Frank Walsh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Frank Walsh
Walsh in 1963
Premier of South Australia
In office 6 March 1965 – 1 June 1967
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	Sir Edric Bastyan
Preceded by	Sir Thomas Playford IV
Succeeded by	Don Dunstan
Leader of the Opposition in South Australia
In office 5 October 1960 – 6 March 1965
Preceded by	Mick O'Halloran
Succeeded by	Sir Thomas Playford IV
Leader of the South Australian Labor Party
In office 5 October 1960 – 1 June 1967 Acting:22 September – 5 October 1960
Deputy	Cyril Hutchens
Preceded by	Mick O'Halloran
Succeeded by	Don Dunstan
Deputy Leader of the South Australian Labor Party
In office 27 October 1949 – 5 October 1960
Leader	Mick O'Halloran
Preceded by	Mick O'Halloran
Succeeded by	Cyril Hutchens
Minister of Social Welfare
In office 1 June 1967 – 26 March 1968
Preceded by	Don Dunstan
Succeeded by	Hugh Hudson
Treasurer of South Australia
In office 10 March 1965 – 1 June 1967
Preceded by	Sir Thomas Playford IV
Succeeded by	Don Dunstan
Member of the South Australian Parliament for Edwardstown Goodwood (1941–1956)
In office 29 March 1941 – 2 March 1968
Preceded by	George Illingworth
Succeeded by	Geoff Virgo
Personal details
Born	Francis Henry Walsh (1897-07-06)6 July 1897 O'Halloran Hill, South Australia, Australia
Died	18 May 1968(1968-05-18) (aged 70) Parkside, South Australia, Australia
Political party	Australian Labor Party (SA)

Francis Henry Walsh (born 6 July 1897 – died 18 May 1968) was an important Australian politician. He served as the 34th Premier of South Australia from 1965 to 1967. He was a member of the South Australian Labor Party.

Early Life and Work

Frank Walsh was one of eight children. He was born into an Irish Catholic family in O'Halloran Hill, South Australia. He went to Christian Brothers College. At age fifteen, he left school to become a stonemason.

Working as a stonemason made him interested in trade unions. Trade unions are groups that protect workers' rights and improve their working conditions. Walsh became the President of the stonemason's union in South Australia. He also led the national stonemason body. He was a member of the United Trades and Labour Council of South Australia. He got married on 29 December 1925.

Becoming a Politician

Frank Walsh first tried to enter parliament in 1938. He ran for the Labor Party in an area called Mitcham. He didn't win that time. But important people in the Labor Party noticed him. They supported him for a safer Labor area called Goodwood.

Walsh became a member of parliament in March 1941. In 1949, he became the Deputy Leader of the Labor Party. This meant he was the second-in-command. At this time, the Labor Party had been out of power in South Australia since 1933.

The Liberal and Country League (LCL) party was in charge. Their leader was Sir Thomas Playford. They stayed in power for a long time because of a special voting system. This system was called the "Playmander". It meant that votes in country areas were worth much more than votes in cities. This made it very hard for Labor to win elections.

In 1955, there was a split in the Labor Party. A new party, the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), was formed. Walsh and his leader, Mick O'Halloran, decided not to join the new party. Their choice helped stop the DLP from becoming very powerful in South Australia.

Leading the Labor Party

In 1960, Mick O'Halloran died suddenly. Frank Walsh was chosen as the new leader of the Labor Party. He became the Leader of the Opposition. This meant he was the main person speaking against the government.

Walsh worked hard to end the LCL's long time in power. He knew the "Playmander" made it hard to win everywhere. So, he focused on winning seats that were close between the parties.

In the 1962 election, Labor won more than half of all the votes. In most places, this would mean a big win. But because of the "Playmander", Labor only won 19 seats. They needed 21 to form a government. Two independent politicians decided to support Playford. So, Labor did not win. This election showed how unfair the "Playmander" system was. A vote in the country could be worth up to 10 times more than a vote in the city.

Becoming Premier

Finally, in the 1965 election, Labor won enough seats. They got 55 percent of the votes. They won 21 seats, just enough to form a government.

At 69 years old, Frank Walsh became the oldest person to become Premier of South Australia. He was also the first Labor Premier in 32 years. And he was the first Catholic person to hold the job. As Premier, he was also in charge of the state's money as the Treasurer.

Walsh's government was new and many of his team had never been ministers before. This meant he had to trust important jobs to people who were used to criticizing the old government. His time as Premier saw more money spent on public education. They also brought in new laws for social welfare and Aboriginal Affairs. Many of these changes were led by his deputy, Don Dunstan. Dunstan was much younger than Walsh.

Frank Walsh was not very comfortable with the media, especially television. He was known for using big words in the wrong way. His speeches sometimes confused people. For example, he once said, "The government is suffering from a complete lack of apathy in the case." This was very different from Don Dunstan, who was very good at talking to the media.

In 1966, Steele Hall became the new leader of the LCL. He was much younger than Walsh. The economy was also not doing well. People in the Labor Party thought they needed a new leader to win the next election. At that time, Labor rules said politicians had to retire at 67.

In January 1967, a federal Labor politician publicly thanked Walsh for deciding to retire. But Walsh had not made that decision! After some time, Walsh announced his retirement two weeks later. Don Dunstan was then chosen as the new Labor leader and Premier.

Frank Walsh died less than two months after leaving parliament in 1968. He was given a state funeral. People remembered him as kind, generous, and down-to-earth. He was praised for his long service in parliament and for supporting workers and their families.