Charles Blunt
Encyclopedia
Charles William Blunt Australia
n politician and businessman, was leader of the National Party of Australia
from 1989 to 1990.
Blunt was born in Sydney
and graduated from the University of Sydney
with a degree in economics. After working in various positions he was hired as New South Wales
State Director of the National Party. At a by-election
on 18 February 1984, he was elected to the House of Representatives
for the Division of Richmond
in northern New South Wales, despite having had no previous connections with the area. He succeeded the former Deputy Prime Minister
and leader of the NPA, Doug Anthony
, who had resigned his seat.
Blunt was immediately promoted to the opposition front bench, serving as shadow Minister for Social Services. He was returned to parliament at the 1984 and 1987 general elections. In 1989 he organised a leadership coup against the veteran leader of the NPA, Ian Sinclair
. Blunt aimed to modernise the NPA and bring it into closer alignment with the Liberal Party
, particularly on issues of economic deregulation. He was also more socially liberal than most NPA members.
Unfortunately for Blunt, neither of these things was popular with rank and file NPA members, and he found his leadership under increasing attack from traditionalists. At the same time the seat of Richmond, which had been held by the NPA and its predecessor the Country Party since 1922, was becoming more urbanised. Some argue that the growing unpopularity of the National Party state government in Queensland
(Richmond sits across the border from Gold Coast
) influenced federal voting intentions. The anti-war campaigner Helen Caldicott
announced that she would oppose Blunt in his electorate at the next election.
The culmination of these trends was a swing against the NPA at the 1990 election, at which the Hawke
Labor
government was re-elected. Blunt was defeated in his own seat of Richmond. Blunt had no local connections, which worked against him in a country seat. Labor challenger Neville Newell
won the seat on the seventh count after Caldicott's preferences
flowed overwhelmingly to him. It was only the second time that the leader of a major Australian party had lost his own seat in an election; the first was Stanley Bruce
, the then Prime Minister
, who lost not only the 1929 election
but also his own seat of Flinders
. The NPA also lost the adjoining seat of Page
, both campaigns being heavily influenced by Queensland media.
After the election, Blunt was again the focus of political controversy when he was accused of inappropriately using publicly-funded mailouts of election-related material:
After an investigation Blunt was found not to have breached any rules, and the matter was dropped.
After leaving politics Blunt went into business. He led a number of trade and investment missions to the United States
and was regular speaker at international trade and investment outlook conferences. In 2003 he became National Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia. He is also currently chair of a number of publicly listed companies, including Capital Trade and Policy and Palamedia.
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 businessman, was leader of the National Party of Australia
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...
from 1989 to 1990.
Blunt was born in 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...
and graduated from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
with a degree in economics. After working in various positions he was hired as New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
State Director of the National Party. At a by-election
Richmond by-election, 1984
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Richmond on 18 February 1984. This was triggered by the resignation of National Party Leader MP Doug Anthony...
on 18 February 1984, he was elected to the 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....
for the Division of Richmond
Division of Richmond
The Division of Richmond is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the far north-east of the state, along the Pacific coast...
in northern New South Wales, despite having had no previous connections with the area. He succeeded the former Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Australia. The Deputy Prime Ministership has been a ministerial portfolio since 1968, and the Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime...
and leader of the NPA, Doug Anthony
Doug Anthony
John Douglas Anthony, AC, CH , is a former Australian politician. He was leader of the National Party from 1971 to 1984, and Deputy Prime Minister from 1971 to 1972 and again from 1975 to 1983.-Early life:...
, who had resigned his seat.
Blunt was immediately promoted to the opposition front bench, serving as shadow Minister for Social Services. He was returned to parliament at the 1984 and 1987 general elections. In 1989 he organised a leadership coup against the veteran leader of the NPA, Ian Sinclair
Ian Sinclair
Ian McCahon Sinclair AC , is an Australian politician and former leader of the National Party of Australia.Sinclair was born in Sydney, the son of a suburban accountant. He was educated at Knox Grammar School and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in arts and law...
. Blunt aimed to modernise the NPA and bring it into closer alignment with the Liberal Party
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...
, particularly on issues of economic deregulation. He was also more socially liberal than most NPA members.
Unfortunately for Blunt, neither of these things was popular with rank and file NPA members, and he found his leadership under increasing attack from traditionalists. At the same time the seat of Richmond, which had been held by the NPA and its predecessor the Country Party since 1922, was becoming more urbanised. Some argue that the growing unpopularity of the National Party state government in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
(Richmond sits across the border from Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
) influenced federal voting intentions. The anti-war campaigner Helen Caldicott
Helen Caldicott
Helen Mary Caldicott is an Australian physician, author, and anti-nuclear advocate who has founded several associations dedicated to opposing the use of nuclear power, depleted uranium munitions, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons proliferation, war and military action in general. She hosts a...
announced that she would oppose Blunt in his electorate at the next election.
The culmination of these trends was a swing against the NPA at the 1990 election, at which the Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
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 was re-elected. Blunt was defeated in his own seat of Richmond. Blunt had no local connections, which worked against him in a country seat. Labor challenger Neville Newell
Neville Newell
Neville Joseph Newell is an Australian politician. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 until 1996 and as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2007....
won the seat on the seventh count after Caldicott's preferences
Australian electoral system
The Australian electoral system has evolved over nearly 150 years of continuous democratic government, and has a number of distinctive features including compulsory voting, preferential voting and the use of proportional voting to elect the upper house, the Australian Senate.- Compulsory voting...
flowed overwhelmingly to him. It was only the second time that the leader of a major Australian party had lost his own seat in an election; the first was Stanley Bruce
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
, the then Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, who lost not only the 1929 election
Australian federal election, 1929
Federal elections were held in Australia on 12 October 1929. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, with no Senate seats up for election, as a result of Billy Hughes and other rebel backbenchers crossing the floor over industrial relations legislation, depriving the...
but also his own seat of Flinders
Division of Flinders
The Division of Flinders is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...
. The NPA also lost the adjoining seat of Page
Division of Page
The Division of Page is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the far north-east of the state, adjoining the border with Queensland and the coast of the Pacific Ocean...
, both campaigns being heavily influenced by Queensland media.
After the election, Blunt was again the focus of political controversy when he was accused of inappropriately using publicly-funded mailouts of election-related material:
After an investigation Blunt was found not to have breached any rules, and the matter was dropped.
After leaving politics Blunt went into business. He led a number of trade and investment missions to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was regular speaker at international trade and investment outlook conferences. In 2003 he became National Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia. He is also currently chair of a number of publicly listed companies, including Capital Trade and Policy and Palamedia.