He could do that." From 1980 to 1981, he briefly edited the magazine POL, the first post of his “life after politics”. Dunstan est un prélat anglo-saxon né vers 909 et mort le 19 mai 988. Critics—of which there were many—derided the project as "Dunstan's Versailles in the bush". [58] Despite winning a 52% majority of the primary vote, and 54% of the two-party preferred count,[58] Labor lost two seats, resulting in a hung parliament: the LCL and Labor each had 19 seats. For some years he practised law in Fiji and later in Adelaide. In the 1980s and 1990s, he chaired several community-oriented organizations as well as holding academic positions related to politics and public policy. [85], In pursuit of economic links with the nations of South-East Asia, Dunstan came into contact with the leaders of the Malaysian state of Penang in 1973. In 1953, he began his political career when he was nominated as the Norwood electoral district’s Labor Party candidate, winning the seat and joining the South Australian House of Assembly. [63], With the end of Playford's tenure, the LCL had brought younger, more progressive members into its ranks. [63][64] Hall was then sworn in as premier. [135] Although only two Labor MPs, from both federal and state parliaments, did not have files, the branch held significantly fewer files relating to Liberal Party figures. [51] Despite a consistently higher statewide vote, Labor were consistently outnumbered 16–4 in the Legislative Council,[44] so some desired legislation did not make it through. His campaign was noted for his colourful methods to sway voters: posters of his face were placed on every pole in the district, and Labor supporters walked the streets advocating Dunstan. [75][78], Soon after the election, Dunstan travelled to Canberra for the annual Premiers' Conference as the sole Labor premier. Don did exemplary well in academics. Don Dunstan was one of the most significant political figures of twentieth-century Australia. [144] Dunstan was opposed to uranium mining but was seen as lacking conviction by environmentalists, and he was also being criticised by industrialists. [33], From 1959 onwards, the LCL government clung to power with the support of two independents, as Labor gained momentum. The LCL, now known as the Liberal Party, had rebuilt after internal schism and had modernised to make themselves more appealing to the public. Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer OM (German: [ˈalbɛʁt ˈʃvaɪ̯t͡sɐ] (); 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian polymath.He was a theologian, organist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. Don Dunstan: The visionary politician who changed Australia. He was embarrassed that the LCL was in a position to win government despite having clearly lost the first-preference vote, and was committed to a fairer electoral system. If this was replicated at a state election, it was projected that Labor would only hold 10 of the 39 seats. [146], Together with Mike Rann, his press secretary and speechwriter (and later Premier), who had worked with him in 1978 on a series of speeches on Aboriginal Land Rights, industrial democracy and women's rights, Dunstan made a uranium fact-finding trip to Europe to study safe methods of generating nuclear power and of nuclear waste disposal. The legislation sought to establish 47 electoral districts containing roughly equal numbers of voters (with a 10% tolerance). [131] This aroused discontent among mining interests, but a bipartisan parliamentary committee endorsed the bill and it was tabled. Dunstan took a trip to Europe after being released from hospital, staying in Perugia for five months and pursuing Italian studies. Abortion was partially legalised,[65] and planning for the Festival Centre began. [84] Although the post is mostly ceremonial (with the exception of constitutional responsibilities), Oliphant brought energy to the role and he used his stature to decry damage to the environment caused by deforestation, excessive open-cut mining and pollution. The Hall Government continued many of the social reforms that the Walsh/Dunstan governments had initiated; most of these at the instigation of Hall or his Attorney-General, Robin Millhouse. This meant they could now, with the help of the LM, push through reforms opposed by the Liberals.