Sir Rupert James Hamer, (29 July 1916 – 23 March 2004), generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, was an Australian
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 ...
politician who served as the 39th
Premier of Victoria
The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assembl ...
from 1972 to 1981.
Early years
Hamer was born in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
to Elizabeth Anne McLuckie 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
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
; his brothers were
David Hamer
David John Hamer (5 September 1923 – 14 January 2002) was an Australian politician and Royal Australian Navy officer.
Early life and naval career
Born in Melbourne, he was educated at Geelong Grammar School and then the Royal Australian ...
(1923–2002), a federal Liberal politician, and Alan, a Rhodes Scholar, chemist and managing director of ICI Australia.
Hamer was educated at
Melbourne Grammar School
(Pray and Work)
, established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation)
, type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding
, denomination ...
and
Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School is an Independent school, independent Anglican co-educational Boarding school, boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located in Corio, Victoria, Corio on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, ...
and graduated in law from the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...
, where he was resident at
Trinity College from 1936. He was a member, with his brother Alan, of the College First XVIII Australian Rules football team, and was Secretary of the Student Club. He joined the
Melbourne University Regiment of the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
in 1935 and served with them until 1939. He was commissioned as an officer in August 1940 in 2nd/43rd Battalion AIF and served at
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near t ...
,
Syria,
El Alamein
El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...
,
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
and in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
. After the war he became a partner in his family's law firm and was active in 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 ...
. In 1944 he married April Mackintosh, with whom he had five children. He continued his military service and remained active in the
Citizens Military Force
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...
joining
the Victorian Scottish Regiment in 1948, of which he was Commanding Officer from 1954 to 1958.
Parliamentary career
Hamer was elected to the
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...
for
East Yarra Province
East Yarra Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council until 2006. It was abolished from the 2006 state election in the wake of the Bracks Bracks is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Kate Bracks (born 1974 ...
in 1958. He was appointed to the cabinet of the long-serving Premier,
Henry Bolte
Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG (20 May 1908 – 4 January 1990) was an Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Victoria. To date he is the longest-serving Victorian premier, having been in office for over 17 consecutive years.
...
, in 1962, becoming Assistant Chief Secretary. He was
Minister for Local Government from 1964 to 1971.
After
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, ...
Arthur Rylah
Sir Arthur Gordon Rylah, (3 October 190920 September 1974) was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1955 to 1971.
Background
Rylah was born in Kew, Melbourne, the son of Walter Robert Rylah, a solic ...
was forced to retire due to a stroke, Hamer was elected in a by-election for Rylah's
Legislative Assembly seat of
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
in East Melbourne. He immediately assumed Rylah's portfolios of Deputy Premier and Chief Secretary. Although he was loyal to Bolte, he had a reputation for being much more liberal than his rough-edged conservative leader.
Premier of Victoria
By the 1970s, the Liberal government was losing its appeal to younger, urban voters in Melbourne. Realizing that the Liberals had a year at most to retool their image before a statutory general election, Bolte retired in 1972 and endorsed Hamer as his successor. Despite opposition from the conservative wing of the party, Bolte's support was enough for Hamer to prevail in the ensuing leadership ballot, and he was sworn in as premier on 23 August.
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
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
opposition under
Clyde Holding
Allan Clyde Holding (27 April 193131 July 2011) was an Australian politician who served as Leader of the Opposition in Victoria for ten years, and went on to become a federal minister in the Hawke Government.
Early life and education
Holdi ...
, increasing his party's already large majority. He won an even larger victory in 1976, also defeating Holding.
Hamer, assisted by key allies such as Planning Minister
Alan Hunt, Conservation Minister
Bill Borthwick
William Archibald Borthwick (20 November 1924 – 31 July 2001) was an Australian politician. Borthwick was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the electorates of Scoresby (1960–1967) and Monbulk (1967–1982) ...
, Attorney-General
Haddon Storey
Haddon Storey (born 15 May 1930) is a former Australian politician.
He was born in Melbourne to Elsdon Storey, a dentist, and Gwendoline Alberta Bellett, a dental nurse. He attended Scotch College and Melbourne University, where he received ...
, Social Welfare Minister
Vasey Houghton
William Vasey Houghton MLC (3 January 1921 – 11 January 2001), better known as Vasey Houghton, was an Australian politician, grazier, and conservationist. He was one of the longest-serving members of the Victorian State Parliament, spending ...
, Housing and Youth Sport and Recreation Minister
Brian Dixon Brian Dixon may refer to:
* Brian Dixon (Australian footballer) (born 1936), Australian rules footballer and politician
* Brian A. Dixon (born 1980), American author
* Brian Dixon (American football) (born 1990), American football player
* Brian Dix ...
and Community Welfare Services Minister
Walter Jona 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
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
and
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
were decriminalised and anti-discrimination laws were introduced.
Hamer began the modernisation of Melbourne's moribund tramway system (now the world's biggest by route length), ordering 100 new trams immediately with further orders following, and approving the extension of the Burwood tram line from Warrigal Road to Middleborough Road. These were the first new trams and first new tram line since 1956, when Bolte stopped further expansion of the system and cancelled an order for 30 extra W7 class trams.
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 ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
. These measures won the support of middle-class voters, and the Melbourne daily ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territo ...
'', which had been critical of Bolte during his later years in power, 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 stronger challenge to the Liberals than it had in some time.
