In 1960,Willis resigned from the public service to work as a research assistant for future prime minister Bob Hawke,then working as research officer for the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). They worked closely together over a ten-year period,preparing and presenting national wage cases to the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission. In 1969,Willis replaced Hawke as research officer and advocate upon Hawke's election as ACTU president. He remained in the position until his election to parliament in 1972,with one of his last cases before the commission being a successful argument for gender equality in award wages.[2]
Political career
Willis in 1973.
In 1972,the year that the Whitlam government was elected,Willis was elected to the House of Representatives for the safe Labor seat of Gellibrand in Melbourne's western suburbs. After Labor's defeat at the 1975 election,Willis was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet,serving initially as Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations,and from 1980 as Shadow Treasurer. In January 1983,however,he was replaced as Shadow Treasurer by Opposition Leader Bill Hayden,who gave the position to Paul Keating in an unsuccessful attempt to shore up his own position as party leader.[4]
After the 1990 election,Willis became Minister for Finance. Following Keating's resignation as Treasurer in June 1991 in an unsuccessful attempt to challenge Hawke for the leadership,there was media speculation that Willis would be given the role,but he was passed over a second time when Hawke ultimately decided to appoint John Kerin. However,Kerin's period as Treasurer was troubled,and after Hawke was forced to sack Kerin for making a public gaffe in December 1991,Willis was finally appointed to the role of Treasurer in his place.
Keating government
Willis's initial time as Treasurer was brief as Paul Keating launched a second and this time successful challenge to Hawke,just three weeks later. Keating had long promised to appoint his close political ally John Dawkins as Treasurer,and so Keating moved Willis back to the role of Finance Minister in order to accommodate this. Willis retained the role after Labor unexpectedly won a fifth consecutive election in 1993,and was expected to remain in the role until the sudden resignation of Dawkins in December 1993,who had grown frustrated with the role. Willis was duly appointed as Treasurer for a second time by Keating,and was responsible for helping to roll-out the Government's major 'One Nation' economic package on which it had won the 1993 election,including a round of middle-income tax cuts and the establishment of a national infrastructure commission.
In late 1995,Willis was briefly Acting Prime Minister when Prime Minister Paul Keating,Deputy Prime Minister Kim Beazley,Government Senate leader Gareth Evans (in his capacity as Foreign Minister) and Deputy Government Senate leader Robert Ray (in his capacity as Defence Minister) were all in Indonesia for the signing of a security agreement between Australia and Indonesia.[5]
Willis remained as Treasurer until the 1996 election,which Labor heavily lost;in the weeks before the election,Willis chose to unilaterally release a letter purportedly written by LiberalVictorian PremierJeff Kennett. Known as the Ralph Willis letter,it suggested that a Coalition government led by John Howard would cut grants to the states. However,media examination quickly revealed the letter to be a forgery,allegedly foisted on Willis by Melbourne University Liberal Club students.[6] This successful ruse had a significantly adverse impact upon the last week of Labor's campaign.
After the 1996 election,Willis chose to move to the backbench and announced his retirement from Parliament prior to the 1998 election. Willis was one of only three people to be a member of the Cabinet continuously during the Hawke-Keating government between 1983 and 1996,the other two being Kim Beazley and Gareth Evans. At the time of his retirement from Parliament,Willis was the last Labor MP from the time of the Whitlam government still serving. Following his retirement from politics,Willis has served on several boards of companies and charities.
Honours
Willis was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for long service to the Commonwealth Parliament.[7] On 13 June 2011,he was named an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia,particularly in the areas of economic development and industrial relations,to the superannuation industry,and to the community.[8]
On 2 June 2009,Willis was conferred with the degree of doctor of the university Honoris Causa from Victoria University for services to Australia and in particular the Western Suburbs of Melbourne.[9]
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