Peter Dowding facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Dowding
SC
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| 24th Premier of Western Australia | |
| In office 25 February 1988 – 12 February 1990 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Gordon Reid |
| Deputy | David Parker |
| Preceded by | Brian Burke |
| Succeeded by | Carmen Lawrence |
| Treasurer of Western Australia | |
| In office 25 February 1988 – 28 February 1989 |
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| Premier | Himself |
| Preceded by | Brian Burke |
| Succeeded by | David Parker |
| Leader of the Western Australian Labor Party | |
| In office 25 February 1988 – 12 February 1990 |
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| Deputy | David Parker |
| Preceded by | Brian Burke |
| Succeeded by | Carmen Lawrence |
| Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 8 February 1986 – 26 April 1990 |
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| Preceded by | John Harman |
| Succeeded by | Judy Edwards |
| Constituency | Maylands |
| Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council | |
| In office 22 May 1980 – 15 January 1986 Serving with Bill Withers, Tom Stephens
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| Preceded by | John Tozer |
| Succeeded by | Tom Helm |
| Constituency | North Province |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter McCallum Dowding
6 October 1943 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Spouse | 4 |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Bruce Dowding (uncle) |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Peter McCallum Dowding (born 6 October 1943) is an Australian lawyer and former politician. He served as the Premier of Western Australia from February 1988 until February 1990. A Premier is the leader of the government in an Australian state. Peter Dowding was a member of the Parliament of Western Australia from 1980 to 1990 and belonged to the Labor Party.
Dowding studied law at the University of Western Australia and became a lawyer. In 1980, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council, which is the upper house of the state parliament. He joined the government, known as the ministry, when the Labor Party won the 1983 state election. He held different roles in the government over the years. In 1986, Dowding moved to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, the lower house of parliament, winning the seat of Maylands.
In December 1987, the Premier at the time, Brian Burke, announced he would step down. He chose Dowding as his preferred replacement. After other politicians decided not to run, Dowding was chosen as the Labor Party's leader.
Dowding's popularity dropped because of a financial controversy known as WA Inc. In February 1990, he resigned as Premier and Labor Party leader. He was replaced by Carmen Lawrence. Dowding then left parliament and returned to working as a lawyer. A special investigation into WA Inc later said that Dowding "presided over a disastrous series of decisions."
Contents
Peter Dowding: Early Life and Career
Growing Up and Education
Peter Dowding was born on 6 October 1943 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. His father, Keith McCallum Dowding, was a well-known minister and political activist. Peter's mother sadly passed away when he was eight years old. He went to several schools in Australia and the United Kingdom, including Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne and Hale School in Perth, Western Australia. As a teenager, he joined the Labor Party. His father was also a Labor Party member. Peter Dowding earned a law degree from the University of Western Australia in 1964.
Becoming a Lawyer
In 1970, Dowding married his first wife, and they had two sons. Between 1967 and 1972, he helped many people who did not want to fight in the Vietnam War for their beliefs. He also represented protesters who were arrested at a U.S. naval base in Exmouth. This case became famous when Dowding showed that the police officers had swapped their name badges to hide their identities. In 1968, Dowding started a law firm, focusing on family law. He became known as a top divorce lawyer in Perth. He left the firm in 1980.
From 1975 to 1976, Dowding was part of the Kalamunda Shire Council. In 1976 and 1977, he worked with the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia in Port Hedland. There, he met his second wife, a Ngarluma woman. In 1977, Dowding represented a Labor Party candidate, Ernie Bridge, in an important court case. The court found that many Aboriginal people were unfairly stopped from voting, and the election results were overturned. In 1980, he married his second wife, and they had a daughter and a son.
Peter Dowding: Political Journey
Starting in Parliament
Before the 1980 state election, Dowding decided to run for the North Province seat in the Western Australian Legislative Council. This seat covered the northern part of the state. He won the election, beating the existing Liberal Party candidate. Dowding had strong support from the large Aboriginal population in the area. He had promised to help them gain land rights and manage their own communities. His term in parliament began on 22 May 1980.
Roles in Government
When the Labor Party won the February 1983 state election, led by Brian Burke, Dowding was made the Minister for Mines and the Minister for Fuel and Energy. His inclusion in the government was a surprise. Later, the Department of Mines and the Department of Resource Development joined together. This led to changes in the government's team, called a cabinet reshuffle. In December 1983, Dowding became the Minister for Planning, the Minister for Employment and Training, and the Minister for Consumer Affairs. In another reshuffle in December 1984, he became the Minister for Industrial Relations, while still holding his other roles.
