Ian Lindsay Tuxworth (18 June 1942 – 21 January 2020) was an Australian politician, who was

Chief Minister of the Northern Territory The chief minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of the Northern Territory. The office is the equivalent of a state premier. When the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was created in 1974, the head of government was ...

of Australia from 17 October 1984 until his resignation on 10 May 1986.

Early life

Tuxworth was born on 18 June 1942 in Wollongong,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, to Lindsay and historian Hilda Elsie Tuxworth, and moved with his family to Tennant Creek in 1951. He was educated at Tennant Creek Primary School, and Rostrevor College in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. Before entering politics, Tuxworth, also known affectionately as "Slim", with his father and brother Robert (Bob), started a soft drink factory in Tennant Creek called Crystal Waters, which was later sold to the Coca-Cola Company. Tuxworth also played baseball and was a member of the 1975 North Australian Kiewaldt team.

Member of the Legislative Assembly

Tuxworth was elected as the

Country Liberal Party The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP) is a centre-right political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In local politics it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal ...

(CLP) member for the

electoral division of Barkly Barkly is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1974, and is named after the Barkly Tableland area, which occupies much of the electorate. Barkly is a rural electorate, cover ...

(which included Tennant Creek), in the

Northern Territory Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral legislature of the Northern Territory of Australia. The Legislative Assembly has 25 members, each elected in single-member electorates for four-year terms. The voting method f ...

at its inaugural election in 1974. As the representative for Barkly, Tuxworth was instrumental in facilitating the government support for the construction of the Mary Ann Dam north of the town of Tennant Creek. Following the resignation of Paul Everingham, Tuxworth was elected Chief Minister on 17 October 1984. In 1985, he opposed the federal government's move to transfer ownership of Uluru to its

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have right ...

, the Aṉangu people, however 30 years later he acknowledged the handback had been a success. He resigned as Chief Minister and from the CLP on 10 May 1986 to form the NT Nationals party At the 1987 election Tuxworth was elected as the NT Nationals member for Barkly by 19 votes. His victory was annulled by the Court of Disputed Returns after a successful challenge from losing independent candidate Maggie Hickey. On 5 September 1987, he won a by-election, again defeating Hickey, who was now representing the Labor Party (ALP). After a redistribution turned Barkly into a nominally Labor-held seat, Tuxworth stood unsuccessfully for the seat of Goyder at the 1990 election. Tuxworth became the first CLP leader who did not lead the party to an election.

After politics

Following his defeat, Tuxworth moved to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, where he died on 21 January 2020, aged 77. He was survived by his wife Ruth, children Sonia, Guy and Gemma, and eight grandchildren.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuxworth, Ian 1942 births 2020 deaths People educated at Rostrevor College Chief Ministers of the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Treasurers of the Northern Territory Recipients of the Centenary Medal Northern Territory Nationals members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly