Rupert Hamer
Encyclopedia
Sir Rupert James Hamer, AC
, KCMG
, ED
(29 July 1916 – 23 March 2004), generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, Australia
n Liberal Party
politician, was the 39th Premier of Victoria, serving from 1972 to 1981.
to Nancy and Hubert Hamer, a solicitor. His three siblings all achieved success in their fields: his sister was Alison Patrick (1921–2009), an internationally known historian of the French Revolution
; his brothers were David Hamer
(1923–2002), a federal Liberal politician, and Alan, a Rhodes Scholar, chemist and Managing Director of ICI Australia.
Dick Hamer was educated at Geelong Grammar School
and the University of Melbourne
, where he graduated in law. He joined the Australian Army
in 1939 and served at Tobruk
and El Alamein
and in New Guinea
and Normandy. After the war he became a partner in his family's law firm and was active in the Liberal Party
. In 1944 he married April Mackintosh, with whom he had five children.
, where he served until 1971, when he transferred to the Legislative Assembly
as MP for Kew
. He was appointed to ministry of the long-serving Premier, Henry Bolte
, in 1962, becoming Assistant Chief Secretary. He was Minister for Local Government 1964–1971 and Chief Secretary and Deputy Premier of Victoria
1971–1972. Although he was loyal to Bolte, he had a reputation for being much more liberal than his rough-edged conservative leader.
opposition under Clyde Holding
, and an ever bigger victory (also against Holding) in 1976.
Hamer, assisted by key allies such as Planning Minister Alan Hunt
, Conservation Minister Bill Borthwick
, Attorney-General Haddon Storey, Social Welfare and Youth Minister Brian Dixon
and Arts and Educational Services Minister Norman Lacy
moved to modernise and liberalise government in Victoria. Environmental protection laws were greatly strengthened, the death penalty was abolished, Aboriginal
communities were given ownership of their lands, abortion
and homosexuality
were decriminalised and anti-discrimination laws were introduced. Restrictions on shop trading hours, and on public entertainment on Sundays, were eased. A major new centre for the performing arts was built in the centre of Melbourne
. These measures won the support of middle-class voters, and the Melbourne daily The Age
, which had frequently been critical of Bolte, strongly supported Hamer's government.
Hamer was instrumental in the introduction of the Historic Buildings Act 1974 and made significant moves in 1977 which guaranteed the protection of several significant buildings including the Windsor Hotel
and Regent Theatre
in Melbourne and Shamrock Hotel
in Bendigo.
By 1979, however, the gloss was wearing off the Hamer image, as Victoria was beset by increasing economic difficulties, rising unemployment, industrial unrest and a decline in Victoria's traditional manufacturing industrial base. At the same time the Labor Party was mounting a more effective challenge to the Liberals in Victoria than it had done for many years. At the 1979 election the Liberals were returned to power with an overall majority of only one seat, although they could also count on the support of the conservative National Party of Australia
.
After this setback the conservative wing of the Liberal Party, which had always disliked Hamer's social liberalism, began to undermine his position. The leading conservative, Economic Development Minister Ian Smith
, was sacked from Cabinet for disloyalty in March 1981. He was reinstated after pledging loyalty to Hamer, but resigned again in May. It was apparent by this stage that Hamer had lost the support of his party, and he resigned in June. The following month he resigned from Parliament, and was knighted, becoming Sir Rupert Hamer. At the ensuing by-election, his seat of Kew was won for the Liberals by Prue Sibree
(now Prue Leggoe). At the election the following year the Liberals were defeated after 27 years in power.
from 1982 to 1996 and a patron of the Public Transport Users Association
from 1989. He died of heart failure
in his sleep on 23 March 2004, and his family accepted the offer of a state funeral from the Labor
Premier, Steve Bracks
. Hamer was praised by Victorians of all political views. The former Labor federal president, Barry Jones
, called him "the finest flower in the Victorian Deakinite
tradition.".
