 20 March 2010 to elect members to the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The 12-year incumbent Labor government,led by Premier of Tasmania David Bartlett,won a fourth consecutive term against the Liberal opposition,led by Will Hodgman,after Labor formed a minority government with the support of the Greens.
The 2014 Tasmanian state election was held on 15 March 2014 to elect all 25 members to the House of Assembly. The 16-year incumbent Labor government,led by the Premier of Tasmania Lara Giddings,sought to win a fifth consecutive term in government,but was defeated by the Liberal opposition,led by Opposition Leader Will Hodgman,in a landslide victory. Also contesting the election was the Greens led by Nick McKim. The Palmer United Party made a significant effort in the election.
The 2018 Tasmanian state election was held on 3 March 2018 to elect all 25 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
The Tasmanian Liberal Party,officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division) and more simply as the Tasmanian Liberals,is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in Tasmania. The party currently governs in Tasmania as the only Liberal government in Australia,either state or territory,or Federal level. The party is part of the federal Liberal Party of Australia,currently in opposition.
The 2021 Tasmanian state election was held on 1 May 2021 to elect all 25 members to the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
The Tasmanian Labor Party,officially known as the Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) and commonly referred to simply as Tasmanian Labor,is the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party. It has been one of the most successful state Labor parties in Australia in terms of electoral success.
The next Tasmanian state election is scheduled to be held on or before Saturday 28 June 2025 to elect all 35 members to the House of Assembly.