Thomas Hollway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tom Hollway
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Hollway, c. 1940s
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| 36th Premier of Victoria | |
| In office 20 November 1947 – 27 June 1950 |
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| Governor | Sir Winston Dugan (1947–1949) Sir Dallas Brooks (1949–1950) |
| Deputy | John McDonald (1947–1948) Wilfrid Hughes (1948–1950) |
| Preceded by | John Cain Sr. |
| Succeeded by | John McDonald |
| In office 28 October 1952 – 31 October 1952 |
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| Governor | Sir Dallas Brooks |
| Deputy | Alexander Dennett |
| Preceded by | John McDonald |
| Succeeded by | John McDonald |
| 9th Deputy Premier of Victoria | |
| In office 18 September 1943 – 2 October 1945 |
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| Premier | Albert Dunstan |
| Preceded by | Bert Cremean |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Maltby |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Ballarat |
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| In office 14 May 1932 – 31 October 1952 |
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| Preceded by | William McAdam |
| Succeeded by | John Sheehan |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Glen Iris |
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| In office 6 December 1952 – 22 April 1955 |
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| Preceded by | Les Norman |
| Succeeded by | District abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Tuke Hollway
2 October 1906 Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 30 July 1971 (aged 64) Point Lonsdale, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | United Australia Party (until 1945) Liberal Party (1945–1949) Liberal and Country Party (1949–1952) Electoral Reform League (1952–1954) Victorian Liberal Party (1954–1955) |
| Spouse | Sheila Florence Kelsall |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Profession | Solicitor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch/service | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1942–1943 |
| Rank | Flying Officer |
| Unit | No. 100 Squadron RAAF |
Thomas Tuke Hollway (born October 2, 1906 – died July 30, 1971) was an important Australian politician. He served as the 36th Premier of Victoria, which is like being the leader of the state government. He was the first Premier of Victoria to be born in the 20th century.
Hollway was Premier twice: first from 1947 to 1950, and then for a very short time in 1952. He started his political career with the United Australia Party (UAP). Later, he became the first leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, which took over from the UAP. He eventually left the Liberal Party because of disagreements about how elections should be run.
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Early Life and Education
Thomas Tuke Hollway was born in Ballarat, a city in Victoria. His father, also named Thomas, was a local business owner who later became the mayor of Ballarat. Thomas's mother was Annie Nicholl.
He went to school in Ballarat at Macarthur Street School and Ballarat Church of England Grammar School. After school, he studied arts and law at the University of Melbourne. He became a solicitor (a type of lawyer) in 1928 and worked at a law firm in Ballarat.
Political Journey
Starting in Politics
Hollway was first elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1932. This is the main law-making body in Victoria. He represented the area of Ballarat. When he was elected, he was only 25 years old, making him the youngest member in any Australian parliament at that time.
In 1940, he became the secretary and whip for the UAP. He also became the deputy leader of the party. When the UAP leader, Sir Stanley Argyle, passed away in November 1940, Hollway was chosen as the new party leader in December.
Serving in World War II
Even though he was a Member of Parliament and party leader, Hollway joined the Royal Australian Air Force in February 1942. He trained as an intelligence officer and served in Papua. He was a Flying Officer before leaving the active service in July 1943.
Becoming Deputy Premier
From 1943 to 1945, during Albert Dunstan's government, Hollway served as the Deputy Premier of Victoria. This is the second-highest position in the state government.
In 1945, the UAP became part of the new Liberal Party of Australia. Hollway was chosen as the first leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria.
Leading Victoria as Premier
In the state election held on November 8, 1947, Hollway led a group of parties (the Liberal–Country coalition) to win against the Labor government led by John Cain Sr. Hollway became Premier at 41, making him one of Victoria's youngest Premiers.
However, the group of parties supporting him was not very stable. In March 1949, the Liberal Party in Victoria changed its name to the Liberal and Country Party to try and bring in more supporters from the Country Party. This caused more tension between the two groups.
John McDonald, the leader of the Country Party, was Hollway's first Deputy Premier. But Hollway removed him from the role in December 1948 after McDonald criticized Hollway's actions during transport strikes.
Eventually, the partnership between the Liberals and the Country Party broke apart.
Hollway led the Liberal Party to win the most seats in the May 13, 1950, state election. They still had some support from the Country Party to form a government. However, this arrangement did not last long.
Hollway lost his position as Premier on June 27, 1950. He was replaced by the Country Party leader, John McDonald. This happened because the Labor Party agreed to support a Country Party government. Hollway asked the Governor of Victoria, Sir Dallas Brooks, to hold another election, but the Governor refused and appointed McDonald as Premier.
Push for Electoral Reform
While he was the leader of the opposition, Hollway strongly believed that Victoria's election system needed to change. He thought the system gave too much power to rural areas. He suggested a new way to draw election boundaries, similar to how federal elections were run. This plan, called the "two-for-one system," would have divided each of Victoria's 33 federal areas into two for state elections.
Hollway's plan would have reduced the number of seats for the Country Party. Because of this, the Labor Party and some Liberals supported his idea. Hollway convinced the Liberal and Country Party leaders to agree to his plan, but many party members disagreed, fearing they would lose their seats.
The disagreements within his party grew. On December 4, 1951, the party voted to remove Hollway and his deputy, Trevor Oldham, from their leadership roles. They were replaced by Les Norman and Henry Bolte. The vote was very close.
Hollway continued to push for electoral reform and worked closely with the Labor Party to achieve it. He believed his plan was good for everyone, beyond party politics. On September 17, 1952, Hollway tried to remove McDonald's government, but his attempt failed by just one vote.
The Liberals then decided to remove Hollway from their parliamentary party on September 24. Les Norman said Hollway had harmed the party. The vote to expel him passed, but seven members left the party meeting to show their support for Hollway.
The 70-Hour Premier
In October 1952, the Labor Party worked with two of Hollway's supporters to stop the McDonald government from getting the money it needed to operate. This is called blocking supply. Labor then told the Governor that they would only provide money if Hollway led a minority government. McDonald resigned as Premier.
On October 23, Governor Brooks asked Hollway to form a new government with the seven former Liberal members who supported him. This government would be backed by the Labor Party. The new government, known as the Hollway ministry, was sworn in on October 28.
Hollway's government lasted only four days, or seventy hours, making it the shortest-lived government in Victoria's history. On October 31, Hollway asked the Governor to hold another election. However, Governor Brooks refused. He then forced Hollway to resign and asked McDonald to become Premier again. An election was called for December 6. On the same day, Hollway and his supporters officially formed a new group called the Electoral Reform League.
Elections of 1952 and 1955
The Electoral Reform League ran candidates in fifteen areas in the 1952 state election. Hollway decided not to run in his old area of Ballarat. Instead, he ran in Glen Iris, against Les Norman, the leader of his former party. Many people thought Hollway would not win, but he defeated Norman easily. John Cain's Labor Party won the election with a large majority, and the Electoral Reform League won four seats.
The Cain government then put Hollway's "two-for-one" electoral plan into action. Interestingly, Hollway's own seat of Glen Iris was one of the areas removed in this new plan. With his election reform goals achieved, Hollway changed the name of his party to the Victorian Liberal Party in October 1954.
In the 1955 election, Hollway ran for a seat in Ripponlea. However, he had lost some of his passion for campaigning since his main goal of electoral reform was completed. He was defeated by Edgar Tanner, the Liberal and Country Party candidate.
Later Life
After losing the election, Hollway retired to Point Lonsdale, a town in Victoria. He was very involved in his local community there. He passed away on July 30, 1971, at the age of 64.
Images for kids
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Hollway, c. 1940s