[120]. Biography. [30] The Royal Commission concluded that the guilty verdict was sound. [45], Many bills were watered down,[49] but due to lack of public interest, outcry was minimal. However, the Labor caucus was sceptical of his age and inexperience, and he failed to gain either position, albeit narrowly. At the subsequent Norwood by-election, Dunstan's seat was retained by Labor. The conservatives then decided to limit Hall's powers, resulting in his resignation and creation of the breakaway Liberal Movement (LM), which overtly branded itself as a semi-autonomous component within the LCL. In 1977, when the NWAR was about to be transferred to the Aboriginal Lands Trust, a tribal delegation asked for the lands to be given to the traditional owners. Mining the uranium promised to provide a valuable economic boost in difficult times, but a government ban on its mining, on safety grounds, was still in force. There, Dunstan spoke to a crowd of more than 10,000: "We need to show that the people of SA feel that at last the watershed has been reached in this, and that they will not continue to put up with a system which is as undemocratic as the present one in SA. His resignation from the premiership and politics in 1979 was abrupt after collapsing due to ill health, but he lived for another 20 years, remaining a vocal and outspoken campaigner for progressive social policy. He spent the first seven years of his life in Fiji, starting his schooling there. "[9] When asked of his roots, he said "I'm a refugee from it and thank God for somewhere honest to flee to! Workers saw increases in welfare,[73][90] drinking laws were further liberalised, an Ombudsman was created,[73] censorship was liberalised,[91] seat belts were made mandatory,[82] the education system was overhauled,[92] and the public service was gradually increased (doubling in size during the Dunstan era). Dunstan was married to Gretel Dunstan from 1949 until 1974, having one daughter and two sons together. He lived with his maternal grandmother and aunts, Florence Hill and her daughters, Beth and Bride, and attended Murray Bridge Infant and Primary Schools. In the 3rd lead paragraph, I would shorten the latter part about the problems in his … Despite maintaining a much larger vote over the Liberal and Country League (LCL), Labor lost two seats at the 1968 election, with the LCL forming government with support of an independent. What impressed me the most was his self belief together with his unwavering adherence to val I'm not sure whether my rating for this book is because Don Dunstan impresses me or because of my opinion of the book itself. In the 1990s, he also wrote for ‘Adelaide Review’ magazine, addressing a range of political and social themes. From his years in private school, he was identified as a “maverick”, or, in the words of one of his schoolteachers, a “congenital rebel”. Dunstan was born on 21 September 1926 in Suva, Colony of Fiji, the son of Francis Vivian Dunstan and Ida May Dunstan (née Hill),[1] Australians of Cornish descent. In contrast, public servants feared being forced into the rural settlement. Though he never set foot in Australia, Wakefield’s politics were to be shaped by his own imperial experience in Canada and New Zealand. The premier angrily denied claims that he was using government funds to build an opulent residence in Malaysia, as well as claims about his sexual lifestyle. A royal commission was called into the police commissioner's disregard for Dunstan's orders, and resulted in legislation giving the government more control over the police; the commissioner then retired. In 1979, following the death of his wife in 1978 and his own declining health, he announced his retirement from office. [7] At the inauguration of the body, Dunstan had said "What we need is a concentration on the kind of agenda which I followed and I hope that my death will be useful in this". [57] In a presidential-style election campaign, Hall and Dunstan journeyed across the state advocating their platforms, and the major issues were the leaders, the Playmander and the economy. He said that public figures in South Australia had told him that his high profile and ability to overshadow others could have caused a loss of face to them, and thus his departure would be seen favourably by them, while Victoria's offer gave him an opportunity to be constructive. In 1973, he remarried, this time to Adele Koh, a Malaysian journalist - they remained together until Adele’s sudden death in 1978. Dunstan notes this … Don Dunstan : biography 21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999 In 1972 Dunstan separated from his wife and moved into a small flat in Kent Town, adjacent to Norwood. Don Dunstan: The visionary politician who changed Australia. [145] Increasing innuendo about Dunstan's private life, and allegations of corruption and economic mismanagement were worsened by Dunstan's self-righteous tendencies. Now, 47 seats were to be contested: 28 in