Robert Brokenshire
Encyclopedia
Robert "Rob" Lawrence Brokenshire (born 1957) is a South Australia
n dairy farmer and Member
of the 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st, 52nd and current South Australian Parliament. Formerly a real estate
broker, Brokenshire was a Liberal Party of Australia
member of the South Australian House of Assembly
between 1993 and 2006, representing the electorate of Mawson
. On 24 July 2008 he replaced Andrew Evans as a Family First Party
member in the South Australian Legislative Council
. The Brokenshire family is of Cornish
descent.
Liberal Party government, Brokenshire was promoted to the cabinet
in 1998 under the John Olsen
government. His roles included Minister for Police, Correctional Services & Emergency Services, Minister for Gambling, Minister for Volunteers, and in opposition, Shadow Minister for Health.
After losing his seat to Rann
Labor candidate Leon Bignell
, and losing to Stephen Wade
in the Liberal preselection, Brokenshire announced in October 2007 that he would contest the Australian House of Representatives
seat of Kingston
for the Family First Party
at the 2007 federal election, but achieved only a 0.07 percent swing towards Family First, on 5.71 percent. On 18 March 2008 the Family First Party announced that they had chosen Brokenshire to replace the retiring Andrew Evans in the South Australian Legislative Council
later in 2008. Brokenshire was then sworn in on 24 July 2008.
Robert Brokenshire has been described as the "de facto
opposition leader", and been analogized to as the Nick Xenophon
of South Australian politics. Greg Kelton, a senior political editor with The Advertiser
, described Brokenshire as a "terrier". A former cabinet
minister
of police
, Brokenshire is admired as the grandfather of South Australian politics, and is sought after for his political analysis. Brokenshire is a serial user of Freedom of Information
. . Brokenshire's use of FOI has led to education minister Jay Weatherill
calling him "completely inappropriate" for uncovering evidence of cheating at an Adelaide school. Brokenshire said the FOI showed that the NAPLAN testing put too much pressure on schools and teachers to perform, a point on which Weatherill was criticized by the South Australian Education Union on. In one instance, the State’s Chief Information Officer failed to disclose $5,500 in expenses, leading Brokenshire to lodge a complaint with the State's Ombudsman as breach of the FOI Act. Brokenshire was contrasted as being quoted in 19 stories, significantly more than key Liberal figures deputy leader Mitch Williams
and Upper House leader David Ridgway. Brokenshire has been praised for attempting feats that neither the government nor opposition would "dare" Brokenshire failed to rule out switching to a Lower House seat.
Brokenshire's appointments include to the Public Works Committee, Select Committee on the Emergency Services Levy, Families SA Committee, Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, Certain Matters Relating to Horse Racing in South Australia, and Natural Resources Committee. Brokenshire also chaired the Taxi Industry in South Australia. In concurrence with the Greens
, Brokenshire has opposed the abolition of the Legislative Council. Sharing the balance of power with the Australian Greens
, Brokenshire supported green initiatives to force businesses to reduce water consumption (including being critical of the State Government’s failure to meet its voluntary targets), for the federal
takeover of the management of the River Murray, for the diversion of the Wivenoe dam to the Murray-Darling basin
, and for subsidies for solar panels and electric cars. Brokenshire and Dennis Hood
reject such policies as metering and charging for
the use of dams collecting rainwater. Brokenshire nevertheless remains a staunch conservative, turning down euthanasia legislation, saying it turns doctors "from life-savers into life-takers". A South Australian dairy farmer, Brokenshire is a fond advocate of funding rural entrepreneurship
, rural health, and has suggested fancy recommendations to compel bureaucracy to support community projects. Robert Brokenshire has also encouraged the Government to challenge the status quo, including looking at alternatives such as CSIRO’s recent invention to turn stormwater drinkable, despite the political embarassment this would cause the sunk cost in the desalination plant
Brokenshire has further pursued his former interest in policing, working with civil rights
lawyer George Mancini to increase police transparency to make Secret Police Commissioner reports public, increased security guard drug testing, increasing police protection, increasing jail sentence for prison smugglers, increasing police presence, reduce vandalism, building a new police academy for Cheltenham
, backing the police in schools program (qualifying that education was "paramount" to a person's future). Brokenshire has also suggested alternative policing strategies, such as a dedicated racing track course for public hoon
use. He has criticized the Government's policy for crushing cars as a waste of technology, and suggested more focus on hoon driving licenses.