, known as the Melbourne Concert Hall, was renamed Hamer Hall.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, ED
Efficiency Decoration
The Efficiency Decoration is a defunct medal of Britain and the Commonwealth awarded for long service in the Territorial Army of the UK, the Indian Volunteer Forces and Colonial Auxiliary Forces....
(29 July 1916 – 23 March 2004), generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, Australia
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 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...
politician, was the 39th Premier of Victoria, serving from 1972 to 1981.
Early years
Dick Hamer was born in MelbourneMelbourne
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...
to Nancy and Hubert Hamer, a solicitor. His three siblings all achieved success in their fields: his sister was Alison Patrick (1921–2009), an internationally known historian of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
; his brothers were David Hamer
David Hamer
David John Hamer, AM, DSC was an Australian politician. Born in Melbourne, he was educated at Geelong Grammar School and then the Royal Australian Naval College. He served in the Royal Australian Navy from 1940 to 1968. He was a lieutenant aboard during the battles of Leyte and Lingayen Gulf...
(1923–2002), a federal Liberal politician, and Alan, a Rhodes Scholar, chemist and Managing Director of ICI Australia.
Dick Hamer was educated at Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located at Corio, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay....
and the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, where he graduated in law. He joined the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
in 1939 and served at Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
and El Alamein
El Alamein
El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
and in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and Normandy. After the war he became a partner in his family's law firm and was active in 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...
. In 1944 he married April Mackintosh, with whom he had five children.
Parliamentary career
In 1958 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative CouncilVictorian 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...
, where he served until 1971, when he transferred to the Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
as MP for Kew
Electoral district of Kew
The Electoral district of Kew is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It lies a few kilometres east of Melbourne and is centred around the suburb of Kew and also contains parts of Balwyn and Canterbury....
. He was appointed to ministry of the long-serving Premier, Henry Bolte
Henry Bolte
Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG was an Australian politician. He was the 38th and longest serving Premier of Victoria.- Early years :...
, in 1962, becoming Assistant Chief Secretary. He was Minister for Local Government 1964–1971 and Chief Secretary and Deputy Premier of Victoria
Deputy Premier of Victoria
The Deputy Premier of Victoria is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Victoria. The Deputy Premiership has been a ministerial portfolio since , and the Deputy Premier is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier....
1971–1972. Although he was loyal to Bolte, he had a reputation for being much more liberal than his rough-edged conservative leader.
39th Premier of Victoria
Bolte retired in 1972 and Hamer succeeded him as Liberal leader and Premier, despite opposition from the conservative wing of the Party. Hamer represented such a sharp change from the Bolte era that he was able to campaign in the 1973 election as a new, reformist leader, despite the fact that the Liberals had been in power for 18 years. Employing the slogan "Hamer Makes It Happen", he won a landslide against the LaborAustralian 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...
opposition under Clyde Holding
Clyde Holding
Allan Clyde Holding Australian politician, was Leader of the Opposition in Victoria for ten years, and was later a federal minister.-Early life and education:...
, and an ever bigger victory (also against Holding) in 1976.
Hamer, assisted by key allies such as Planning Minister Alan Hunt
Alan Hunt (politician)
Alan John Hunt AM is an Australian politician, having been a member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1961 until 1992....
, Conservation Minister Bill Borthwick
Bill Borthwick
William Archibald "Bill" Borthwick AM was an Australian politician. Borthwick was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the electorates of Scoresby and Monbulk ....
, Attorney-General Haddon Storey, Social Welfare and Youth Minister Brian Dixon
Brian Dixon
Brian Dixon is a former Australian rules footballer and Victorian Politician.Dixon played 252 VFL games for Melbourne between 1954 and 1968, playing mostly on the wing...
and Arts and Educational Services Minister Norman Lacy
Norman Lacy
Norman Henry Lacy, Australian politician, is a former Victorian Government Minister from May 1979 to April 1982 who grew up in Richmond, Victoria and three times represented his state at national under age basketball championships...
moved to modernise and liberalise government in Victoria. Environmental protection laws were greatly strengthened, the death penalty was abolished, Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
communities were given ownership of their lands, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
were decriminalised and anti-discrimination laws were introduced. Restrictions on shop trading hours, and on public entertainment on Sundays, were eased. A major new centre for the performing arts was built in the centre of 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...