Adelaide and 19 in the country. His parents, Francis Vivian Dunstan and Ida May Dunstan, raised their son in Fiji, where Francis had a position for the Adelaide Steamship Company, until Don became ill at the age of 7. [5] He gained a reputation as a maverick, and said that his headmaster called him a "congenital rebel" multiple times. DON DUNSTAN: INTIMACY AND LIBERTY, A POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY Dino Hodge Wakefield Press, $39.95. [130] While such an operation troubled Dunstan and his government because of civil liberties concerns, the branch's apparent party-political bias was even more worrying. [18] In 1954, the LCL introduced the Government Electoral Bill, which was designed to further accentuate the undue weight on rural voters. During the 1990s he wrote essays for the Adelaide Review magazine strongly criticising the Federal Labor Governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, the Federal Liberal Government of John Howard and the State Liberal Governments of Dean Brown and John Olsen. "Penang Week" was held in Adelaide in July, and in return, "South Australia Week" was held in Penang's capital, George Town. The Legislative Council either watered down or outright rejected a considerable amount of Labor legislation;[73] bills to legalise homosexuality, abolish corporal and capital punishment and allow gambling and casinos were rejected. [142][143], There were initially no other major controversies for Dunstan, although the economy remained poor and the Redcliff complex was still in limbo, because an agreement with Dow was still to be finalised. [20][21] Stuart's lawyer claimed that the confession was forced, and appeals to the Supreme and High Courts were dismissed. [146] He pre-emptively called a press conference on one occasion to denounce what he called "idiot rumours" and he further claimed that "reactionary forces" and "right-wing journalists" were engaged in a witchhunt against his "decent and responsible government". The LCL held 20 seats, the Liberal Movement two, the Country Party one, and the last remaining with an independent, the nominally Labor Mayor of Port Pirie, Ted Connelly. Between 1961 and 1965, he campaigned to bring an end to the “White Australia Policy”, finally achieving success in 1965 and largely taking credit for the accomplishment. [150][151][152] The book, It's Grossly Improper, by two Adelaide journalists, Des Ryan and Mike McEwen, was published later that year. [76] Geoff Virgo, the new Transport Minister, was to deal with the Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study (MATS) plans. Striking a note with Chong Eu Lim, the Chief Minister, Dunstan set about organising cultural and economic engagement between the two states. [79], On the death in office of Governor Sir James Harrison in 1971, Dunstan finally had the opportunity to put forward a nominee for governor of his own choosing to HM Queen Elizabeth II (and by extension the British Foreign Office[80] which still technically oversaw the appointment process of Australian state governors until the Australia Act 1986): Sir Mark Oliphant, a physicist who had worked on the Manhattan Project. He graduated in 1943, and he was among the top 30 graduates from that year, from throughout the state. [172] State flags were flown at half-mast and the memorial service was televised live. It can happen here. [130] An inquiry was conducted into the Special Branch by Justice White of the Supreme Court of South Australia, and the report was placed in Dunstan's hands on 21 December 1977. "[62] On 16 April, the first day of the new House's sitting, Dunstan lost a confidence vote. [102] Dunstan's support of the arts and fine dining was credited by commentators with attracting artists, craftspeople and writers into the state,[103] helping to change its atmosphere. Don Dunstan: the visionary politician who changed Australia. A Royal Commission under Justice Mitchell,[136] set up at the instigation of the Liberals, investigated the matter. [7], The Foundation aims to represent and advocate for the values of its founder, such as cultural diversity, fair distribution of wealth, human rights advocacy, and Indigenous rights in Australia. Amid objections against the fairness of the trial among an increasing number of legal academics and judges,[22][23] The News brought much attention to Stuart's plight with an aggressive, tabloid-style campaign. The Liberals seized on this opportunity, blaming it on "twelve months of Socialist administration in South Australia"[53] and branding it the "Dunstan Depression". The monies were subsequently used to finance health, education and arts schemes.