Geoffrey Alan "Geoff" Pearsall (born 15 September 1946) is a former Australian politician. A member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

, he served as a member of the

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. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart. The Assembly has 25 ...

from 1969 until 1988 and as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

(1979–1981). Robin Gray succeeded him in the latter role.

Early life

Pearsall was born in Hobart,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, to Thomas Pearsall, who had been one of the seven members for

Division of Franklin The Division of Franklin is an Australian electoral division in Tasmania. The division is located in southern Tasmania around the state capital, Hobart. It is the only non-contiguous federal electoral division in Australia, with the two par ...

from 1950 to 1966, and served one term as a Federal MP for the same electorate in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. Pearsall's grandfather,

Benjamin Pearsall Benjamin James Pearsall (1 December 1878 – 18 January 1951) was an Australian politician. He was born in Rokeby, Tasmania, then known as Clarence Plains. In 1928 he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as an Independent member ...

, had also held a Franklin seat for two non-contiguous terms during the Great Depression.

Career

At the 1969 election, Pearsall stood for and won a Franklin seat, which he was to hold for the following 19 years. He failed by one vote in August 1978 to take the deputy leadership from

Ray Bonney Raymond Claude Bonney (10 March 1919 – 25 April 1994) was an Australian politician. Bonney was born in Tasmania. In 1972, he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as a Liberal member for Braddon. He was Deputy Liberal Leader ...

. After

Max Bingham Sir Eardley Max Bingham (18 March 1927 – 30 November 2021), was an Australian politician. He was Deputy Premier and Opposition Leader of Tasmania, who represented the electorate of Denison for the Liberal Party in the Tasmanian House of As ...

stepped down as

following the July 1979 election, which had seen a swing to the incumbent Labor Party in Premier Doug Lowe's first election as leader, Pearsall was elected unopposed as leader on 7 August, with Robin Gray as deputy leader. The first part of his term was consumed by the electoral crisis which led to the Denison state by-election in 1980.AJPH 26(1), pp.119–122. He had an otherwise uneventful term before unexpectedly resigning as party leader for "personal reasons" on 10 November 1981—it was later revealed that powerful conservative elements within the Liberal Party had forced him to resign, after his personal life and breakup of his marriage led to concerns about his image. His deputy, Robin Gray, was elected unopposed, and went on to become premier at the 1982 election. After the election, Pearsall became Minister for Tourism, National Parks and Recreational Lands, Environment and Licensing. Following Bingham's retirement from parliament, Pearsall became

Deputy Premier A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

, losing the two environment portfolios but picking up Police and Emergency Services, Road Safety and Gaming.

Later life

He resigned from parliament on 1 November 1988, announcing that he was moving to the Gold Coast to manage a tourist resort with his private secretary and long-time friend, Peter Sullivan. Pearsall was accorded the title "The Honourable" for life on 20 April 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearsall, Geoff 1946 births Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Tasmania Deputy Premiers of Tasmania Living people Leaders of the Opposition in Tasmania Politicians from Hobart