Ken Booth (politician)
Encyclopedia
Kenneth George Booth (23 February 19261 November 1988) was a New South Wales politician, Treasurer, and Minister of the Crown in the cabinets of Neville Wran
and Barrie Unsworth
. From 1981 to 1988 he was the Treasurer of New South Wales. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for 28 years from 21 March 1959 until his death on 1 November 1988 for the Australian Labor Party
, representing the seats of Kurri Kurri
and Wallsend
.
, the son of Labor Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 1925, George Booth
, and Annie Elizabeth Booth (née Payne). Booth was educated at Kurri Kurri Public School and Maitland Boys' High School
. He later credited his experiences during the Great Depression
as formulaic for his left-wing ideas. At age 17, he joined the Australian Labor Party
. Booth trained to be a physical education teacher at the Armidale and Sydney Teachers College
, gaining a Diploma in Physical Education (DipPhysEd) in 1946.
After teaching at Cessnock High School from 1947 to 1949, he worked in physical education at the Murrumbidgee area office in Wagga Wagga
. In 1951 he lectured at Sydney Teachers College and at Newcastle Technical and Newcastle University
colleges until 1960. On 23 January 1954 he married Irene Marshall, also a teacher, at Christ Church Cathedral
in Newcastle. Together they had a daughter, Christine. An avid sportsman, Booth enjoyed swimming, walking rugby league, basketball, was Secretary of the Newcastle Cricket Association from 1958 to 1960 and a delegate to the New South Wales Cricket Association
.
. At the resulting by-election on 8 October 1960, Booth was elected with 92.53% of the vote against a single Communist
candidate. He was elected a further two time, in 1962 and 1965, but he was elected uncontested as a candidate. He retained this seat until it was abolished in a redistribution prior to the 1968 election
. Booth subsequently contested and won the recreated seat of Wallsend
, gaining 75.83% of the vote. He held this seat through seven more elections in 1971, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 1988.
Originally serving in the backbenches, with the election of Neville Wran
as Leader of the party he was given the post of Shadow Minister for Education from 13 December 1973 to 14 May 1976. Following the Labor victory at the 1976 election
, Booth, a prominent member of the Socialist Left faction of the New South Wales Labor, was sworn in as Minister of the Crown, serving as the Minister for Sport and Recreation
and Minister for Tourism. He served on the Councils of the University of New South Wales
from 1962 to 1965, Newcastle University College and its successor, Newcastle University
from 1963 to 1974.
As Minister for sports, he implemented a capital grants program and became popular among sporting organisations throughout NSW. On 13 August 1979, over a year after their 25th wedding anniversary, his wife Irene died from cancer, aged 47. On 29 February 1980 he was appointed Assistant Treasurer whilst retaining his other portfolios. Held these offices until 2 October 1981 when he was appointed as the Treasurer of New South Wales
. As Treasurer, Booth introduced significant reforms, including program budgeting and reorganisation of the parliamentary public accounts committee, embodied in the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 (NSW).
, retired as Deputy Premier and Leader, Ferguson recommended Booth as his preferred successor, however, following some opposition from within the left faction, Booth lost the ballot to Ron Mulock
. He remained as Treasurer until the defeat of the Unsworth
Labor government at the state election in March 1988. In opposition Booth was appointed by the new Leader, Bob Carr
, as Shadow Minister for Energy and Shadow Minister for Mineral Resources from 11 April 1988. He was accused by the new Minister for Administrative Services, Matt Singleton
, of interefering, as Treasurer, with a Government office accommodation deal that resulted in $350,000 in dead rent. The unsubstantiated allegations infuriated the ALP Opposition and Booth was supported by Opposition Leader, Bob Carr
. A subsequent Police inquiry cleared Booth of any wrongdoing. Booth however, did not live to see his name cleared and Carr commented that: "the tragedy of this case is that Ken Booth died before his name could be cleared". He died in office, survived by his daughter and his second wife, of a myocardial infarction on 1 November 1988 at his home and was cremated.
