Peter Hall (politician)
Encyclopedia
Peter Ronald Hall is an Australia
n politician. He has been a National
member of the Victorian Legislative Council
since 1988, representing Gippsland Province. He is the current leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council and the Shadow Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation and for Tertiary Education and Training. Hall is now one of five MLCs for the new Eastern Region.
, Victoria. He showed promise as an Australian rules football
player as a young person, being the Best and Fairest
for the Castlemaine Football Club
in 1969, at only 17 years of age. While studying teaching at Monash University
in Melbourne
, Hall made his debut for the Carlton Football Club
in what was then the Victorian Football League (now named the Australian Football League). He went on to play 37 senior games between 1971 and 1974. However, he retired from top-grade football at the end of the 1974 season, moving to Traralgon
in 1975 to take up a full-time secondary teaching position.
Over the next fourteen years, Hall continued to teach in Traralgon while also being the playing coach of his local football club. He twice won the league's Best and Fairest award, and coached both Traralgon and Morwell to premierships. Both of these careers were to end, however, when Hall was elected to the safe National seat of Gippsland Province at the 1988 state election.
Hall was given little responsibility in his first term in office, but after being re-elected in 1996, he was made Deputy President of the Legislative Council and Chairman of the Ministerial Rural Health Advisory Group. When the Liberal
-National
coalition lost government in 1999, Hall became the Deputy Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council and Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation, Youth and Affairs.
However, this was to again change in 2000, when the now-opposition coalition fractured. This meant that the Victorian division of the National Party was now the only one anywhere in the country to be separate from the Liberal Party. Hall subsequently lost his three shadow ministries, but instead became the party's spokesperson for education, tertiary education, secondary education, primary education, preschools, adult learning, e learning resources and the environment. The following year, he was again promoted, and was made Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council.
The 2002 election saw a major landslide victory for the Labor
government at the expense of both the Liberal and National Parties. There was a swing to Labor in almost every seat in the state, with numerous MPs losing their seats. Hall, however, was the only exception in the Legislative Council, slightly improving his vote despite the party's poor statewide result. After the election, he maintained his position as leader in the Legislative Council, despite the sacking of his Liberal counterpart, Bill Forwood
.
While usually orthodox in his support for National Party policies, Hall was one of a group of prominent National Party figures – including key senators Barnaby Joyce
and Fiona Nash
to express concern about the federal party's support for the policy of voluntary student unionism
. Hall in particular expressed concern about the effect it would have on rural universities and towns within his electorate, most notably surrounding the Churchill
campus of Monash University
. Hall also attracted much displeasure within the National Party's conservative base after he voted for the Abortion Law Reform Act and a failed euthanasia bill in 2008.
After the Bracks Labor Government reformed the Legislative Council, some pundits predicted that Hall would struggle to retain his upper house seat in the new Eastern Region, which included significant metropolitan areas. The quota system also enhanced the chances of minor parties such as the Greens and Family First winning seats. However, a statewide swing to the National Party, including localised gains in Gippsland lower house electorates, the running of candidates in new seats such as Gembrook and Hastings and adroit preference deals saw Hall win the final Eastern Region seat ahead of the Greens candidate.
When the Liberal/Nationals Coalition won the 2010 Victorian state election, Hall was commissioned as Minister for Higher Education and Skills, and Minister for the Teaching Profession.
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. He has been a National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
member of the Victorian Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
since 1988, representing Gippsland Province. He is the current leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council and the Shadow Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation and for Tertiary Education and Training. Hall is now one of five MLCs for the new Eastern Region.
Football career
Hall was born and raised in CastlemaineCastlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
, Victoria. He showed promise as an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player as a young person, being the Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
for the Castlemaine Football Club
Castlemaine Football Club
Castlemaine Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia and is currently a member of the Bendigo Football League.The club is notable for several reasons...
in 1969, at only 17 years of age. While studying teaching at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Hall made his debut for the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in what was then the Victorian Football League (now named the Australian Football League). He went on to play 37 senior games between 1971 and 1974. However, he retired from top-grade football at the end of the 1974 season, moving to Traralgon
Traralgon, Victoria
Traralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
in 1975 to take up a full-time secondary teaching position.
Over the next fourteen years, Hall continued to teach in Traralgon while also being the playing coach of his local football club. He twice won the league's Best and Fairest award, and coached both Traralgon and Morwell to premierships. Both of these careers were to end, however, when Hall was elected to the safe National seat of Gippsland Province at the 1988 state election.
Political career
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...
-National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
coalition lost government in 1999, Hall became the Deputy Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council and Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation, Youth and Affairs.
However, this was to again change in 2000, when the now-opposition coalition fractured. This meant that the Victorian division of the National Party was now the only one anywhere in the country to be separate from the Liberal Party. Hall subsequently lost his three shadow ministries, but instead became the party's spokesperson for education, tertiary education, secondary education, primary education, preschools, adult learning, e learning resources and the environment. The following year, he was again promoted, and was made Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council.
The 2002 election saw a major landslide victory for the 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...
government at the expense of both the Liberal and National Parties. There was a swing to Labor in almost every seat in the state, with numerous MPs losing their seats. Hall, however, was the only exception in the Legislative Council, slightly improving his vote despite the party's poor statewide result. After the election, he maintained his position as leader in the Legislative Council, despite the sacking of his Liberal counterpart, Bill Forwood
Bill Forwood
William Forwood was an Australian politician. He was the Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1992 to 2006, representing Templestowe Province....
.
While usually orthodox in his support for National Party policies, Hall was one of a group of prominent National Party figures – including key senators Barnaby Joyce
Barnaby Joyce
Barnaby Thomas Gerald Joyce , Australian politician, has been a National Party member of the Australian Senate representing the state of Queensland since July 2005...
and Fiona Nash
Fiona Nash
Fiona Joy Nash , Australian politician, has been a National Party of Australia member of the Australian Senate since 1 July 2005, representing the state of New South Wales....
to express concern about the federal party's support for the policy of voluntary student unionism
Voluntary student unionism
Voluntary student unionism is a policy, notable in Australia, under which membership of – and payment of membership fees to – university student organisations is voluntary....
. Hall in particular expressed concern about the effect it would have on rural universities and towns within his electorate, most notably surrounding the Churchill
Churchill, Victoria
Churchill is a town in the Latrobe Valley, located in central Gippsland in the east of Victoria, Australia. The town had a population of 4,588 at the 2006 census, and is part of the Latrobe City local government area...
campus of Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
. Hall also attracted much displeasure within the National Party's conservative base after he voted for the Abortion Law Reform Act and a failed euthanasia bill in 2008.
After the Bracks Labor Government reformed the Legislative Council, some pundits predicted that Hall would struggle to retain his upper house seat in the new Eastern Region, which included significant metropolitan areas. The quota system also enhanced the chances of minor parties such as the Greens and Family First winning seats. However, a statewide swing to the National Party, including localised gains in Gippsland lower house electorates, the running of candidates in new seats such as Gembrook and Hastings and adroit preference deals saw Hall win the final Eastern Region seat ahead of the Greens candidate.
When the Liberal/Nationals Coalition won the 2010 Victorian state election, Hall was commissioned as Minister for Higher Education and Skills, and Minister for the Teaching Profession.