Colin Barnett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Colin Barnett AC
29th Premier of Western Australia
In office 23 September 2008 – 17 March 2017
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	Ken Michael Malcolm McCusker Kerry Sanderson
Deputy	Kim Hames Liza Harvey
Preceded by	Alan Carpenter
Succeeded by	Mark McGowan
Treasurer of Western Australia
In office 27 April 2010 – 14 December 2010
Preceded by	Troy Buswell
Succeeded by	Christian Porter
In office 12 June 2012 – 7 July 2012
Preceded by	Christian Porter
Succeeded by	Troy Buswell
In office 10 March 2014 – 17 March 2014
Preceded by	Troy Buswell
Succeeded by	Mike Nahan
27th Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia Elections: 2005
In office 26 February 2001 – 9 March 2005
Deputy	Dan Sullivan
Preceded by	Richard Court
Succeeded by	Matt Birney
In office 6 August 2008 – 23 September 2008
Deputy	Kim Hames
Preceded by	Troy Buswell
Succeeded by	Eric Ripper
In office 17 March 2017 – 21 March 2017
Deputy	Liza Harvey
Preceded by	Mark McGowan
Succeeded by	Mike Nahan
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Cottesloe
In office 11 August 1990 – 5 February 2018
Preceded by	Bill Hassell
Succeeded by	David Honey
Personal details
Born	Colin James Barnett (1950-07-15) 15 July 1950 (age 74) Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
Political party	Liberal Party
Alma mater	University of Western Australia
Profession	Economist

Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is a former Australian politician. He served as the 29th Premier of Western Australia. The Premier is the leader of the state government.

Barnett also worked as the state's Treasurer at different times. Before becoming Premier, he held various other important roles in Western Australia's government.

Colin Barnett was born in Nedlands, Perth. He studied economics at the University of Western Australia. Before politics, he taught economics and worked for a business group. In 1990, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the area of Cottesloe.

He became a government minister in 1993. After his party lost the 2001 election, he became the leader of the Liberal Party. He resigned as leader after the 2005 election. However, he became leader again before the 2008 election, which he won. He was sworn in as Premier on 23 September 2008.

In 2013, Barnett and his government were re-elected for a second term. In 2017, his party lost the election. Mark McGowan became the new Premier. Colin Barnett announced he would leave politics in December 2017 and officially retired in February 2018.

Colin Barnett's Early Life and Education

Colin Barnett was born in Nedlands, a suburb of Perth, on 15 July 1950. He went to Nedlands Primary School and Hollywood Senior High School. He first studied geology at the University of Western Australia. Later, he changed to economics and earned two degrees.

In 1973, he worked as a research officer for the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He returned to Perth in 1975 to teach economics. He taught at the Western Australian Institute of Technology, which is now Curtin University.

In the 1980s, he worked for business organisations. He became the chief economist for the Confederation of Western Australian Industry. Then, he became the executive director of the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Starting a Political Career

In 1990, Colin Barnett entered politics. He won a special election for the Cottesloe seat. He joined the Liberal Party just before this election.

Soon after, he was given important roles in the opposition. The opposition is the main party not in government. He was in charge of housing, works, fuel, and energy. In 1992, he became the deputy leader of the Liberal Party.

Serving in Government (1993–2001)

In 1993, the Liberal Party won the state election. Colin Barnett became a government minister. He was responsible for areas like resources, energy, education, and tourism. He also helped manage the government's work in the parliament.

He was seen as a skilled minister. He helped with many big projects that developed Western Australia's resources.

Leading the Opposition (2001–2008)

In 2001, the government lost the election. Colin Barnett then became the Leader of the Opposition. This meant he was the main voice against the new government.

In the 2005 state election, Barnett suggested building a large canal to bring water from the Kimberley region to Perth. This idea was very expensive. Some experts thought it would cost much more than he estimated. His party lost the election, and he took responsibility for the defeat. He then resigned as the Liberal leader.

After this, Barnett spent two years as a regular member of parliament. In 2007, he announced he would retire from politics.

Becoming Premier (2008–2017)

In August 2008, the Liberal Party leader resigned. Even though Colin Barnett had planned to retire, he was asked to lead the party again. He accepted and became leader without anyone opposing him.

Soon after, the Premier called an early election. Barnett led the Liberal Party in the election. The result was a "hung parliament." This means no single party won enough seats to form a government on its own. The smaller WA Nationals held the "balance of power." This meant they could choose which of the two main parties to support.

A week after the election, the Nationals agreed to support the Liberal Party. They formed a "minority government." This meant the Liberals needed the Nationals' support to pass laws. Three Nationals members joined Barnett's cabinet, which is a group of top government ministers. Colin Barnett became Premier on 23 September 2008.

Key Decisions as Premier

In 2010, Premier Barnett disagreed with the national government's health reform plan. He was the only state leader to oppose it. He believed it would unfairly take away money from Western Australia. He argued that Western Australia needed its full share of tax money to fund important projects.

Barnett also served as the state's Treasurer at different times. This role involves managing the state's money. He held this position in 2010 and again in 2012.

In the 2013 state election, Barnett led the Liberals to a big victory. They won enough seats to govern on their own. However, Barnett decided to keep the partnership with the WA Nationals. This was important because of how seats are divided in Western Australia's parliament.

Leadership Challenge and Election Defeat

In September 2016, some members of his party tried to challenge his leadership. They wanted to vote for a new leader. However, the challenge failed, and Barnett remained the leader.

Leading up to the 2017 election, polls showed that Barnett's government was not very popular. On 11 March 2017, his party suffered a huge defeat. They lost many seats, especially in Perth. This was one of the biggest losses for a government in Western Australian history.

Colin Barnett accepted responsibility for the defeat. He resigned as Liberal leader and returned to being a regular member of parliament. He officially retired from politics on 5 February 2018.

Honours and Recognition

In 2023, Colin Barnett was given a high honour. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia. This award recognised his "eminent service" to Western Australia. It highlighted his work as Premier, his efforts in economic and infrastructure development, social welfare, and supporting Indigenous communities.

See also

• Barnett Ministry

Images for kids

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  Colin Barnett in 2012.