Since the 2010 election, Brokenshire has participated in numerous select committees in Parliament. He has targeted poorly drafted legislation, recommended limiting the terms of premiers to two parliaments only, synchronizing to the US law restricting presidential terms to two. Brokenshire has also championed grassroot causes, including housing for the homeless, using the Supreme Court
to keep the Government accountable over hospital security, the consultation on the Seaford Heights development, and the Parks Community Center development, country hospitals and rights for grandparents. He has also kept the Government accountable over $55,000 a week for damage to government cars, reducing tax-funded ministerial spin doctors
, taxpayer-funded projects on schools. reducing the number of cabinet ministers from 15 to 12, which Monsignor David Cappo
found would save $30 million. He has called for the proper separation of powers
, and remains accountability watchdog on Government affairs. Developing on his election promise to increase funding in mental health
, Brokenshire is landmark for original solutions, calling for an independent suicide prevention coordinator. Brokenshire convened the Food Security South Australia group, which comprises peak farming, horticultural and other primary production groups to interact with government and raise the importance of food security in the state. He has positioned himself as a pragmatist, including such policies as scraping daylight savings, an established tradition, on the basis children are travelling to school in the dark, and are coming home during the hottest time of the day. Brokenshire has also pushed for legislation to allow force of early election by way of 150,000 petitions within a limited duration, in line with his reform to shift power from politicians to people, and to increase pressure on government on non-election periods, in a move backed by Isobel Redmond
. His draft proposal of a Parliamentary Act to establish an Independent Commission against Corruption in 2009 was also finally accepted by John Rau
with a $4 million launch, to be named the Office of Public Integrity.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n dairy farmer and Member
Member
A member is a person who belongs to a social group or an entity such as a company or nation. By extension it can refer to any part of a whole.Member may also refer to:* Elected official** Member of Parliament...
of the 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st, 52nd and current South Australian Parliament. Formerly a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
broker, Brokenshire was a Liberal Party of Australia
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...
member of the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
between 1993 and 2006, representing the electorate of Mawson
Electoral district of Mawson
The Electoral district of Mawson is an electorate for the South Australian House of Assembly. It covers the outer southern suburbs of Woodcroft, Hackham, Hackham West, Huntfield Heights and Noarlunga Downs, as well as the regional shopping centre at Noarlunga as well as the southern wine region...
. On 24 July 2008 he replaced Andrew Evans as a Family First Party
Family First Party
The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor political party in Australia. It has two members in the South Australian Legislative Council...
member in the South Australian Legislative Council
South Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly...
. The Brokenshire family is of Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
descent.
Liberal Party
Elected under the 1993 Dean BrownDean Brown
Dean Craig Brown, AO was the Liberal Premier of South Australia between 14 December 1993 and 28 November 1996, and Deputy Premier of South Australia between 22 October 2001 and 5 March 2002 to Rob Kerin.-Political career:...
Liberal Party government, Brokenshire was promoted to the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
in 1998 under the John Olsen
John Olsen
John Wayne Olsen, AO was Premier of South Australia between 28 November 1996 and 22 October 2001.-Parliament:Olsen was a member of the Liberal Party and Member of Parliament for more than 20 years...
government. His roles included Minister for Police, Correctional Services & Emergency Services, Minister for Gambling, Minister for Volunteers, and in opposition, Shadow Minister for Health.
After losing his seat to Rann
Mike Rann
Michael David Rann MHA, CNZM , Australian politician, served as the 44th Premier of South Australia. He led the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party to minority government at the 2002 election, before attaining a landslide win at the 2006 election...
Labor candidate Leon Bignell
Leon Bignell
Leon William Kennedy Bignell , Australian politician, is the member for Mawson for the Australian Labor Party. He finished ahead of incumbent Liberal member Robert Brokenshire by 3.9% on first preference and 2.2% of two party preferred in the 2006 state election, delivering the seat to Labor for...