Frank Wilkes had taken over as ALP leader from Holding in 1977, and took Labor into the 1979 election with a realistic chance of winning government for the first time since 1955. Ultimately, the Liberals suffered an 11-seat swing, losing many seats in eastern Melbourne. Their majority was reduced to only one seat, although they could also count on the support of the rural-based
National Country Party
The National Party of Australia, also known as The Nationals or The Nats, is an Australian political party. Traditionally representing graziers, farmers, and regional voters generally, it began as the Australian Country Party in 1920 at a fed ...
.
In spite of the setback, Hamer continued in office. He promoted some new younger ministers such as
Lou Lieberman
Louis Stuart Lieberman (born 13 May 1938) is an Australian politician and was a member of both the Victorian Legislative Assembly and the Australian House of Representatives.
Born on 13 May 1938 at Swan Hill, Lou Lieberman was educated at ...
(Planning),
Norman Lacy
Norman Henry Lacy (born 25 October 1941) is a former Australian politician, who was a 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 basket ...
(Educational Services and The Arts) and
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, servi ...
(Housing) who continued to pursue a reformist liberal agenda particularly in human services, education, environment protection, planning and the arts. It reformed the administration of the highly centralised Department of
Education in Victoria
Education in Victoria, Australia is supervised by the Department of Education and Training (DET), which is part of the State Government and whose role is to 'provide policy and planning advice for the delivery of education'. It acts as ad ...
into a regionalised organisation with devolution of greater control to local schools. It established a ''
Special Assistance Program The development and implementation of the Special Assistance Program in Victorian Primary Schools during the period 1979 - 1982 constituted the most significant innovation in the provision of special education services to children experiencing learn ...
'' to address illiteracy and innumeracy in primary schools. It introduced a ''Health and Human Relations Education'' curriculum and compulsory ''Physical Education'' in government schools. Also, it completed the construction of the ''
Victorian Arts Centre'', established the ''
Australian Children's Television Foundation
The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) is a national non-profit children's media production and policy hub.
The ACTF helps develop children's television policy; distributes and pays for Australian children's television series; ...
'', established the ''Meat Market Craft Centre'', acquired and established the ''
Heide Museum of Modern Art
The Heide Museum of Modern Art, also known as Heide, is an art museum in Bulleen, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1981, the museum houses modern and contemporary art across three distinct exhibition buildings and is ...
'', created ''
Film Victoria
VicScreen, formerly known as Film Victoria, is the Victorian Government’s creative and economic screen development agency. They function behind the scenes, supporting professionals, infrastructure, projects and events – elevating Victor ...
'' and reconstituted the ''
Victorian College of the Arts
The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus of the ...
''.
However, during this period 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 Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...
, 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. He resigned in June, and was succeeded by Deputy Premier
Lindsay Thompson
Lindsay Hamilton Simpson Thompson AO, CMG (15 October 1923 – 16 July 2008) was an Australian Liberal Party politician who served the 40th Premier of Victoria from June 1981 to April 1982. He was previously the Deputy Premier between 1972 and ...
. The following month he resigned from Parliament, and was knighted, becoming Sir Rupert Hamer. At the ensuing by-election,
Prue Sibree
Prudence Anne Leggoe (née Turnor; formerly Sibree; born 7 August 1946) is former Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
Sibree was educated at (Chalgrove Girls Grammar School, run by Georgina Prior, 1100 Whitehorse Road, ...
retained his seat for the Liberals. At the election the following year the Liberals were defeated after 27 years in power.
Hamer is the last non-elected Victorian Premier to have subsequently been elected in his own right.
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 Arts
The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus of the ...
from 1982 to 1996 and a patron of the
Public Transport Users Association
The Public Transport Users Association is a community-based public transport lobby group in Victoria, Australia, based in Melbourne. It is run entirely by volunteers and has no full-time staff.
History and aims
The organisation was founded ...
from 1989. He died of
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...
in his sleep on 23 March 2004, and his family accepted the offer of a state funeral from the
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
Premier,
Steve Bracks
Stephen Phillip Bracks (born 15 October 1954) is a former Australian politician and was the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Labor Party and was party leader and premier from 199 ...
. Hamer was praised by Victorians of all political views. The former Labor federal president,
Barry Jones (and was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly between 1972 and 1977 serving alongside then Premier Hamer), called him "the finest flower in the Victorian
Deakinite tradition.".
Despite being a knight, Hamer was a staunch republican and a member of the Australian Republican Movement's advisory committee.
Hamer Hall
Shortly after his death in 2004, the main concert hall of the Melbourne
Arts Centre
An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues for ...
, of which Hamer had played a significant role in its development and the arts in Victoria generally, known as the Melbourne Concert Hall, was renamed the Hamer Hall.
[Rodan, "Rupert 'Dick' Hamer: The urbane liberal", pg.297]
References
Sources
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamer, Rupert
1916 births
2004 deaths
Premiers of Victoria
Deputy Premiers of Victoria
Treasurers of Victoria
People educated at Geelong Grammar School
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
Politicians from Melbourne
People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne)
Melbourne Law School alumni
Companions of the Order of Australia
Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Australian politicians awarded knighthoods
20th-century Australian politicians
Australian republicans
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian Army officers
People from Kew, Victoria
People educated at Melbourne Grammar School