John Dawkins

The Honourable John Dawkins AO
Treasurer of Australia
In office 27 December 1991 – 22 December 1993
Prime Minister	Paul Keating
Preceded by	Ralph Willis
Succeeded by	Ralph Willis
Minister for Employment, Education and Training
In office 24 July 1987 – 27 December 1991
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke Paul Keating
Preceded by	Susan Ryan
Succeeded by	Kim Beazley
Minister for Trade
In office 13 December 1984 – 24 July 1987
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke
Preceded by	Lionel Bowen
Succeeded by	Michael Duffy
Minister for Finance
In office 11 March 1983 – 13 December 1984
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke
Preceded by	Dame Margaret Guilfoyle
Succeeded by	Peter Walsh
Member of the Australian Parliament for Fremantle
In office 10 December 1977 – 4 February 1994
Preceded by	Kim Beazley
Succeeded by	Carmen Lawrence
Member of the Australian Parliament for Tangney
In office 18 May 1974 – 13 December 1975
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Peter Richardson
Personal details
Born	(1947-03-02) 2 March 1947 Perth, Western Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Alma mater	University of Western Australia
Occupation	Economist

John Sydney "Joe"^[1] Dawkins, AO (born 2 March 1947), Australian politician, was Treasurer in the Keating Labor government from December 1991 to December 1993. He is notable for his reforms of tertiary education as Minister for Employment, Education and Training, his period as Treasurer when he attempted to increase taxes in order to balance the budget and his abrupt exit from politics.

Early life

Dawkins was born in Perth, Western Australia. He was educated at Roseworthy Agricultural College gaining a Diploma in Agriculture, then at the University of Western Australia, where he graduated in economics.^[2]

Political career

In 1974, aged 27, Dawkins was elected to the House of Representatives for the marginal seat of Tangney. He was defeated at the 1975 election by Liberal Peter Richardson.^[2]

In 1977 Dawkins returned to the House as member for the safe Labor seat of Fremantle, succeeding Kim Beazley (senior), and defeating his son, Kim Beazley, for the Labor preselection. In 1980 he was promoted to the Opposition front bench and was Shadow Education Minister from 1980 to 1983. He became Minister for Finance following the election of the first Hawke government in 1983. In the second Hawke Ministry (1984–1987) he was Minister for Trade. From 1987 to 1991 he was Minister for Employment, Education and Training.^[2] It was in this position where he brought in a series of reforms of the higher education sector, which included expansion of Australian universities, the forced mergers of universities and colleges of advanced education, and the re-introduction of university fees (abolished by Kim Beazley senior in 1973) in the form of the HECS. This later became known as the Dawkins Revolution and aroused bitter opposition among academics and university administrators.

A key supporter of Paul Keating, Dawkins became Treasurer following Keating's unseating of Hawke as ALP leader and Prime Minister, in his second and successful leadership challenge in December 1991. After Keating's unexpected victory in the 1993 federal election, Dawkins brought down a budget which contained a series of highly unpopular revenue measures which were seen as an attack on Labor's traditional supporters. The Cabinet, which had hitherto grudgingly accepted Keating's neo-liberal policies, rebelled against the Dawkins budget. Dawkins didn't help his stock when he taunted Liberal MP Kathy Sullivan by calling her "sweetheart," angering several female MPs from his own party.

In December 1993 Dawkins, frustrated at what he saw as the lack of economic realism of his colleagues, suddenly announced his resignation, and quit politics altogether soon after. It was during his farewell speech that he suggested that the date of presenting the Budget be moved from August to May, a practice that would be started by his successor Ralph Willis in May 1994. He was succeeded in Fremantle by former West Australian Premier Dr Carmen Lawrence.

Post political career

Since leaving politics, Dawkins has had an active business career. He has been non-executive Chair of Elders Rural Bank, LawCentral, Integrated Legal Holdings, The Retail Energy Market Company which operates the retail gas markets in South Australia and Western Australia, Fortuna Funds Management and director of Genetic Technologies and MGM Wireless.^[3]

In late 2013, Dawkins was appointed Non-executive Chairman of Vocation (ASX: VET). He resigned the following year. Investors lost in excess of $700m when the listed company failed in late 2015.

In 2000 he was a made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the reform of international trade as foundation Chairman of the Cairns Group, to the reform of the federal budget, education and training, and to the Australian Parliament.^[4]

In 2000, Dawkins's family agreed to use 104 hectares of their sizeable holdings of grazing land in Forrestdale outside Perth in a property venture where the profits from land sales would be invested in research and development for technology that is conducted at the CY O'Connor ERADE Village, including research laboratories, offices and accommodation, at the entrance of the twelve hectare estate. The development was believed to be worth around $100 million.^[5]

His principal employment is as Director of the Adelaide office of Government Relations Australia, a lobbying firm.^[6] He has also worked as a consultant to large Australian and foreign companies and the World Bank and the OECD. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of South Australia and the Queensland University of Technology.

He is currently board chairman of the gold exploration company Sovereign (ASX: SOC).^[7] A cousin of the same name, John Dawkins, is a current Liberal member of the South Australian Legislative Council.

References

First Keating Ministry (1991–93)
Prime Minister: Paul Keating
Cabinet	Kim Beazley Neal Blewett Nick Bolkus John Button Bob Collins Peter Cook Simon Crean John Dawkins Michael Duffy Gareth Evans Alan Griffiths Gerry Hand Brian Howe Ben Humphreys Ros Kelly John Kerin Robert Ray Graham Richardson Ralph Willis
Outer Ministry	Peter Baldwin Neal Blewett David Beddall Gordon Bilney Bob Brown Wendy Fatin Ross Free Jeannette McHugh David Simmons Peter Staples Michael Tate Robert Tickner
Parliamentary Secretaries	Laurie Brereton Peter Duncan Gary Johns Stephen Martin Bob McMullan Roger Price Con Sciacca Warren Snowdon