Geoff Gallop facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Geoff Gallop AC FASSA
Gallop at the Midland Railway Workshops in 2002
7th Chair of the Australian Republic Movement
In office 26 November 2012 – 20 July 2015
Preceded by	Michael Keating
Succeeded by	Peter FitzSimons
27th Premier of Western Australia
In office 10 February 2001 – 16 January 2006
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	John Sanderson
Deputy	Eric Ripper
Preceded by	Richard Court
Succeeded by	Alan Carpenter
Leader of the Opposition
In office 8 October 1996 – 10 February 2001
Premier	Richard Court
Deputy	Jim McGinty Eric Ripper
Preceded by	Jim McGinty
Succeeded by	Richard Court
Leader of the Western Australian Labor Party
In office 8 October 1996 – 25 January 2006
Preceded by	Jim McGinty
Succeeded by	Alan Carpenter
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Victoria Park
In office 7 June 1986 – 25 January 2006
Preceded by	Ron Davies
Succeeded by	Ben Wyatt
Personal details
Born	Geoffrey Ian Gallop (1951-09-27) 27 September 1951 (age 73) Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia
Political party	Labor Party
Spouses	Beverly Diane Jones ​ ​ (m. 1975; died 2009)​ Ingrid van Beek ​ (m. 2010)​
Children	2
Alma mater	St John's College, Oxford Nuffield College, Oxford University of Western Australia
Profession	Academic

Geoffrey Ian Gallop (born 27 September 1951) is an Australian academic and former politician. He served as the 27th Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. Today, he is a professor and director at the Graduate School of Government at the University of Sydney. He also used to be the chairman of the Australian Republican Movement.

Early Life and Education

Geoff Gallop was born and grew up in Geraldton, Western Australia. In 1969, he started studying economics at The University of Western Australia (UWA). He joined the Labor Party in 1971.

In 1972, he won a special scholarship called a Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed him to study at St John's College at the University of Oxford in England. He earned his doctorate degree from Oxford in 1983. Before becoming a politician, Gallop worked as a teacher at Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia. He also served as a City Councillor in Fremantle from 1983 to 1986.

Political Career

Gallop was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in 1986. He represented the area of Victoria Park. From 1990 to 1993, he held several important roles in the Labor Government. These included Minister for Education and Minister for Fuel and Energy.

Leader of the Opposition

After the Labor government lost the 1993 election, Gallop became the Deputy Leader of the State Labor Party. In October 1996, he became the Leader of the Opposition. This meant he was the main leader of the party not in power. He led the Labor Party into the 1996 state election, but they were defeated by the Liberal Party.

Premier of Western Australia

At the state election in February 2001, Geoff Gallop led the Labor Party to a big victory. They won 13 seats from the Liberal Party. This made him the Premier of Western Australia. He also took on roles like Minister for Science and Multicultural Interests.

Gallop won a second term as Premier in the state election on 26 February 2005. As Premier, he brought in many changes. He worked on electoral reform and made laws fairer for gay and lesbian people. He also changed laws about work and industry.

He focused on protecting the environment by stopping the logging of old growth forests. He created many new national parks. Gallop also started building the Perth to Mandurah Railway and a new city rail tunnel. He made sure all 16 and 17-year-olds had to be in education or training. He was also the first Premier to commit to building a large desalination plant to provide fresh water.

Resignation from Politics

On 16 January 2006, Gallop announced he was stepping down as Premier. He also decided to retire from politics. He explained that he needed to focus on his health and family. His deputy, Eric Ripper, became Acting Premier. Alan Carpenter was then chosen as the new Premier on 25 January 2006.

Life After Politics

After leaving politics, Geoff Gallop became a professor at the University of Sydney in 2006. He is the director of their Graduate School of Government. He has also held several important roles on national councils and commissions. These roles focused on areas like health reform and education.

He writes a weekly column for an online newspaper called WA Today. He is also involved with the New Democracy Foundation, which looks for better ways for governments to work. In November 2012, Gallop was elected chairman of the Australian Republic Movement. This group supports Australia becoming a republic, meaning it would have its own head of state instead of the British monarch.

Political Views

Geoff Gallop strongly supports the idea of Australia becoming a republic. He believes Australia should have its own head of state, chosen by the people. He also supports changes to drug laws. He has written several books, including one about Western Australian politics.

Awards and Recognition

• In 2001, he received the Centenary Medal.
• In 2003, he was made a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.
• In 2006, he received an honorary degree from the University of Western Australia.
• In 2008, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia. This is a very high honour in Australia.
• In 2022, he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.