John Halden
Encyclopedia
Stanley John Halden at Fremantle, Western Australia
, is a former member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
.
Halden was educated in Western Australia and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Social Work. Prior to entering parliament he was employed as a social worker and a counsellor for the Family Court of Australia
.
and was elected to Western Australia's Thirty-second Parliament as the Legislative Council Member for North Metropolitan Province from 22 May 1986, in succession to Peter Henry Wells. He was elected to represent the electoral region of South Metropolitan
from 22 May 1989. he was re-elected in 1993 and, for a last time in 1996 (for a term commencing 22 May 1997).
assisting the Ministers for Education, and Parliamentary and Electoral Reform (20 November 1990 – 19 March 1991); and for Productivity and Labour Relations, and Consumer Affairs (from 19 March 1991) 30 April 1990 – 16 February 1993.
Halden represented the Western Australian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
at the 22nd Australasian and Pacific Region Conference, New Zealand, September 1991.
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Investigating Halden's role in the affair was part of the brief of the Marks Royal Commission. Halden was charged with perjury before the Commission and was tried and acquitted in December 1998.
He later started a lobbying office, representing clients seeking consideration from the government of Western Australia.
In May 2008 he gave an interview to The West Australian
which resulted in calls for the revocation of his lobbyist's licence. Halden had indicated that Public Service officers had occasionally been indiscreet and provided him with confidential governmental information. On 3 June 2008, the matter was referred to the Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission
.
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, is a former member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
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Halden was educated in Western Australia and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Social Work. Prior to entering parliament he was employed as a social worker and a counsellor for the Family Court of Australia
Family Court of Australia
The Family Court of Australia is a superior Australian federal court of record which deals with family law matters. Together with the Federal Magistrates Court, it covers family law matters in all states and territories of Australia except Western Australia...
.
Parliamentary service
Halden contested the 1986 Western Australian State election as a candidate for the Australian Labor PartyAustralian 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...
and was elected to Western Australia's Thirty-second Parliament as the Legislative Council Member for North Metropolitan Province from 22 May 1986, in succession to Peter Henry Wells. He was elected to represent the electoral region of South Metropolitan
Electoral region of South Metropolitan
The electoral region of South Metropolitan is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the southern suburbs of Perth. It was created by the Acts Amendment Act 1987, and became effective on 22 May 1989 with five members who had been elected at the...
from 22 May 1989. he was re-elected in 1993 and, for a last time in 1996 (for a term commencing 22 May 1997).
Ministerial Appointments
Halden served as a Parliamentary SecretaryParliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
assisting the Ministers for Education, and Parliamentary and Electoral Reform (20 November 1990 – 19 March 1991); and for Productivity and Labour Relations, and Consumer Affairs (from 19 March 1991) 30 April 1990 – 16 February 1993.
Shadow Ministerial Appointments
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council 17 February 1993 – 30 November 1993; Leader of the Opposition from 30 November 1993 to 15 October 1996. He was also Shadow Minister for Transport from 17 February 1993 –7 February 1994; for Education, Employment and Training, and Youth (from 23 January 1995) 7 February 1994 – 18 March 1996; for Employment and Training, Federal Affairs, Finance, and South West 18 March 1996 – 15 October 1996; for Finance 15 January – April 1997. Shadow Minister for Prisons 6 January 1999 to 20 January 2000.Standing Committees
Member Standing Committee on Government Agencies September 1989 – January 1993; and Constitutional Affairs and Statutes Revision Committee 25 August 1992 – January 1993. Chairperson Estimates and Financial Operations Committee 10–29 April 1997; additional member to consider the Estimates for 1990–91 and for 1991–92.Select Committees/Royal Commissions
Chairman Joint Select Committee on Parole 7 September 1989 – 28 August 1991. Member Select Committee on West Australian Police Service 2 December 1992 – 8 January 1993.Halden represented the Western Australian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights...
at the 22nd Australasian and Pacific Region Conference, New Zealand, September 1991.
Easton affair
In 1992, Halden tabled a petition in the Legislative Council in the initial public act of the scandal which became known as the Easton affairEaston affair
The Easton affair was the name which came to be used to describe a Western Australian political scandal. A member of the Labor Party, then in government, tabled a document on 5 November 1992 in the Western Australian Legislative Council claiming that confidential information was improperly released...
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Investigating Halden's role in the affair was part of the brief of the Marks Royal Commission. Halden was charged with perjury before the Commission and was tried and acquitted in December 1998.
After parliament
Halden resigned from his position as MLC for the South Metropolitan District on 20 January 2000 in order to take up the position of Labor Party State Secretary. (Graham Giffard was appointed to the resulting casual vacancy on 7 February 2000.) Halden resigned from his position as State Secretary of the ALP on 27 April 2001.He later started a lobbying office, representing clients seeking consideration from the government of Western Australia.
In May 2008 he gave an interview to The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
which resulted in calls for the revocation of his lobbyist's licence. Halden had indicated that Public Service officers had occasionally been indiscreet and provided him with confidential governmental information. On 3 June 2008, the matter was referred to the Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission
Corruption and Crime Commission
The Corruption and Crime Commission is a permanent investigative commission established by the Government of Western Australia in 2003, largely as a result of the findings of a Royal Commission into the state's police service. Its role is to investigate public corruption...
.
External links
- Home Page for the Western Australian Government's Lobbyists Register.