Ronald Thompson (15 November 1917 – 16 May 2006) was an Australian trade unionist and politician who was a member of the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

from 1959 to 1980. He served as a minister in the government of

John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995) was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 3 March 1971 to 8 April 1974. A member of the Labor Party, Tonkin was a minister in the Willcock, Wise a ...

. Thompson was born in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

to Margaret Alice (née Mewburn) and Samuel Thompson. He left school at the age of 14, and subsequently worked as a

wool classer Wool classing is the production of uniform, predictable, low-risk lines of wool, carried out by examining the characteristics of the wool in its raw state and classing (grading) it accordingly. Wool classing is done by a wool classer. Basis for ...

at the Fremantle Woolstores. He was later employed as a shopkeeper and waterside worker, and held various positions in the local branch of the

Waterside Workers' Federation Waterside may refer to: Places Canada *RBC Waterside Centre, a commercial development in Halifax, Nova Scotia *Waterside, New Brunswick Nigeria *Aba River (Nigeria), also known as Waterside United Kingdom *Waterside, East Ayrshire *Waterside, ...

(WWF). Thompson entered parliament at a 1959 Legislative Council by-election for West Province, caused by the death of

Gilbert Fraser Gilbert Fraser (22 July 1894 – 1 November 1958) was an Australian politician, postmaster and World War II Telegraphist. He was a Labor Party member in the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1928 to 1958, representing West Province. ...

. He transferred to the new

South Metropolitan Province The South Metropolitan Province was a two-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in metropolitan Perth. It was one of several metropolitan seats created following the enactment of the ''Constitution Acts Am ...

at the 1965 state election. After Labor's victory at the 1971 election, Thompson was appointed government

whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

and deputy leader of the government in the Legislative Council.Ronald Thompson
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2016. In February 1973, when

Bill Willesee William Francis Willesee (26 December 1911 – 18 August 2000) was an Australian politician who served as a Labor Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1954 to 1974. He was a minister in the government of John Tonki ...

resigned due to ill health, Thompson was elevated to the ministry, becoming Minister for Community Welfare and Minister for Police. A few months later, he also replaced Don Taylor as Minister for Tourism, holding all three portfolios until the government's defeat at the 1974 election. He then became a member of the

Tonkin Shadow Ministry The Tonkin shadow ministry was a Shadow Cabinet led by the Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia), Opposition Leader and leader of the Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch), Labor Party, John Tonkin, in the Parliament of Western ...

. In 1977, Thompson was expelled from the Labor Party after publicly opposing its policy on homosexuality.LIBERAL PARTY POLICIES
Hansard (Legislative Council of Western Australia), 10 May 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2016. He sat as an independent until his term ended at the 1980 state election, and died in Perth in May 2006, aged 88. He had married Doris Violet Brams in 1943, with whom he had two children.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Ron 1917 births 2006 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Trade unionists from Western Australia Australian waterside workers Independent members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Fremantle