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 was the premier of Western Australia from February 1988 to February 1990. The Premier is the leader of the state government.
Peter Dowding was a member of the Parliament of Western Australia from 1980 to 1990. He belonged to the Labor Party. He resigned as Premier in 1990 due to a leadership spill, which is when members of a political party decide to change their leader. After leaving politics, he returned to his work as a lawyer.
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Early Life and Law Career
Peter Dowding was born on 6 October 1943 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He went to several schools in Australia and the United Kingdom. As a teenager, he joined the Australian Labor Party. His father, Keith, was also a Labor Party member.
Peter Dowding studied at the University of Western Australia. He earned a law degree in 1964 and became a lawyer in 1966.
Between 1967 and 1972, he helped many people who did not want to fight in the Vietnam War. He also represented protesters at a naval base in Exmouth. In 1968, he started his own law firm, focusing on family law. He became a senior partner in 1977.
From 1975 to 1976, Peter Dowding was on the Kalamunda Shire Council. In 1976 and 1977, he worked with the Aboriginal Legal Service in Port Hedland.
In 1977, he helped Ernie Bridge, a Labor Party candidate, in an important court case. The court found that some Aboriginal people were unfairly stopped from voting in an election. This led to the election results being changed.
Starting in Politics
Before the 1980 Western Australian state election, Peter Dowding decided to run for a seat in the Western Australian Legislative Council. This is the upper house of the state parliament. He ran for the North Province seat, which covers the northern part of Western Australia.
He won the election, largely because of strong support from the Aboriginal population. He had promised to help them gain land rights. His term as a Member of Parliament began on 22 May 1980.
When the Labor Party won the 1983 Western Australian state election under Brian Burke, Peter Dowding became a minister. He was made the Minister for Mines and the Minister for Fuel and Energy. Being a minister means he was in charge of a government department.
Over the next few years, he held different minister roles. In December 1983, he became the Minister for Planning, the Minister for Employment and Training, and the Minister for Consumer Affairs. In December 1984, he also became the Minister for Industrial Relations.
At the 1986 Western Australian state election, Peter Dowding moved from the Legislative Council to run for a seat in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. This is the lower house of parliament. He won the seat of Maylands, which was a safe seat for the Labor Party. This move was seen as a step towards him becoming Premier.
After this election, he continued as Minister for Employment and Training, and Minister for Industrial Relations. He also became the Minister for Works and Services in March 1987.
Becoming Premier
In December 1987, Premier Brian Burke announced he would resign on 25 February 1988. Brian Burke chose Peter Dowding as his preferred replacement. A secret poll showed that Peter Dowding was the best choice for the party.
Other people who wanted to be leader eventually stepped aside. On 30 December, Peter Dowding was chosen as the Labor Party's leader without anyone voting against him. David Parker was chosen as his deputy.
Peter Dowding and his team of ministers were sworn in by the Governor on 25 February 1988. Peter Dowding took on several important roles himself, including Treasurer. The Treasurer is in charge of the state's money.
Peter Dowding was not part of any specific group (faction) within the Labor Party. He said his main goal was to help the Labor Party govern well.
Challenges as Premier
In early 1988, there were some by-elections where the Labor Party lost support. Peter Dowding said this was due to both state and federal government issues.
Opinion polls showed that many people didn't know much about Peter Dowding's performance. To help with this, the Labor Party ran TV ads and Peter Dowding took a more public role in solving problems. His popularity then started to grow.
However, a big financial issue called WA Inc began to cause problems for the government. The stock market crashed in October 1987, which affected some of the government's private investments. A merchant bank called Rothwells went out of business in November 1988. This meant the government could lose a lot of money. Peter Dowding promised that no more taxpayer money would be spent on Rothwells.
In the 1988–89 state budget, the government spent more money on education and police. This meant more police officers, teachers, and school staff. The budget also included plans to sell state housing homes and build an electric railway line to Joondalup.
At the 1989 Western Australian state election, the Labor Party lost some support. However, they still won enough seats to form a majority government. After the election, Peter Dowding changed his team of ministers, giving up his role as Treasurer.
Leadership Change
Within six months of the 1989 election, some Labor Members of Parliament were unhappy with Peter Dowding. They found him difficult to work with. His popularity also dropped due to controversies related to the WA Inc financial issues. Opinion polls showed his support was very low.
In early 1990, Peter Dowding went to a meeting in Switzerland. While he was away, several Labor politicians met and decided he should step down as leader. By 7 February 1990, most Labor members had signed a letter asking him to resign.
He returned early to try and keep his leadership. However, at a meeting on 12 February, Peter Dowding resigned as Premier and leader of the Labor Party. Carmen Lawrence was then chosen as the new leader and became Premier later that day. She promised to deal with the WA Inc issues.
Peter Dowding felt the leadership change was too soon. On 26 April 1990, he resigned from parliament to go back to being a lawyer.
WA Inc Royal Commission
After Peter Dowding left office, a special investigation called a royal commission was set up to look into the WA Inc financial issues.
Peter Dowding gave evidence to the commission in November 1991. He spoke about the government's financial dealings and the purchase of the Kwinana Petrochemical Plant. He said that the plant's purchase was a way to help Rothwells bank, but he believed the project was a good idea.
The commission released its first report in October 1992. It found that Peter Dowding had acted improperly in some financial matters. Peter Dowding said that some of the commission's findings about him were wrong. However, he was relieved that the report did not say he had done anything corrupt or for personal financial gain.
Later Life
After leaving parliament, Peter Dowding continued to work as a lawyer in New South Wales and Western Australia. In 2002, he was appointed as Senior Counsel in Western Australia, which is a special title for experienced lawyers. He also received a Centenary Medal in 2003.
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