, and losing to Stephen Wade
Stephen Wade
Stephen Graham Wade is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia member of the South Australian Legislative Council after an appointment in May 2006....
in the Liberal preselection, Brokenshire announced in October 2007 that he would contest the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
seat of Kingston
Division of Kingston
The Division of Kingston is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the far-south metropolitan area of Adelaide. The division was first proclaimed in 1949....
for the Family First Party
Family First Party
The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor political party in Australia. It has two members in the South Australian Legislative Council...
at the 2007 federal election, but achieved only a 0.07 percent swing towards Family First, on 5.71 percent. On 18 March 2008 the Family First Party announced that they had chosen Brokenshire to replace the retiring Andrew Evans in the South Australian Legislative Council
South Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly...
later in 2008. Brokenshire was then sworn in on 24 July 2008.
Family First Party
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
opposition leader", and been analogized to as the Nick Xenophon
Nick Xenophon
Nicholas "Nick" Xenophon is a South Australian barrister, anti-gambling campaigner and politician. He attended Prince Alfred College, and studied law at the University of Adelaide, attaining his Bachelor of Laws in 1981. Xenophon established and became principal of his own law firm, Xenophon & Co....
of South Australian politics. Greg Kelton, a senior political editor with The Advertiser
The Advertiser
The Advertiser is the name of several newspapers around the world:* The Advertiser , Adelaide, South Australia, Australia - a daily News Corporation tabloid* The Advertiser , Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia...
, described Brokenshire as a "terrier". A former cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, Brokenshire is admired as the grandfather of South Australian politics, and is sought after for his political analysis. Brokenshire is a serial user of Freedom of Information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
. . Brokenshire's use of FOI has led to education minister Jay Weatherill
Jay Weatherill
Jay Wilson Weatherill is an Australian politician and current Premier of South Australia. He has represented the electoral district of Cheltenham in the South Australian House of Assembly as a member of the Australian Labor Party since the 2002 election.-Early life:Born in the western suburbs of...
calling him "completely inappropriate" for uncovering evidence of cheating at an Adelaide school. Brokenshire said the FOI showed that the NAPLAN testing put too much pressure on schools and teachers to perform, a point on which Weatherill was criticized by the South Australian Education Union on. In one instance, the State’s Chief Information Officer failed to disclose $5,500 in expenses, leading Brokenshire to lodge a complaint with the State's Ombudsman as breach of the FOI Act. Brokenshire was contrasted as being quoted in 19 stories, significantly more than key Liberal figures deputy leader Mitch Williams
Mitch Williams (Australian politician)
Michael Richard "Mitch" Williams is a South Australian Liberal politician and farmer. He is currently the deputy opposition leader in the South Australian parliament. He resigned from the Liberal Party and was elected to the safe Liberal seat of MacKillop in the state's south east at the 1997...
and Upper House leader David Ridgway. Brokenshire has been praised for attempting feats that neither the government nor opposition would "dare" Brokenshire failed to rule out switching to a Lower House seat.
Brokenshire's appointments include to the Public Works Committee, Select Committee on the Emergency Services Levy, Families SA Committee, Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, Certain Matters Relating to Horse Racing in South Australia, and Natural Resources Committee. Brokenshire also chaired the Taxi Industry in South Australia. In concurrence with the Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
, Brokenshire has opposed the abolition of the Legislative Council. Sharing the balance of power with the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
, Brokenshire supported green initiatives to force businesses to reduce water consumption (including being critical of the State Government’s failure to meet its voluntary targets), for the federal
Penny Wong
Penelope "Penny" Ying-yen Wong , is an Australian Labor Party senator for South Australia and the Federal Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Wong was the first Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water. Her appointment was amended on 26 February 2010, by the Prime Minister, to the...
takeover of the management of the River Murray, for the diversion of the Wivenoe dam to the Murray-Darling basin
Murray-Darling Basin
The Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...