Moving to the Lower House
For the February 1986 state election, Dowding left his seat in the Legislative Council to run for the Legislative Assembly seat of Maylands. This move was seen as a step towards becoming Premier. Maylands was a safe seat for the Labor Party, meaning it was very likely they would win it. Dowding won the seat for Labor. After this, he stopped being the Minister for Consumer Affairs. From October 1986, he also helped the Minister for Public Sector Management. He was in charge of making changes to how the government worked. He also traveled to Europe as Minister for Employment and Training, where he became interested in Sweden's economy. In Stockholm, he met his third wife, and they married in October 1987. In March 1987, his roles were renamed to Minister for Productivity and Employment, and Minister for Labour. He also became the Minister for Works and Services.
Peter Dowding: Becoming Premier
The Path to Leadership
After many months of talk, in December 1987, Premier Brian Burke announced he would resign in February 1988. Burke said he wanted Dowding to be the next Premier. A secret poll by the Labor Party in March 1987 showed that Dowding was the best choice for the party to win elections. Other potential leaders decided not to run, partly because of Burke's influence and the poll results. This helped the party stay united. Dowding was chosen as the leader of the Labor Party, and David Parker became his deputy.
Dowding and his team of ministers were officially sworn in by Governor Gordon Reid on 25 February 1988. Dowding took on the roles of Treasurer, Minister for Productivity, Minister for Public Sector Management, and Minister for Women's Interests. Changes were made to the cabinet to replace ministers who had faced problems in their roles. For example, Carmen Lawrence, a new minister, became the Minister for Education.
Dowding did not belong to any specific group, or faction, within the Labor Party. He said his main goal was to help the Labor Party govern effectively.
Challenges and Policies
In March 1988, special elections, called by-elections, in the areas of Ascot and Balga showed a drop in support for the Labor Party. Dowding blamed this on both the state and federal governments. An opinion poll in April 1988 showed that many people didn't have an opinion on Dowding's performance. To become more well-known, the Labor Party ran TV ads, and Dowding released a detailed plan for development. By June, more people had an opinion of him, and his approval ratings improved.
However, a financial controversy called WA Inc began to cause problems. The stock market crashed in October 1987, which affected some of the government's private investments. A bank called Rothwells went out of business in November 1988. Dowding said the government could lose a lot of money from this. The government also faced criticism when a teachers' group donated money to the Labor Party after getting a loan extension from a state-owned bank. The donation was later returned.
In the 1988–89 state budget, there was more money spent on education and police. This meant more police officers, teachers, and school staff. The budget also included selling state housing homes and building an electric railway line to Joondalup.
In the 1989 state election, the Labor Party saw a drop in votes. However, they only lost one seat in the Legislative Assembly. This was because the biggest drops in votes happened in areas where Labor was very strong, and smaller drops happened in areas that were more closely contested. Labor still had enough seats to form a majority government. After the election, Dowding changed his cabinet again, giving up his roles as Treasurer and Minister for Productivity.
Peter Dowding: Leadership Change
Why Dowding Resigned
Within six months of the 1989 election, some Labor politicians were unhappy with Dowding. They found him challenging to work with. His popularity also suffered after a court case involving a company director, Tony Lloyd. Lloyd's lawyers claimed that Dowding had ordered him to pay off a debt using a large cheque. In January 1990, Lloyd was found to have acted improperly in a case related to WA Inc. After this, opinion polls showed Dowding's support was very low. Also, a federal election was coming up, and the Labor Party wanted to limit losses in Western Australia. Having a state leader less connected to the WA Inc controversy would help.
In early 1990, Dowding traveled to Switzerland. While he was away, several Labor politicians met and decided he should be replaced. By February 7, 1990, most Labor members had signed a letter asking for Dowding's resignation. He returned early to try and keep his leadership. At a meeting on February 12, Dowding resigned. Carmen Lawrence was then chosen as the new leader of the Labor Party and became Premier. Dowding criticized the timing of the leadership challenge, saying it was done to help Labor win the federal election, not for the good of the state.
On April 26, 1990, Dowding resigned from parliament to go back to being a lawyer. He said he wanted to stay longer to explain his actions, but he resigned when he did because Lawrence asked him to, so that two special elections could happen on the same day. Judy Edwards won Dowding's old seat for Labor.
Peter Dowding: Later Life
After leaving parliament, Dowding continued his career as a lawyer. He worked in Sydney and Perth, focusing on family law since 1996. In 2002, he was recognized as a Senior Counsel in Western Australia. He also received a Centenary Medal in 2003.
Dowding married for the fourth time in 2004 in Fremantle. As of 2022, he lives in South Fremantle. In August 2023, he released a book about his uncle, Bruce Dowding. His uncle was part of the French Resistance during World War II and helped Allied soldiers escape from Nazi-occupied France. He was caught and executed in 1943.
See also
- Electoral results for the district of Maylands
- List of Caulfield Grammar School people
- List of Old Boys of The Scots College (Sydney)
- List of Old Haleians
