Ian Wilson (politician)
Encyclopedia
Ian Bonython Cameron Wilson (born 2 May 1932), solicitor, company director and Australian politician, was born in Adelaide
, South Australia, the son of Sir Keith Wilson, a prominent United Australia Party
and Liberal Party
politician. His mother, Elizabeth, (Lady Betty Wilson CBE
), was a granddaughter of Sir John Langdon Bonython
, owner of The Advertiser and a member of the first federal House of Representatives
, and a great-granddaughter of Sir John Cox Bray
, South Australia's first native-born premier.
Wilson was educated at St Peter's College
and Adelaide University, where he graduated in law, and at Magdalen College, Oxford
(S.A. Rhodes Scholar 1955), where he did a higher law degree. He was a solicitor and company director before entering politics.
In 1966, Wilson was elected
to the House of Representatives for the Adelaide seat of Sturt
, which his father had held with one break since 1949
. It was considered a fairly safe Liberal seat, but at the 1969 election
there was a strong swing to Labor
in South Australia, and Wilson was unexpectedly defeated by Norm Foster, a waterside worker. In the 1972 election
, after spending a great deal of family money, Wilson regained the seat, and thereafter held it without difficulty for over 20 years.
Wilson was typical of upper-class South Australian Liberals in being relatively moderate on most issues. He was a serious Anglican and active in many charitable and social welfare groups. This did not make him popular with the more conservative wing of the party. When the Liberals came to power under Malcolm Fraser
in 1975
, he was passed over for the ministry, in favour of the more conservative John McLeay
.
In 1981 McLeay was dropped from the ministry and Wilson was appointed Minister for Home Affairs
and the Environment
. In 1982 he was shifted to Aboriginal Affairs
, a notoriously unpopular portfolio in Liberal governments. He held this position until the defeat of the Liberal government in 1983
. He was not included in the Opposition Shadow Ministry after the elections, and remained as a backbencher. He retired at the 1993 election, after losing Liberal pre-selection to Christopher Pyne
.
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia, the son of Sir Keith Wilson, a prominent United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
and Liberal Party
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...
politician. His mother, Elizabeth, (Lady Betty Wilson CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
), was a granddaughter of Sir John Langdon Bonython
John Langdon Bonython
-Early life:Bonython was born in London in 1848, the second son of George Langdon Bonython and Annie MacBain. The family migrated to South Australia in July 1854. There, Bonython was educated at the Brougham School in North Adelaide...
, owner of The Advertiser and a member of the first federal House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
, and a great-granddaughter of Sir John Cox Bray
John Cox Bray
Sir John Cox Bray KCMG JP was a prominent South Australian politician and the first native-born Premier of South Australia .-Early life:...
, South Australia's first native-born premier.
Wilson was educated at St Peter's College
St Peter's College, Adelaide
St Peter's College, , is an independent boy's school in the South Australian capital of Adelaide...
and Adelaide University, where he graduated in law, and at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
(S.A. Rhodes Scholar 1955), where he did a higher law degree. He was a solicitor and company director before entering politics.
In 1966, Wilson was elected
Australian federal election, 1966
Federal elections were held in Australia on 26 November 1966. All 124 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt with coalition partner the Country Party led by John McEwen defeated the...
to the House of Representatives for the Adelaide seat of Sturt
Division of Sturt
The Division of Sturt is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia.First proclaimed for the 1949 election, Sturt was named for Captain Charles Sturt, nineteenth century explorer and the first European to discover the Murray River...
, which his father had held with one break since 1949
Australian federal election, 1949
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced...
. It was considered a fairly safe Liberal seat, but at the 1969 election
Australian federal election, 1969
Federal elections were held in Australia on 25 October 1969. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia John Gorton with coalition partner the Country Party led by John McEwen defeated the Australian...
there was a strong swing to Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
in South Australia, and Wilson was unexpectedly defeated by Norm Foster, a waterside worker. In the 1972 election
Australian federal election, 1972
Federal elections were held in Australia on 2 December 1972. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The Liberal Party of Australia had been in power since 1949, under Prime Minister of Australia William McMahon since March 1971 with coalition partner the Country Party...
, after spending a great deal of family money, Wilson regained the seat, and thereafter held it without difficulty for over 20 years.
Wilson was typical of upper-class South Australian Liberals in being relatively moderate on most issues. He was a serious Anglican and active in many charitable and social welfare groups. This did not make him popular with the more conservative wing of the party. When the Liberals came to power under Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
in 1975
Australian federal election, 1975
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1975. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election following a double dissolution of both Houses....
, he was passed over for the ministry, in favour of the more conservative John McLeay
John McLeay, junior
John Elden McLeay was an Australian politician and government minister.McLeay was born in Adelaide, the son of Sir John McLeay, a federal politician, as was his brother, George McLeay. McLeay was educated at Scotch College and volunteered for the second Australian Imperial Force in 1941 and...
.
In 1981 McLeay was dropped from the ministry and Wilson was appointed Minister for Home Affairs
Minister for Home Affairs (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Home Affairs has been Brendan O'Connor since 6 June 2009. The Home Affairs portfolio brings together agencies such as the Australian Customs Service , the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which were previously the...
and the Environment
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts (Australia)
The current Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities is Tony Burke, who took over from Peter Garrett . The Minister and department change took effect in the Second Gillard Ministry on 14 September 2010...
. In 1982 he was shifted to Aboriginal Affairs
Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs has been Jenny Macklin since December 2007.-Portfolio:...
, a notoriously unpopular portfolio in Liberal governments. He held this position until the defeat of the Liberal government in 1983
Australian federal election, 1983
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...
. He was not included in the Opposition Shadow Ministry after the elections, and remained as a backbencher. He retired at the 1993 election, after losing Liberal pre-selection to Christopher Pyne
Christopher Pyne
Christopher Maurice Pyne, MP , Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since 13 March 1993, representing the Division of Sturt, South Australia.-Early years:...
.