. These measures won the support of middle-class voters, and the Melbourne daily The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, which had frequently been critical of Bolte, strongly supported Hamer's government.
Hamer was instrumental in the introduction of the Historic Buildings Act 1974 and made significant moves in 1977 which guaranteed the protection of several significant buildings including the Windsor Hotel
Hotel Windsor (Melbourne)
The Hotel Windsor is a 5 Star luxury hotel in Melbourne. The Windsor is Australia’s only surviving grand 19th century city hotel and only official "grand" Victorian era hotel....
and Regent Theatre
Regent Theatre, Melbourne
The Regent Theatre is a 2162 seat theatre in Melbourne, Australia. It is listed by the National Trust of Australia and is on the Victorian Heritage Register.-History:...
in Melbourne and Shamrock Hotel
Shamrock Hotel (Bendigo)
The Shamrock Hotel is a grand 19th century hotel in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia situated on Pall Mall, the city's main street....
in Bendigo.
By 1979, however, the gloss was wearing off the Hamer image, as Victoria was beset by increasing economic difficulties, rising unemployment, industrial unrest and a decline in Victoria's traditional manufacturing industrial base. At the same time the Labor Party was mounting a more effective challenge to the Liberals in Victoria than it had done for many years. At the 1979 election the Liberals were returned to power with an overall majority of only one seat, although they could also count on the support of the conservative 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...
.
After this setback the conservative wing of the Liberal Party, which had always disliked Hamer's social liberalism, began to undermine his position. The leading conservative, Economic Development Minister Ian Smith
Ian Smith (Australian politician)
Ian Winton Smith is a former Victoria, Australia Liberal Party of Australia politician. He represented the Electoral district of Warrnambool in the State of Victoria as a MLA from 1967 until 1983. He resigned to unsuccessfully contest Liberal Party pre-selection for the Federal Division of Wannon...
, was sacked from Cabinet for disloyalty in March 1981. He was reinstated after pledging loyalty to Hamer, but resigned again in May. It was apparent by this stage that Hamer had lost the support of his party, and he resigned in June. The following month he resigned from Parliament, and was knighted, becoming Sir Rupert Hamer. At the ensuing by-election, his seat of Kew was won for the Liberals by Prue Sibree
Prue Sibree
Prudence Anne Sibree and later Prudence Anne Leggoe is former Liberal Party of Australia member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly....
(now Prue Leggoe). At the election the following year the Liberals were defeated after 27 years in power.
Later career
Hamer remained active in public and community affairs after his retirement. He was chairman of the Victorian State Opera from 1982 to 1995, president of the Victorian College of the ArtsVictorian College of the Arts
The Faculty of the VCA and Music is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria . VCAM is located near the Melbourne central business district, on two campuses, one - the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - on the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, and the other - the...
from 1982 to 1996 and a patron of the Public Transport Users Association
Public Transport Users Association
The Public Transport Users Association is a community-based public transport lobby group in Victoria, Australia, based in Melbourne.- History and Aims :...
from 1989. He died of heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
in his sleep on 23 March 2004, and his family accepted the offer of a state funeral from 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...
Premier, Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
. Hamer was praised by Victorians of all political views. The former Labor federal president, Barry Jones
Barry Jones (Australian politician)
Barry Owen Jones AO, FAA, FASSA, FAHA, FTSE, FACE is a writer, lawyer, social activist, quiz champion and former politician. He campaigned against the death penalty throughout the 1960s, particularly against the execution of Ronald Ryan, and remains against capital punishment...
, called him "the finest flower in the Victorian Deakinite
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
tradition.".
Hamer Hall
Shortly after his death, the main concert hall of the Melbourne Arts CentreThe Arts Centre (Melbourne)
The Victorian Arts Centre is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia....
, known as the Melbourne Concert Hall, was renamed Hamer Hall.