John Olsen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable John Olsen AO
Premier of South Australia
In office 28 November 1996 – 22 October 2001
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	Sir Eric Neal
Deputy	Graham Ingerson (1996–1998) Rob Kerin (1998–2001)
Preceded by	Dean Brown
Succeeded by	Rob Kerin
President of the Liberal Party of Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 August 2020
Leader	Scott Morrison Peter Dutton
Preceded by	Nick Greiner
President of the South Australian Liberal Party
In office 2 June 2017 – 27 September 2020
Preceded by	Steve Murray
Succeeded by	Legh Davis
In office 1976–1979
Preceded by	Trevor Griffin
Succeeded by	Dr Jim Forbes
Senator for South Australia
In office 7 May 1990 – 4 May 1992
Preceded by	Tony Messner
Succeeded by	Alan Ferguson
Leader of the Opposition in South Australia
In office 10 November 1982 – 12 January 1990
Deputy	Roger Goldsworthy
Preceded by	John Bannon
Succeeded by	Dale Baker
Leader of the South Australian Liberal Party
In office 28 November 1996 – 22 October 2001
Deputy	Graham Ingerson Rob Kerin
Preceded by	Dean Brown
Succeeded by	Rob Kerin
In office 10 November 1982 – 12 January 1990
Deputy	Roger Goldsworthy
Preceded by	David Tonkin
Succeeded by	Dale Baker
Minister for Multicultural Affairs
In office 28 November 1996 – 22 October 2001
Premier	himself
Preceded by	Dean Brown
Succeeded by	Rob Kerin
Minister for Infrastructure and Industry
In office 14 December 1993 – 12 December 1996
Premier	Dean Brown
Preceded by	John Klunder
Succeeded by	Graham Ingerson
Minister for Fisheries
In office 5 March 1982 – 10 November 1982
Premier	David Tonkin
Preceded by	Allan Rodda
Succeeded by	Chris Sumner
Member for Kavel
In office 9 May 1992 – 9 February 2002
Preceded by	Roger Goldsworthy
Succeeded by	Mark Goldsworthy
Member for Custance
In office 7 December 1985 – 6 May 1990
Preceded by	Constituency Created
Succeeded by	Ivan Venning
Member for Rocky River
In office 15 September 1979 – 7 December 1985
Preceded by	Howard Venning
Succeeded by	Constituency Abolished
Mayor of Kadina
In office 6 July 1974 – 2 July 1977
Preceded by	Lloyd Davies
Succeeded by	Graham Morphett
Alderman on the Kadina Council
In office 14 May 1971 – 2 July 1977
Personal details
Born	John Wayne Olsen (1945-06-07) 7 June 1945 (age 80) Kadina, South Australia, Australia
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia (SA)
Parents	Stanley John Olsen and Joyce Rosalind née Heath

John Wayne Olsen, born on 7 June 1945, is an Australian politician and diplomat. He was the Premier of South Australia from 1996 to 2001. A Premier is like the leader of a state government.

Olsen has held many important roles. He was the leader of the Liberal Party in South Australia twice. He also served as a Senator for South Australia.

After leaving state politics, Olsen worked as a diplomat. He also became the President of the Federal Liberal Party. He is involved in sports too, as Chairman of the Adelaide Football Club.

Early Life and Career

John Olsen was born in Kadina, South Australia, on 7 June 1945. His parents were Joyce and Stanley Olsen. His uncle, Leslie Heath, was also a politician.

When John was 18, his father passed away. John went to Kadina Memorial High School. He later studied business at the University of Adelaide. He became an accountant.

John started working at the Savings Bank of South Australia in 1962. Later, he managed his family's business. It was a car and machinery dealership. He also led the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in South Australia.

Political Journey

John Olsen began his political career in local government. He was elected to the Kadina Town Council in 1971. He became the mayor of Kadina from 1974 to 1977. He was known as South Australia's youngest mayor.

In 1976, Olsen became the president of the South Australian Liberal Party. He served in this role until 1979. He was first elected to the South Australian House of Assembly in 1979. This is like the state parliament. He represented the area of Rocky River.

Olsen had a strong political rivalry with Dean Brown. They both wanted to lead the Liberal Party. After the 1982 election, Olsen became the Leader of the Opposition. This means he led the main party not in government. He ran for Premier in 1985 and 1989 but did not win.

After the 1989 election, Olsen left state parliament. He became a Senator for South Australia in 1990. This is a role in the national parliament.

However, in 1992, he returned to state politics. He ran for the Liberal Party leadership again. This time, Dean Brown won the leadership. Brown then became Premier after the 1993 election. Olsen served as a Minister in Brown's government. He was Minister for Industry and Infrastructure.

In 1996, Olsen challenged Brown for the Liberal Party leadership again. This time, Olsen won and became the Premier of South Australia.

Premier of South Australia (1996-2001)

As Premier, John Olsen led the Liberal Party to a close victory in the 1997 state election. His government had to work with other independent politicians to stay in power. This is called a minority government.

Key Policies and Projects

Olsen's government made some big changes. They privatized the state's electricity company, ETSA. This meant a private company took over running it. They also privatized the management of the state's water supply.

Olsen worked on important water projects. These included recycling water for farming. He also helped bring water from the River Murray to the Barossa Valley. This helped local winegrowers.

His government also worked on a large city development project in Adelaide. They helped build the Adelaide-Darwin railway line.

Olsen's government also brought major sporting events to South Australia. These included the Tour Down Under cycling race and the V8 Supercar Series car races. These events bring many visitors and money to the state.

Resignation as Premier

In 1998, an inquiry looked into a deal to bring the technology company Motorola to South Australia. A report found that Olsen had made statements that were not accurate to parliament.

John Olsen denied any wrongdoing. However, he resigned as Premier on 10 October 2001. He did not run for re-election in 2002. Later, another review found no illegal activity. Olsen felt this cleared his name.

Later Roles

After leaving state politics, Olsen became a diplomat. He was appointed by the Australian government to be the Consul-General in Los Angeles. This means he represented Australia in that city. Later, he became the Consul-General in New York.

In 2004, Olsen started "G'Day USA." This is a program that shows the best of Australia in the United States. It has become a very big annual event.

Liberal Party Leadership

In 2017, John Olsen became the State President of the South Australian Liberal Party again. He had held this role before, from 1976 to 1979. He stepped down from this position in 2020.

In 2020, Olsen was elected President of the Federal Liberal Party. This is the national leader of the party. He was chosen without anyone running against him.

Football Administration

John Olsen has also been very involved in Australian rules football. In 2010, he became chairman of the South Australian Football Commission. He helped move football games from Football Park to Adelaide Oval.

He was president of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 2014 to 2020. He is a life member of the West Adelaide Football Club.

Currently, Olsen is the Deputy Chairman of the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority. In 2020, he became the Chairman of the Adelaide Football Club. This is one of the professional Australian rules football teams in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Personal Life

John Olsen married Julie Abbott in 1968. They have two sons and one daughter.