John Perkins (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
John Arthur Perkins was an Australia
n politician and journalist.
Perkins was born at Gocup
near Tumut, New South Wales
and educated at public schools in Tumut and Cooma
. He was a member of the Cooma Municipal Council from 1902 to 1909 and mayor in 1904 and 1908. He married Evelyn Mary Bray in 1909.
Perkins contested the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
seat of Monaro
in 1904 and in 1907, without success. In 1921, he was selected to fill a casual vacancy for Goulburn
(which, during the proportional representation
experiment from 1920 to 1927, was a multi-electorate that included the former Monaro district) for the Nationalist Party
.
at a by-election, but lost the seat in 1929 to John Cusack
, retaking it in 1931. He was government whip from 1926 to 1929 and was appointed Minster for the Interior
in the Lyons
government in October 1932, responsible among other things for administering the Northern Territory
. The anthropologist, A. P. Elkin
congratulated him on his efforts "to make inter-racial conditions in the North more equable and more just". Nevertheless, criticism of Australia's treatment of indigenous Australians
in the British
press led Lyons to drop him from Cabinet
in 1934. He was minister without portfolio from November 1937 to November 1938, Minister in charge of Territories
for two days in November 1938 and then Minister for Trade and Customs
until April 1939, when he became Minister without portfolio administering External Territories
until March 1940. He was defeated by Allan Fraser
in the 1943 elections
.
Perkins died in the Sydney
suburb of Manly
, survived by his wife.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and journalist.
Perkins was born at Gocup
Gocup, New South Wales
Gocup is a town community in the central east part of the Riverina and situated about 9 kilometres north from Tumut and 26 kilometres south from Gundagai on the Gundagai to Tumut Road....
near Tumut, New South Wales
Tumut, New South Wales
Tumut is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut is at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is referred to as the gateway to the Snowy Mountains Scheme...
and educated at public schools in Tumut and Cooma
Cooma, New South Wales
-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....
. He was a member of the Cooma Municipal Council from 1902 to 1909 and mayor in 1904 and 1908. He married Evelyn Mary Bray in 1909.
Perkins contested the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
seat of Monaro
Electoral district of Monaro
Monaro is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Barilaro of the National Party of Australia....
in 1904 and in 1907, without success. In 1921, he was selected to fill a casual vacancy for Goulburn
Electoral district of Goulburn
Goulburn is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Pru Goward of the Liberal Party of Australia....
(which, during the proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
experiment from 1920 to 1927, was a multi-electorate that included the former Monaro district) for the Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
.
Federal parliamentary career
In January 1926 Perkins won the Federal seat of Eden-MonaroDivision of Eden-Monaro
The Division of Eden-Monaro is anAustralian Electoral Division in New South Wales.The division was created in 1900, and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the town of Eden and the Monaro district of southern New South Wales...
at a by-election, but lost the seat in 1929 to John Cusack
John Cusack (Australian politician)
John Joseph Cusack was an Australian politician, coachbuilder and garage proprietor.-Early life:Cusack was born at Bellevale near Yass, New South Wales and had some schooling in Yass. He was apprenticed at 15 to a blacksmith at Berrima...
, retaking it in 1931. He was government whip from 1926 to 1929 and was appointed Minster for the Interior
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...
in the Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
government in October 1932, responsible among other things for administering the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
. The anthropologist, A. P. Elkin
A. P. Elkin
Adolphus Peter "A. P." Elkin CMG was an Anglican clergyman, an influential Australian anthropologist during the mid twentieth century and a proponent of the assimilation of Indigenous Australians.-Early life:...
congratulated him on his efforts "to make inter-racial conditions in the North more equable and more just". Nevertheless, criticism of Australia's treatment of indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
press led Lyons to drop him from Cabinet
Cabinet of Australia
The Cabinet of Australia is the council of senior ministers of the Crown, responsible to parliament. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister the Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, and serves at the former's pleasure. The strictly private...
in 1934. He was minister without portfolio from November 1937 to November 1938, Minister in charge of Territories
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...
for two days in November 1938 and then Minister for Trade and Customs
Minister for Trade (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Trade has been Dr. Craig Emerson since 14 September 2010.-Portfolio:Currently the Minister for Trade administers the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade jointly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, although prior to 1987 there was a separate Department of Trade...
until April 1939, when he became Minister without portfolio administering External Territories
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...
until March 1940. He was defeated by Allan Fraser
Allan Fraser (Australian politician)
Allan Duncan Fraser CMG was an Australian politician and journalist.Fraser was in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton and brought up in Tasmania. He left State High School, Hobart at 17 to become a journalist on the Hobart Mercury. He worked for the Argus in Melbourne from 1922 to 1929 when he...
in the 1943 elections
Australian federal election, 1943
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin easily defeated the opposition Country Party led...
.
Perkins died in the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Manly
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
, survived by his wife.