Mal Bryce facts for kids

Malcolm John Bryce AO (born April 10, 1943 – died March 3, 2018) was an important Australian politician. He was a member of the Labor Party in Western Australia. He served in the Legislative Assembly (the state parliament) from 1971 to 1988. He represented the area called Ascot. Mal Bryce was also the Deputy Leader of the Labor Party twice. From 1983 to 1988, he was the Deputy Premier under Premier Brian Burke.

Early Life and Education

Mal Bryce was born in Bunbury, Western Australia. His parents were Ruth Lucy and Eric John Bryce. He went to Bunbury Senior High School. After high school, he studied teaching at Claremont Teachers College and the University of Western Australia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Before he became a politician, Mal Bryce was a high school teacher. He taught subjects like Economics, Geography, and History. He taught at schools such as Merredin Senior High School, Bunbury Senior High School, and John Forrest Senior High School. In 1965, he married Elizabeth Lathwell, who also went to Claremont Teachers College. They had four children and seven grandchildren.

Starting in Politics

Mal Bryce joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in 1961 while at university. He held many different roles within the ALP throughout the 1960s. These roles included positions in local branches, electorate councils, and the state leadership group.

He first tried to get elected to the national parliament in 1966 and 1970, but he was not successful. In 1971, at 28 years old, Mal Bryce was elected to the state parliament. He won the Ascot by-election after the death of the previous member, Merv Toms. He continued to hold this seat until he left parliament in 1988.

In 1974, when the Labor Party was not in power, he was part of the "Shadow Ministry." This group of politicians prepares to take on government roles if their party wins the next election. During the 1970s, he also served on the ALP's National Executive. This is a top leadership group for the whole country.

A Leader in Western Australia

In 1983, Mal Bryce became the Deputy Premier of Western Australia. He served under Premier Brian Burke. He held this important role until both he and Premier Burke resigned from parliament in 1988. It is important to note that Mal Bryce was not involved in the "WA Inc scandal" that affected some politicians at that time.

As Deputy Premier, Mal Bryce had many responsibilities. He was the Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Industry, Small Business, and other areas. He helped create many new organizations and laws. For example, he set up Australia's first government department for computing and information technology. He also helped establish the Western Australian Technology Park.

He was also key in creating the Western Australian SciTech Discovery Centre. This center helps people learn about science and technology. Other achievements included the Institute for Science and Technology Policy and a special university position for Bio Technology at Murdoch University. He also helped create the Western Australian Small Business Development Corporation. Mal Bryce was very important in passing the Western Australian Technology and Industry Development Act. He also helped create the Electoral Reform Bill of 1987. This law made big changes to how Western Australia's parliament worked.

After Politics: A Digital Pioneer

After leaving parliament, Mal Bryce continued to work in important roles. He became a company director, consultant, and author. His work focused on using information and communications technology (ICT) to help companies, communities, and public policy.

In the 1990s, Mal Bryce was a leader in developing the internet industry in Australia. He helped businesses, government, and communities use the internet. He designed Australia's first online community in Ipswich, Queensland, in 1993. This was one of the first in the world. He also led the team that created Australia's first community-driven online shopping project. He wrote a book about this project called Australia’s First Online Community (2010).

During the 1990s, he held many leadership positions. He was Chairman of the Western Australian Technology and Industry Advisory Council. He also chaired the Australian Centre for Innovation and International Competitiveness at Sydney University. He was a director of Bankwest and a member of the Prime Minister's Science and Engineering Council.

From 2001, Mal Bryce was Chairman of iVEC (from 2003–2013). This organization is involved in supercomputing. He also led the Pawsey Supercomputer Project in Perth. These roles helped develop Australia's supercomputing and eResearch (electronic research) systems. iVEC is a key part of Australia's involvement in the Square Kilometre Array research project. This is a huge radio telescope project with sites in Western Australia and South Africa.

Mal Bryce was also a member of the Australian eResearch Infrastructure Council. He was on the steering committee for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Project. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at Curtin University. He passed away on March 3, 2018, at the age of 74.

Awards and Recognition

Mal Bryce received many honors for his work. In 1989, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. This was for his service to the Western Australian parliament. In 1990, he became a Foundation Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He received an Honorary Doctorate of Technology from Curtin University in 1994. In 2011, he was given an Honorary Life Membership of the Australian Computer Society. In 2012, he received the Pearcey National Medal. He was also added to the Australian ICT Industry Hall of Fame. This recognized his important lifetime achievements and contributions to Australia's Information and Communications Technology industry. In 2013, he was elected as a Fellow in the World Academy of Productivity Science.

See Also

• 1981 Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch) leadership spill