Marshall Perron
Encyclopedia
Marshall Bruce Perron is a former Australian politician, who was a Country Liberal Party
member of the Legislative Assembly
in the Northern Territory
from the formation of the Assembly in 1974 until his resignation in 1995. From 1988 to 1995, Perron was the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
.
in 1942. His family was from Darwin
, but had been evacuated to Perth due to the threat of Japanese attack during World War II
. Perron was born on 5 February, two weeks before the bombing of Darwin, and he would later jokingly blame "the Japanese for denying him his birthright as a Territorian."
, which replaced the partly elected Legislative Council
. He represented the division of Stuart Park
for the Country Liberal Party
.
As self-government was not granted to the Northern Territory until 1978, the cabinet under Majority Leaders Goff Letts
and Paul Everingham
were known as Executive Members. Perron joined Letts' executive
in December 1975 as Executive Member for Municipal and Consumer Affairs and Cabinet Member for Education and Planning from 1976 to 1977. After the 1977 election
, Perron became Deputy Majority Leader under Everingham, also taking the Finance and Planning portfolio. From 1 July 1978, when self-government came into effect, Perron became Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer and Minister for Lands and Housing until 1980 when he took the Industrial Development and Community Development portfolios instead of Lands and Housing, although he regained that position in 1982.
In 1982, the size of the Assembly was increased from 19 to 25 seats, and Perron's electorate was abolished in the redistribution. In the 1983 election
, Perron stood for election in the division of Fannie Bay
, winning the seat from the incumbent Australian Labor Party
candidate Pam O'Neil
.
In December 1984, Chief Minister Ian Tuxworth
took on Perron's role as Treasurer, with Perron taking the position of Attorney-General and Minister for Mines and Energy. Perron was Attorney-General when the discovery of a matinee jacket near Ayers Rock (Uluru
) raised doubts about the conviction of Lindy Chamberlain
for the alleged murder of her infant daughter Azaria
. Perron announced Chamberlain's immediate release from prison, and the establishment of a Royal Commission
into the convictions of Lindy and her husband Michael.
Perron became Chief Minister on 14 July 1988, after having rejected previous offers for the position. He also held the role of Treasurer, and was Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services from September 1989 until July 1994.
An advocate for voluntary euthanasia
, Perron was instrumental in devising the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill which he introduced to Parliament on 22 February 1995. The bill was passed on 25 May, becoming the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 and was enacted into law on 1 July 1996. Perron resigned as Chief Minister and from the Legislative Assembly on the morning of the debate over the bill, maintaining that he did not want his position to influence the debate.
Country Liberal Party
The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is a Northern Territory political party affiliated with both the National and Liberal parties...
member of the Legislative Assembly
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral parliament of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits in Parliament House, located on State Square, close to the centre of the city of Darwin.-History:...
in 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...
from the formation of the Assembly in 1974 until his resignation in 1995. From 1988 to 1995, Perron was the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is appointed by the Administrator, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the legislature of the territory...
.
Early life
Perron was born in Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 1942. His family was from Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, but had been evacuated to Perth due to the threat of Japanese attack during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Perron was born on 5 February, two weeks before the bombing of Darwin, and he would later jokingly blame "the Japanese for denying him his birthright as a Territorian."
Political career
Perron entered politics in 1974, when he was elected as a member of the first Northern Territory Legislative AssemblyNorthern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral parliament of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits in Parliament House, located on State Square, close to the centre of the city of Darwin.-History:...
, which replaced the partly elected Legislative Council
Northern Territory Legislative Council
The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body of the Northern Territory of Australia from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974....
. He represented the division of Stuart Park
Electoral division of Stuart Park
Stuart Park was an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. One of the Legislative Assembly's original electorates, it was first contested at the 1974 election, and was abolished in 1983. It was named after the Darwin suburb of Stuart Park.-Members for...
for the Country Liberal Party
Country Liberal Party
The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is a Northern Territory political party affiliated with both the National and Liberal parties...
.
As self-government was not granted to the Northern Territory until 1978, the cabinet under Majority Leaders Goff Letts
Goff Letts
Dr Godfrey Alan Letts CBE was the Majority Leader of the Northern Territory of Australia from 1974 to 1977.Born in Donald, Victoria, Letts attended Melbourne Grammar and Melbourne and Sydney Universities, graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinarian Science in 1950...
and Paul Everingham
Paul Everingham
Paul Anthony Edward Everingham AO was the first Chief Minister of the Northern Territory of Australia when it was granted self-government in 1978....
were known as Executive Members. Perron joined Letts' executive
Third Letts Executive
The Third Letts Executive was the third ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It oversaw the Northern Territory under Country Liberal Party Majority Leader Dr Goff Letts from December 1975 to December 1976. Deputy Majority Leader Bernie Kilgariff had resigned in...
in December 1975 as Executive Member for Municipal and Consumer Affairs and Cabinet Member for Education and Planning from 1976 to 1977. After the 1977 election
Northern Territory general election, 1977
A general election was held in the Northern Territory on Saturday 13 August 1977. Though the election was won by the incumbent Country Liberal Party , the party lost five of its seven executive members, including Majority Leader Goff Letts...
