Lance Armstrong (politician)
Encyclopedia
Reverend Lance John Edward Armstrong (born 17 February 1940) is a former Australia
n politician. Born in Perth
, Western Australia
, he was active in Tasmania
. A minister with the Uniting Church
, he also had a Bachelor of Education
.
, Di Hollister
, Gerry Bates
and Bob Brown
, to the Tasmanian House of Assembly
for Bass
as a member of a group of independent
s under the leadership of Bob Brown
, after a community backlash against a proposed paper pulp mill near Devonport
. (Bob Brown
and Gerry Bates
were sitting members.) They together formed an alliance called The Green Independents, and held the balance of power in the government for three years, keeping Michael Field
's minority Labor Party government in power in an arrangement called the Labor–Green Accord.
The state election of 1992 saw all five sitting Greens re-elected, but with a drop in their vote of around 25% and with a majority Liberal government in power. After the election, these independents were reconstituted as the Tasmanian Greens
. However, they still operated akin to Independents, as the Tasmanian Greens had adopted the policy of allowing parliamentary members a "conscience vote" on all issues. In April, Armstrong introduced a bill to restrict advertising and display of publications. This bill was aimed at the display of publications such as People
and Playboy
in newsagents, which Armstrong argued were degrading to women, although magazine Green Left Weekly
argued that "Armstrong's censorship legislation is likely to increase the climate of repressiveness around sexuality".
At the 1996 election, four Greens were returned and the Greens achieved the balance of power with a Liberal minority government, but Lance Armstrong lost his seat of Bass.
.
In 2008, he controversially distributed a flyer urging residents not to vote for Cr Henk van de Ven in Albury's local government elections, accusing Cr van de Ven of “forceful and belligerent behaviour” in relation to an occasional child-care centre being built on council parkland.
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. Born in Perth
Perth, 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....
, 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...
, he was active in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. A minister with the Uniting Church
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
, he also had a Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
.
Political career
In 1989, Armstrong was elected, together with Christine MilneChristine Milne
Christine Anne Milne is an Australian Senator and deputy leader of the Australian Greens.Christine Milne first came to public attention for her role in opposing the building of the Wesley Vale pulp mill near Bass Strait in North Western Tasmania on the basis of its allegedly harmful environmental...
, Di Hollister
Di Hollister
Dianne Lesley "Di" Hollister is a former Australian politician.Born in Devonport, Tasmania, she started her career as a teacher....
, Gerry Bates
Gerry Bates
Gerard Maxwell "Gerry" Bates is an Australian environmental lawyer and academic, and former politician.-Early life and education:Bates was born in Lancashire, England in 1950...
and Bob Brown
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
, to the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
for Bass
Division of Bass (state)
The Electoral Division of Bass is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly, or lower house; it takes its name from the British Naval Surgeon and Explorer of Australia: George Bass. The division shares its name and boundaries with the federal division of Bass...
as a member of a group of independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
s under the leadership of Bob Brown
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
, after a community backlash against a proposed paper pulp mill near Devonport
Devonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
. (Bob Brown
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
and Gerry Bates
Gerry Bates
Gerard Maxwell "Gerry" Bates is an Australian environmental lawyer and academic, and former politician.-Early life and education:Bates was born in Lancashire, England in 1950...
were sitting members.) They together formed an alliance called The Green Independents, and held the balance of power in the government for three years, keeping Michael Field
Michael Field (Australian politician)
Michael Walter Field, AC was Tasmanian Labor leader from 1988 until his retirement in 1996, and was the Premier of Tasmania between 1989 and 1992...
's minority Labor Party government in power in an arrangement called the Labor–Green Accord.
The state election of 1992 saw all five sitting Greens re-elected, but with a drop in their vote of around 25% and with a majority Liberal government in power. After the election, these independents were reconstituted as the Tasmanian Greens
Tasmanian Greens
The Tasmanian Greens are a political party in Australia which developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania, including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the Franklin Dam campaign...
. However, they still operated akin to Independents, as the Tasmanian Greens had adopted the policy of allowing parliamentary members a "conscience vote" on all issues. In April, Armstrong introduced a bill to restrict advertising and display of publications. This bill was aimed at the display of publications such as People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
and Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
in newsagents, which Armstrong argued were degrading to women, although magazine Green Left Weekly
Green Left Weekly
Green Left Weekly is an Australian radical left-wing newspaper, written by progressive activists to "present the views excluded by the big business media". It was published by the Democratic Socialist Perspective from its inception in 1990 until January 2010, when the DSP merged into the Socialist...
argued that "Armstrong's censorship legislation is likely to increase the climate of repressiveness around sexuality".
At the 1996 election, four Greens were returned and the Greens achieved the balance of power with a Liberal minority government, but Lance Armstrong lost his seat of Bass.
After politics
Armstrong is currently a Uniting Church minister in Albury-WodongaAlbury-Wodonga
Albury-Wodonga is the broad settlement incorporating the twin Australian cities of Albury and Wodonga, which are separated geographically by the Murray River and politically by a state border: Albury on the north of the river is part of New South Wales while Wodonga on the south bank is in...
.
In 2008, he controversially distributed a flyer urging residents not to vote for Cr Henk van de Ven in Albury's local government elections, accusing Cr van de Ven of “forceful and belligerent behaviour” in relation to an occasional child-care centre being built on council parkland.