Neville Wran
Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
and Barrie Unsworth
Barrie Unsworth
Barrie John Unsworth was an Australian politician, representing the Australian Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1978 to 1991. He served as the 36th Premier from July 1986 to March 1988.-Early years:...
. From 1981 to 1988 he was the Treasurer of New South Wales. He was a member of 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...
for 28 years from 21 March 1959 until his death on 1 November 1988 for the Australian Labor Party
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...
, representing the seats of Kurri Kurri
Electoral district of Kurri Kurri
Kurri Kurri was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales created in 1927, with the abolition of the multi-member electorates of Newcastle and Maitland and named after the Hunter Valley town of Kurri Kurri. It was abolished in 1968 and replaced by...
and Wallsend
Electoral district of Wallsend
Wallsend is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Wallsend is a Newcastle suburban electorate, deriving its name from the suburb of the same name, covering 118.57 km² and encompassing at least part of the suburbs of Wallsend, Edgeworth,...
.
Early life
Ken Booth was born in 1926 in Kurri Kurri, New South WalesKurri Kurri, New South Wales
Kurri Kurri is a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cessnock LGA. At the 2006 census its population was 5,644...
, the son of Labor Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 1925, George Booth
George Booth (Australian politician)
George Booth was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.Booth was born in Bolton, England. He worked part time as a coal miner at eleven and attended classes by Philip Snowden and became interested in the Labour Movement...
, and Annie Elizabeth Booth (née Payne). Booth was educated at Kurri Kurri Public School and Maitland Boys' High School
Maitland High School
Maitland High School is situated in East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia on High Street. Established in 1884 and operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, the school currently caters for approximately 800 students from Years 7 to 12, and is situated near its sister...
. He later credited his experiences during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
as formulaic for his left-wing ideas. At age 17, he joined the Australian Labor Party
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...
. Booth trained to be a physical education teacher at the Armidale and Sydney Teachers College
Sydney Teachers College
The Sydney Teachers College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until 1981, when it became a part of the Sydney Institute of Education which in turn joined the Faculty of Education at the University of Sydney in...
, gaining a Diploma in Physical Education (DipPhysEd) in 1946.
After teaching at Cessnock High School from 1947 to 1949, he worked in physical education at the Murrumbidgee area office in Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
. In 1951 he lectured at Sydney Teachers College and at Newcastle Technical and Newcastle University
University of Newcastle, Australia
The University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...
colleges until 1960. On 23 January 1954 he married Irene Marshall, also a teacher, at Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral (Newcastle, New South Wales)
The Cathedral Church of Christ the King or Christ Church Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral in Newcastle, New South Wales Australia. The church, in the Gothic Revival style, is located on a hill at the city's eastern end in the suburb called The Hill....
in Newcastle. Together they had a daughter, Christine. An avid sportsman, Booth enjoyed swimming, walking rugby league, basketball, was Secretary of the Newcastle Cricket Association from 1958 to 1960 and a delegate to the New South Wales Cricket Association
New South Wales Cricket Association
The New South Wales Cricket Association is a sporting club who administer cricket in New South Wales, based at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their trading name is Cricket NSW....
.
Political career
When his father died, Booth won ALP pre-selection for his father's then-vacant seat of Kurri KurriElectoral district of Kurri Kurri
Kurri Kurri was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales created in 1927, with the abolition of the multi-member electorates of Newcastle and Maitland and named after the Hunter Valley town of Kurri Kurri. It was abolished in 1968 and replaced by...
. At the resulting by-election on 8 October 1960, Booth was elected with 92.53% of the vote against a single Communist
Communist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
candidate. He was elected a further two time, in 1962 and 1965, but he was elected uncontested as a candidate. He retained this seat until it was abolished in a redistribution prior to the 1968 election
New South Wales state election, 1968
The 1968 New South Wales state election was held on 24 February 1968. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1966 redistribution...