, Perron became Deputy Majority Leader under Everingham, also taking the Finance and Planning portfolio. From 1 July 1978, when self-government came into effect, Perron became Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer and Minister for Lands and Housing until 1980 when he took the Industrial Development and Community Development portfolios instead of Lands and Housing, although he regained that position in 1982.
In 1982, the size of the Assembly was increased from 19 to 25 seats, and Perron's electorate was abolished in the redistribution. In the 1983 election
Northern Territory general election, 1983
A general election was held in the Northern Territory state of Australia on Saturday December 3, 1983. The result was a landslide victory for the incumbent Country Liberal Party under Chief Minister Paul Everingham....
, Perron stood for election in the division of Fannie Bay
Electoral division of Fannie Bay
Fannie Bay is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It is located in the inner northern suburbs of Darwin, with its current boundaries including the suburbs of Fannie Bay , Parap, East Point, The Narrows, The Gardens and parts of Stuart Park...
, winning the seat from the incumbent 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...
candidate Pam O'Neil
Pam O'Neil
Pamela Frances "Pam" O'Neil is a former Australian politician. She was the Labor member for Fannie Bay in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1977 to 1983. In 1984, she was appointed Australia's first Sex Discrimination Commissioner by the Hawke Government, holding the position until...
.
In December 1984, Chief Minister Ian Tuxworth
Ian Tuxworth
Ian Lindsay Tuxworth is an Australian politician, who was Chief Minister of the Northern Territory of Australia from 17 October 1984 until he resigned on 10 May 1986....
took on Perron's role as Treasurer, with Perron taking the position of Attorney-General and Minister for Mines and Energy. Perron was Attorney-General when the discovery of a matinee jacket near Ayers Rock (Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
) raised doubts about the conviction of Lindy Chamberlain
Lindy Chamberlain
Alice Lynne Chamberlain-Creighton was at the centre of one of Australia's most publicised murder trials, in which she was convicted of killing her baby daughter, Azaria. The conviction was later overturned.-Early life:...
for the alleged murder of her infant daughter Azaria
Azaria Chamberlain disappearance
Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain was a nine-week-old Australian baby girl, who disappeared on the night of 17 August 1980 on a camping trip to Uluru with her family. Her body was never found. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo...
. Perron announced Chamberlain's immediate release from prison, and the establishment of a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
into the convictions of Lindy and her husband Michael.
Perron became Chief Minister on 14 July 1988, after having rejected previous offers for the position. He also held the role of Treasurer, and was Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services from September 1989 until July 1994.
An advocate for voluntary euthanasia
Voluntary euthanasia
Voluntary euthanasia refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner...
, Perron was instrumental in devising the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill which he introduced to Parliament on 22 February 1995. The bill was passed on 25 May, becoming the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 and was enacted into law on 1 July 1996. Perron resigned as Chief Minister and from the Legislative Assembly on the morning of the debate over the bill, maintaining that he did not want his position to influence the debate.
See also
- First Perron MinistryFirst Perron MinistryThe First Perron Ministry was the 22nd ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It was sworn in on 14 July 1988 after the resignation of Stephen Hatton as Chief Minister and his replacement by Marshall Perron...
- Second Perron MinistrySecond Perron MinistryThe Second Perron Ministry was the 23rd ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It was sworn in on 31 July 1989, following the resignation from the ministry of Health and Community Services Minister Don Dale. The new ministry saw Chief Minister Marshall Perron take on...
- Third Perron MinistryThird Perron MinistryThe Third Perron Ministry was the 24th ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It was sworn on 4 September 1989 after a reshuffle of the ministry by Chief Minister Marshall Perron. The main focus of the reshuffle was the return to the ministry of former Chief Minister...
- Fourth Perron MinistryFourth Perron MinistryThe Fourth Perron Ministry was the 25th ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It was sworn in on 13 November 1990 after Perron undertook a reshuffle of the previous ministry. The central change of the reshuffle was the promotion to the ministry of rising star and future...
- Fifth Perron MinistryFifth Perron MinistryThe Fifth Perron Ministry was the 26th ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It was sworn in on 30 November 1992 after a major reshuffle of the ministry by Chief Minister Marshall Perron, which saw changes to the portfolio of nearly every minister...
- Sixth Perron MinistrySixth Perron MinistryThe Sixth Perron Ministry was the 27th ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It was sworn in on 16 September 1993, after a minor reshuffle by Chief Minister Marshall Perron...
- Seventh Perron MinistrySeventh Perron MinistryThe Seventh Perron Ministry was the 28th ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It was sworn in unchanged from its predecessor on 15 June 1994 after the Country Liberal Party government's victory in the 1994 election...
- Eighth Perron MinistryEighth Perron MinistryThe Eighth Perron Ministry was the 29th ministry to come from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. It was sworn in on 18 July 1994, after Chief Minister Marshall Perron initiated a reshuffle of his ministry...