Jim McGinty
Encyclopedia
James Andrew McGinty (born 22 September 1949) is an Australia
n politician. He was a Labor
member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
from 1990 to 2009, representing the district of Fremantle
. He was Labor Party leader and Leader of the Opposition
from 1994 to 1996. He served as a minister, most notably as Attorney-General
, in the governments of Carmen Lawrence
, Geoff Gallop
and Alan Carpenter
.
McGinty was born in the Western Australia
n town of Kalgoorlie
. He studied Arts and Law at the University of Western Australia
. Before entering politics, he worked as an industrial officer, then became Secretary of the Miscellaneous Workers' Union.
First elected to parliament at the 1990 Fremantle state by-election
, McGinty became a minister in the government of Carmen Lawrence in 1991. He was made the Minister for Housing, Construction, Services and Heritage. With the exception of the Services, which he relinquished soon after taking the Environment portfolio in late 1992, McGinty held all these portfolios until Labor's defeat at the 1993 state election
.
McGinty became leader of his party in 1994, succeeding Ian Taylor
, only to be replaced by Geoff Gallop prior to the 1996 state election
. The leadership change was due to a mutual decision between McGinty and Gallop in response to the fact that McGinty could not make a dent on the popularity of Liberal Premier Richard Court in opinion polls. Gallop had been McGinty's deputy and the two swap leadership roles with McGinty now becoming Gallop's deputy. McGinty however was replaced as deputy after the 1996 election by Eric Ripper.
After Labor returned to power at the 2001 state election
, McGinty was again on the treasury bench. He became the Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Legal Affairs, Electoral Affairs, Peel and South West. A reshuffle in 2003 saw McGinty remain Attorney-General and Minister for Electoral Affairs, as well becoming Minister for Health. He retained these portfolios until Labor's defeat at the 2008 state election
.
McGinty had stood down as ALP leader without having a chance of presenting his case to the people of why he should be Premier at the 1996 election. As minister in the Gallop Government the prospect of him finally becoming Premier became a real possibility when Premier Gallop stood down in 2006. McGinty however did not nominate to replace Premier Gallop as factional deals had ensured Alan Carpenter becoming the next ALP leader and thus Premier.
In the 2008 WA election
McGinty faced the prospect of losing his seat to Greens
candidate Adele Carles
when the Liberal
candidate Brian Christie and Carles were neck-and-neck. If Christie had finished third, most of his preferences would have been transferred to Carles (as Liberal and Labor are both rivals, they would almost certainly have not flowed to Labor), meaning that McGinty would have lost the election by over 3000 votes. Carles eventually slipped to third by 500 votes.
On 3 April 2009, McGinty announced his retirement from politics. This triggered a by-election
for his district which the Labor Party lost to Greens candidate Adele Carles.
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 was a 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...
member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
from 1990 to 2009, representing the district of Fremantle
Electoral district of Fremantle
Fremantle is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.The district is located in the inner south-west of Perth, centring on the port of Fremantle....
. He was Labor Party leader and Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly...
from 1994 to 1996. He served as a minister, most notably as Attorney-General
Attorney-General of Western Australia
The Attorney-General of Western Australia is the member of the Government of Western Australia responsible for maintenance and improvement of Western Australia's system of law and justice. Before the advent of representative government in 1870, the title was Advocate-General of Western Australia...
, in the governments of Carmen Lawrence
Carmen Lawrence
Carmen Mary Lawrence is a retired Australian politician; a former Premier of Western Australia and the first woman to become Premier of a State of the Commonwealth of Australia....
, Geoff Gallop
Geoff Gallop
Geoffrey Ian Gallop, AC is an Australian academic and former politician. He was the Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He currently resides in Sydney.-Early life and education:...
and Alan Carpenter
Alan Carpenter
Alan John Carpenter is a former Australian politician. He was the 28th Premier of Western Australia, serving from 2006 to 2008. He took office following the resignation of Dr Geoff Gallop...
.
McGinty was born in the Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n town of Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
. He studied Arts and Law at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
. Before entering politics, he worked as an industrial officer, then became Secretary of the Miscellaneous Workers' Union.
First elected to parliament at the 1990 Fremantle state by-election
Fremantle state by-election, 1990
The Fremantle state by-election, 1990 was a by-election held on 26 May 1990 for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Fremantle in the southern suburbs of Perth....
, McGinty became a minister in the government of Carmen Lawrence in 1991. He was made the Minister for Housing, Construction, Services and Heritage. With the exception of the Services, which he relinquished soon after taking the Environment portfolio in late 1992, McGinty held all these portfolios until Labor's defeat at the 1993 state election
Western Australian state election, 1993
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 6 February 1993 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
.
McGinty became leader of his party in 1994, succeeding Ian Taylor
Ian Taylor (Australian politician)
Ian Taylor is a former Australian politician and Western Australian Deputy Premier and Opposition Leader.Taylor was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in 1981 as the Labor member for Kalgoorlie. In 1986 he was appointed Minister for Health and also held the Aged Care, Lands and...
, only to be replaced by Geoff Gallop prior to the 1996 state election
Western Australian state election, 1996
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 14 December 1996 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
. The leadership change was due to a mutual decision between McGinty and Gallop in response to the fact that McGinty could not make a dent on the popularity of Liberal Premier Richard Court in opinion polls. Gallop had been McGinty's deputy and the two swap leadership roles with McGinty now becoming Gallop's deputy. McGinty however was replaced as deputy after the 1996 election by Eric Ripper.
After Labor returned to power at the 2001 state election
Western Australian state election, 2001
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 10 February 2001 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
, McGinty was again on the treasury bench. He became the Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Legal Affairs, Electoral Affairs, Peel and South West. A reshuffle in 2003 saw McGinty remain Attorney-General and Minister for Electoral Affairs, as well becoming Minister for Health. He retained these portfolios until Labor's defeat at the 2008 state election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
.
McGinty had stood down as ALP leader without having a chance of presenting his case to the people of why he should be Premier at the 1996 election. As minister in the Gallop Government the prospect of him finally becoming Premier became a real possibility when Premier Gallop stood down in 2006. McGinty however did not nominate to replace Premier Gallop as factional deals had ensured Alan Carpenter becoming the next ALP leader and thus Premier.
In the 2008 WA election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
McGinty faced the prospect of losing his seat to 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...
candidate Adele Carles
Adele Carles
Adele Simone Carles is an Australian politician. She has been a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since May 2009, representing the electorate of Fremantle. Initially elected as a Greens WA member, she resigned from the party on 6 May 2010 to sit as an independent...
when the Liberal
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...
candidate Brian Christie and Carles were neck-and-neck. If Christie had finished third, most of his preferences would have been transferred to Carles (as Liberal and Labor are both rivals, they would almost certainly have not flowed to Labor), meaning that McGinty would have lost the election by over 3000 votes. Carles eventually slipped to third by 500 votes.
On 3 April 2009, McGinty announced his retirement from politics. This triggered a by-election
Fremantle state by-election, 2009
A by-election was held in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly district of Fremantle on 16 May 2009. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting member Jim McGinty.The Labor Party was defending a seat that they had held continuously since 1924...
for his district which the Labor Party lost to Greens candidate Adele Carles.