. Booth subsequently contested and won the recreated seat of Wallsend
Electoral district of Wallsend
Wallsend is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Wallsend is a Newcastle suburban electorate, deriving its name from the suburb of the same name, covering 118.57 km² and encompassing at least part of the suburbs of Wallsend, Edgeworth,...
, gaining 75.83% of the vote. He held this seat through seven more elections in 1971, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 1988.
Originally serving in the backbenches, with the election of Neville Wran
Neville Wran
Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
as Leader of the party he was given the post of Shadow Minister for Education from 13 December 1973 to 14 May 1976. Following the Labor victory at the 1976 election
New South Wales state election, 1976
A general election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 1 May 1976. The result was a narrow win for the Australian Labor Party under Neville Wran—the party's first in the state in more than a decade.- Issues :The incumbent...
, Booth, a prominent member of the Socialist Left faction of the New South Wales Labor, was sworn in as Minister of the Crown, serving as the Minister for Sport and Recreation
Minister for Sport and Recreation (New South Wales)
The New South Wales Minister for Sport and Recreation has responsibilities which includes all sporting bodies in NSW.The current Minister for NSW Sport and Recreation is Graham Annesley. He administers his portfolio through the New South Wales Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation.-List of...
and Minister for Tourism. He served on the Councils of the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
from 1962 to 1965, Newcastle University College and its successor, Newcastle University
University of Newcastle, Australia
The University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...
from 1963 to 1974.
As Minister for sports, he implemented a capital grants program and became popular among sporting organisations throughout NSW. On 13 August 1979, over a year after their 25th wedding anniversary, his wife Irene died from cancer, aged 47. On 29 February 1980 he was appointed Assistant Treasurer whilst retaining his other portfolios. Held these offices until 2 October 1981 when he was appointed as the Treasurer of New South Wales
Treasurer of New South Wales
The Treasurer of New South Wales, known from 1856–1959 as the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales, is the minister in the Government of New South Wales responsible for government expenditure and revenue raising and is the head of the New South Wales Treasury. The Treasurer plays a key role in...
. As Treasurer, Booth introduced significant reforms, including program budgeting and reorganisation of the parliamentary public accounts committee, embodied in the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 (NSW).
Later career
On 21 February 1982 Booth remarried to Gail Mathieson, an office executive, in Redfern. When his good friend and fellow left-faction member, Jack FergusonJack Ferguson
Laurie John Ferguson was an Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.-Early life:...
, retired as Deputy Premier and Leader, Ferguson recommended Booth as his preferred successor, however, following some opposition from within the left faction, Booth lost the ballot to Ron Mulock
Ron Mulock
Ronald Joseph "Ron" Mulock was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.-Early years:...
. He remained as Treasurer until the defeat of the Unsworth
Barrie Unsworth
Barrie John Unsworth was an Australian politician, representing the Australian Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1978 to 1991. He served as the 36th Premier from July 1986 to March 1988.-Early years:...
Labor government at the state election in March 1988. In opposition Booth was appointed by the new Leader, Bob Carr
Bob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
, as Shadow Minister for Energy and Shadow Minister for Mineral Resources from 11 April 1988. He was accused by the new Minister for Administrative Services, Matt Singleton
Matt Singleton
Matthew "Matt" Singleton is a former Australian politician. He was the Country then National Party member for Clarence from 1971 to 1981 and for Coffs Harbour from 1981 to 1990 in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He was also Minister for Administritive Services and Assistant Minister for...
, of interefering, as Treasurer, with a Government office accommodation deal that resulted in $350,000 in dead rent. The unsubstantiated allegations infuriated the ALP Opposition and Booth was supported by Opposition Leader, Bob Carr
Bob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
. A subsequent Police inquiry cleared Booth of any wrongdoing. Booth however, did not live to see his name cleared and Carr commented that: "the tragedy of this case is that Ken Booth died before his name could be cleared". He died in office, survived by his daughter and his second wife, of a myocardial infarction on 1 November 1988 at his home and was cremated.