, and for subsidies for solar panels and electric cars. Brokenshire and Dennis Hood
Dennis Hood
Dennis Garry Edward Hood is an Australian politician. He is a member of the South Australian Legislative Council, and the South Australian leader of the Family First Party.-Early life and career:...
reject such policies as metering and charging for
Rain tax
A rain tax is a tax imposed on real estate owners, for stormwater assembled by municipal drainage. Such taxes have been raised in regions of Italy, acquiring international attention, and challenging Italian tax morale....
the use of dams collecting rainwater. Brokenshire nevertheless remains a staunch conservative, turning down euthanasia legislation, saying it turns doctors "from life-savers into life-takers". A South Australian dairy farmer, Brokenshire is a fond advocate of funding rural entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
, rural health, and has suggested fancy recommendations to compel bureaucracy to support community projects. Robert Brokenshire has also encouraged the Government to challenge the status quo, including looking at alternatives such as CSIRO’s recent invention to turn stormwater drinkable, despite the political embarassment this would cause the sunk cost in the desalination plant
Brokenshire has further pursued his former interest in policing, working with civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
lawyer George Mancini to increase police transparency to make Secret Police Commissioner reports public, increased security guard drug testing, increasing police protection, increasing jail sentence for prison smugglers, increasing police presence, reduce vandalism, building a new police academy for Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, backing the police in schools program (qualifying that education was "paramount" to a person's future). Brokenshire has also suggested alternative policing strategies, such as a dedicated racing track course for public hoon
Hoon
Hoon is a derogatory term used in Australia and New Zealand, to refer to a anyone who engages in loutish, antisocial behaviour. In particular, it is used to refer to one who drives a car or boat in a manner which is anti-social by the standards of contemporary society, that is, fast, noisily and/or...
use. He has criticized the Government's policy for crushing cars as a waste of technology, and suggested more focus on hoon driving licenses.
Since the 2010 election, Brokenshire has participated in numerous select committees in Parliament. He has targeted poorly drafted legislation, recommended limiting the terms of premiers to two parliaments only, synchronizing to the US law restricting presidential terms to two. Brokenshire has also championed grassroot causes, including housing for the homeless, using the Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
to keep the Government accountable over hospital security, the consultation on the Seaford Heights development, and the Parks Community Center development, country hospitals and rights for grandparents. He has also kept the Government accountable over $55,000 a week for damage to government cars, reducing tax-funded ministerial spin doctors
Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits, "Two Princes," and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," which peaked the Billboard Hot 100 charts at #7 & #17 respectively....
, taxpayer-funded projects on schools. reducing the number of cabinet ministers from 15 to 12, which Monsignor David Cappo
David Cappo
David Cappo AO is Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide in South Australia., Cappo, as Vicar General, is next in line to the current Bishop in South Australia, Philip Wilson.-Early life:...
found would save $30 million. He has called for the proper separation of powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
, and remains accountability watchdog on Government affairs. Developing on his election promise to increase funding in mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
, Brokenshire is landmark for original solutions, calling for an independent suicide prevention coordinator. Brokenshire convened the Food Security South Australia group, which comprises peak farming, horticultural and other primary production groups to interact with government and raise the importance of food security in the state. He has positioned himself as a pragmatist, including such policies as scraping daylight savings, an established tradition, on the basis children are travelling to school in the dark, and are coming home during the hottest time of the day. Brokenshire has also pushed for legislation to allow force of early election by way of 150,000 petitions within a limited duration, in line with his reform to shift power from politicians to people, and to increase pressure on government on non-election periods, in a move backed by Isobel Redmond
Isobel Redmond
Isobel Mary Redmond is the current parliamentary leader of the South Australian division of the Liberal Party of Australia and the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of South Australia since 2009. The Redmond Liberals won 18 of 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly at the 2010...
. His draft proposal of a Parliamentary Act to establish an Independent Commission against Corruption in 2009 was also finally accepted by John Rau
John Rau
John Robert Rau , Australian politician, is the current South Australian Deputy Premier and Attorney-General. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the House of Assembly seat of Enfield since 2002.-Legal career:...
with a $4 million launch, to be named the Office of Public Integrity.