Michael Yabsley

Last updated

Susie Yabsley
​
​
(m. 1983;dis. 2019)​
Michael Yabsley
Member of the New South Wales Parliament
for Bligh
In office
1984–1988
Children2
EducationSt John’s College, Woodlawn
Alma mater Australian National University
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Government affairs advisor
Boards National Art School Foundation

Michael Robert Yabsley (born 30 June 1956) is an Australian former politician. He was a Liberal member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electorates of Bligh from 1984 to 1988 and Vaucluse from 1988 to 1994.

Contents

Early life

Yabsley was born in Lismore. His father, Bob Yabsley, was a prominent pastoral farmer and a decedent of settler William Yabsley. Yabsley attended private schools in Lismore, and was a prefect at St John's College, Woodlawn. After graduating from school he spent a year in South Africa on an exchange with Rotary International. [1] He then attended the Australian National University (ANU), where he received a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in political science. In 1977, Yabsley wrote an article for the ANU student newspaper Woroni denying that South Africa still practised apartheid, and saying "even the most iniquitous aspects of apartheid" was preferable to the country being ruled by Africans. [1] After university he went on to work as a public relations manager for the Livestock and Grain Producers Association. [2]

Political career

At 24 Yabsley was a Liberal party candidate at the 1980 federal election for the seat of Fraser in the Australian Capital Territory, though was defeated by Ken Fry. In 1984, Yabsley defeated Labor MP Fred Miller to win the NSW state seat of Bligh in Sydney for the Liberal Party. However, in 1988 he was defeated by Independent candidate Clover Moore. The death of Ray Aston, the Liberal member for Vaucluse, allowed Yabsley to re-enter parliament; he was elected unopposed in the by-election. He was immediately appointed as Minister for Corrective Services.

Yabsley took an extremely punitive approach to prison, saying he wanted to be remembered as "someone who has put the value back in punishment". He led a campaign to make conditions in custody harsher, [3] which included banning prisoners from having personal belongings including photos of their children, [4] wedding rings, religious items, educational materials and hats. [5] The NSW Assistant Ombudsman determined that Yabsley's decision to ban two magazines produced in prison was illegal. [5] Yabsley decreased the amount of visits a prisoner could receive from one a week to one a month, and severely cut funding for prison education and rehabilitation programs, as well as funding to a halfway house. [5] When prison chaplains at Bathurst Correctional Centre complained to the media about conditions caused by Yabsley's policies, he shut down church services at the prison, and forbid chaplains from making any statements without his prior approval. [5] Yabsley expressed outrage that an anti-apartheid activist, who was imprisoned for one-month for altering a piece of graffiti, was released after one week in prison. [1] He subsequently introduced the 1989 truth in sentencing legislation, which ended the early release of prisoners for good behaviour and resulted in severe overcrowding; [5] [6] the removal of incentive to behave also caused an increase in assaults, decreases in compliance with work and education, and deteriorating rapport between prisoners and officers. [1] [7]

Yabsley's reforms yielded no positive effects though did incur high costs, [8] [9] and attracted significant media attention, making prisons a political issue in NSW for the first time since the mid 1970s. [10] His decision to "virtually eliminate" all private property in prison cells was made against the advice of the Director of Prison Operations, who warned it would unite prisoners in violent demonstrations. Yabsley ignored this advice, and the subsequent riots against his policy causing $6 million in damages and $4 million in lost contracts. [11] As a result of his policies, NSW prisons experienced record levels of assaults, deaths and expenditure, and increased self-harm among prisoners and resignations among staff. [5] Staff morale deteriorated, and the Probation and Parole Officers Association accused Yabsley of putting the safety of prison officers at risk. [5] Prior to the 1988 election, in accordance with their demands, Yabsley promised the prison officer's union compulsory testing of prisoners for HIV, and the segregation of prisoners carrying the virus. His decision to have not implemented this by 1990 caused "irreconcilable differences" between him and the officer's union, who held a vote of no confidence in him later that year. [11]

The coalition retained power at the 1991 New South Wales state election, though Yabsley was removed from his position as Minister for Corrective Services; [12] according to Police Studies , the government deliberately transferred him to a portfolio where "he could do less harm". [10] Following his removal, the more extreme policies he initiated in prisons were relaxed, [3] and the next decade saw "cautious penal politics in which the major political imperative [was] to keep prisons off the front pages and keep quiet about any reforms." [13]

After being removed from his position as Minister of Corrections, Yabsley was made the Minister for State Development and Minister for Tourism. He resigned from the ministry in 1992, [2] "in protest" of the circumstances that brought about the resignation of Premier Nick Greiner and Environment Minister Tim Moore. Greiner resigned after three independents, who held the balance of power, told Greiner that unless he resigned, they would withdraw their support from the government and support a no-confidence motion. [14] Yabsley resigned from parliament in 1994. [2]

Personal life

On 5 November 1983, Yabsley married Susan Clatworthy, and they had two children. [2] Following a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2019, Yabsley separated from his wife [14] and came out as gay in 2020. [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dapin, Mark (2020). Public Enemies. Allen & Unwin. pp. 261–265. ISBN   978-1760295356.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Mr Michael Robert Yabsley (1956- )". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  3. 1 2 Brown, David; Wilkie, Meredith (2002). Prisoners as citizens: Human rights in Australian prisons. Federation Press. p. xix, xx. ISBN   1862874247.
  4. ↑ Debus, Bob (1996). "Women's Imprisonment: The Politics of Difference". Current Issues in Criminal Justice . 8 (2).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Brown, David (1990). "Putting the value back in punishment". Legal Service Bulletin . 15: 239–246.
  6. ↑ O'Toole, Sean (2006). The History of Australian Corrections. University of New South Wales Press. p. 163. ISBN   0-86840-915-4.
  7. ↑ Grant, David (1992). Prisons: The Continuing Crisis in NSW. Federation Press. pp. 23–24, 27, 197. ISBN   1-86287-085-3.
  8. ↑ Dapin, Mark (2020). Public Enemies. Allen & Unwin. p. 268. ISBN   978-1760295356.
  9. ↑ Grant, David (1992). Prisons: The Continuing Crisis in NSW. Federation Press. p. 138. ISBN   1-86287-085-3.
  10. 1 2 Moore, David B (1992). "Criminal justice and conservative government in New South Wales (1988-1992): the significance of police reform". Police Studies: International Review of Police Development . 15 (41): 49.
  11. 1 2 Grant, David (1992). Prisons: The Continuing Crisis in NSW. Federation Press. pp. 135–7. ISBN   1-86287-085-3.
  12. ↑ Ramsland, John (1996). With Just But Relentless Discipline: A Social History of Corrective Services in New South Wales. Kangaroo Press. p. 325. ISBN   978-0864178299.
  13. ↑ Brown, David (2003). "The Nagle Royal Commission 25 Years on Speech delivered to NSW Council for Civil Liberties, NSW Parliament House, 5 September 2003". Current Issues in Criminal Justice . 15 (2): 170–175.
  14. 1 2 Hornery, Andrew (9 July 2021). "'I couldn't go on living a double life': why conservative Michael Yabsley came out at 64". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "I lived with a lot of denial': former politician Michael Yabsley's new life". The Sydney Morning Herald . 6 June 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.

 

Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Corrective Services
1988–1991		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for State Development
1991–1992		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Tourism
1991–1992		Succeeded by
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Bligh
1984–1988		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for Vaucluse
1988–1994		Succeeded by
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