Harold Hird
Encyclopedia
Harold James Hird an Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
representing the electorate of Ginninderra
for the Liberal Party of Australia
from 1995
to 2001
. Hird also served in the elected ACT House of Assembly
(a predecessor to the ACT Legislative Assembly), representing the electoral district of Fraser, from 1975 until 1985 for the Liberal Party; and as an independent
Speaker from 1985 to 1986. Hird is currently employed at Bunnings in Belconnen, ACT.
candidate, but he was unsuccessful. Hird ran again, leading a ticket called 'The Better Management – An Independent Team', with seven other candidates in 1992
, and was again unsuccessful. On his thurd attempt running for the ACT Legislative Assembly, Hird was successgul in 1995, this time as a candidate for the Liberal Party.
At the request of the ACT Chief Minister
, in 1996 the ACT Auditor General
completed an inquiry that provided guidelines to the Territory government for commercial dealings with companies, partnerships or individuals who are partners of family members of Members of the Assembly. The inquiry came about due to an auction of taxi plates that yielded $0.57m below budget expectation. The auctioneer for the plates was Harold Hird and Associates. The Auditor-General found that the selection of the auctioneer followed due process. The Auditor-General also found that as there were no established guidelines for Ministers, Members of the Assembly, nor public servants in how to act in such matters. Recommendations were made to establish a Code of Conduct.
Hird was re-elected at the 1998 general election
. At the 2001 general election
, Hird ran again for the Liberal Party but was unsuccessful in retaining his seat for the party. Vicki Dunne
was elected as the second Liberal candidate for Ginninderra. Following the announcement of the election result in 2001, Hird sought a recount of the votes in the electorate of Ginninderra. Hird was 55 votes behind fellow Liberal Party candidate, Dunne, at the point at which one of the two candidates had to be excluded. Hird’s request for a recount was rejected by both the Electoral Commissioner and, on appeal, the full ACT Electoral Commission
. In considering the request, the Commissioner and the full Commission had regard to the level of accuracy achieved by the data entry of paper ballots and the computer count. The Commission was satisfied that the level of accuracy was so high that a recount in any form could not have improved on the accuracy of the original count, and that there was no probability that the original count had indicated that the wrong candidates had been elected, given the margins between the winning and losing candidates.
At the 2004 ACT general election
, Hird ran on his own ticket, called the 'Harold Hird Independents'. He ran again as an independent
at the 2008 ACT general election
. On both occasions, he was unsuccessful in being elected. In 2005, the ACT Electoral Commissioner cancelled the party's registration at the request of the Secretary of the Harold Hird Independent Group.
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
representing the electorate of Ginninderra
Ginninderra electorate
The Ginninderra electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has five seats, and is the smallest of the electorates in geographic area.-History:...
for the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
from 1995
Australian Capital Territory general election, 1995
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 18 February 1995. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Rosemary Follett, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Kate Carnell. For the first time, candidates were elected to fill three multi-member...
to 2001
Australian Capital Territory general election, 2001
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 20 October 2001. The incumbent Liberal Party, led by Gary Humphries, was challenged by the Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope. candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
. Hird also served in the elected ACT House of Assembly
Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly was the main elected representative body of the Australian Capital Territory between 1975 and 1986, when preparations began to be made for the granting of self-government to the Territory...
(a predecessor to the ACT Legislative Assembly), representing the electoral district of Fraser, from 1975 until 1985 for the Liberal Party; and as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Speaker from 1985 to 1986. Hird is currently employed at Bunnings in Belconnen, ACT.
Territory politics
Hird was a member of the ACT House of Assembly from 1975–1986; the last twelve months he served as Speaker.. When the House was dissolved in 1986 into make way for the Legislative Assembly, Hird's ran for election at the 1989 general election as an independentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate, but he was unsuccessful. Hird ran again, leading a ticket called 'The Better Management – An Independent Team', with seven other candidates in 1992
Australian Capital Territory general election, 1992
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 15 February 1992. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Rosemary Follett, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Trevor Kaine. Candidates were elected to fill seats using a modified D'Hondt method for a...
, and was again unsuccessful. On his thurd attempt running for the ACT Legislative Assembly, Hird was successgul in 1995, this time as a candidate for the Liberal Party.
At the request of the ACT Chief Minister
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of party with the largest representation of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usually takes on the role...
, in 1996 the ACT Auditor General
Australian National Audit Office
The Australian National Audit Office is the national auditor for the Parliament of Australia and Government of Australia. It reports directly to Parliament but is administratively located in the Portfolio of Prime Minister and Cabinet....
completed an inquiry that provided guidelines to the Territory government for commercial dealings with companies, partnerships or individuals who are partners of family members of Members of the Assembly. The inquiry came about due to an auction of taxi plates that yielded $0.57m below budget expectation. The auctioneer for the plates was Harold Hird and Associates. The Auditor-General found that the selection of the auctioneer followed due process. The Auditor-General also found that as there were no established guidelines for Ministers, Members of the Assembly, nor public servants in how to act in such matters. Recommendations were made to establish a Code of Conduct.
Hird was re-elected at the 1998 general election
Australian Capital Territory general election, 1998
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 21 February 1998. The incumbent Liberal Party, led by Kate Carnell, was challenged by the Labor Party, led by Wayne Berry. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
. At the 2001 general election
Australian Capital Territory general election, 2001
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 20 October 2001. The incumbent Liberal Party, led by Gary Humphries, was challenged by the Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope. candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
, Hird ran again for the Liberal Party but was unsuccessful in retaining his seat for the party. Vicki Dunne
Vicki Dunne
Vicki Ann Dunne , an Australian politician, is a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, since 2001, representing the electoral district of Ginninderra for the Liberal Party....
was elected as the second Liberal candidate for Ginninderra. Following the announcement of the election result in 2001, Hird sought a recount of the votes in the electorate of Ginninderra. Hird was 55 votes behind fellow Liberal Party candidate, Dunne, at the point at which one of the two candidates had to be excluded. Hird’s request for a recount was rejected by both the Electoral Commissioner and, on appeal, the full ACT Electoral Commission
Australian Capital Territory Electoral Commission
The Australian Capital Territory Electoral Commission is the agency of the Government of the Australian Capital Territory with responsibility for the conduct of elections and referendums for the unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly; the determination of electoral boundaries for the ACT; and the...
. In considering the request, the Commissioner and the full Commission had regard to the level of accuracy achieved by the data entry of paper ballots and the computer count. The Commission was satisfied that the level of accuracy was so high that a recount in any form could not have improved on the accuracy of the original count, and that there was no probability that the original count had indicated that the wrong candidates had been elected, given the margins between the winning and losing candidates.
At the 2004 ACT general election
Australian Capital Territory general election, 2004
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 16 October 2004. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Brendan Smyth. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
, Hird ran on his own ticket, called the 'Harold Hird Independents'. He ran again as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
at the 2008 ACT general election
Australian Capital Territory general election, 2008
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 18 October 2008. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Zed Seselja. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
. On both occasions, he was unsuccessful in being elected. In 2005, the ACT Electoral Commissioner cancelled the party's registration at the request of the Secretary of the Harold Hird Independent Group.