Charles George Elliott (3 March 1870 - 23 March 1938) was an Australian politician. He was a Nationalist Party member of the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...

from 1934 until his death, representing North-East Province. Elliott was born at

Gundaroo Gundaroo is a small village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and in Yass Valley Council. It is situated to the east of the Yass River, about north of Sutton, about west of the Lake George range. At the , Gundaroo ...

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 ...

, where his parents had a pastoral property, and educated at local schools. He came to

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 ...

in 1893. He walked from the then rail-head at

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

to Coolgardie, prospected in various places, mainly at

Mount Margaret Mount Margaret was an abandoned town located northeast of Perth and southwest of Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. The first European to visit the area was government surveyor John Forrest who passed throug ...

, and managed several outback mines and batteries. He eventually settled in

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

, where he became a prominent tributer (a miner who works mines under an agreement with the owner for a proportion of the proceeds) and mining engineer. He was a councillor of the Municipality of Kalgoorlie from November 1922 to May 1934. Elliott developed a reputation as an advocate for the interests of tributers. In 1921, he was largely responsible for making the tributers' case at a Royal Commission into the practice which resulted in legislative reforms. In 1931, he co-founded the Eastern Goldfields Tributers Association and became the organisation's secretary, in which capacity, in 1932-33, he was heavily involved in a major legal test case which, after being appealed all the way to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

, established tributers' right to a half-share in the premium of gold found under tribute arrangements, resulting in substantial financial windfalls for the tributers. In 1937, he was involved in establishing the Amalgamated Prospectors of Western Australia, serving as its inaugural president until his death the following year, in 1938. Elliott was elected to the Legislative Council in 1934, comfortably winning a by-election caused by the death of

Edgar Harris Edgar Henry Harris was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council representing the North-East Province from his election on 22 May 1920 until his retirement in 1934. Harris was a member of the Aust ...

after three prior failed attempts (one for the

National Labor Party The National Labor Party was formed by Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes in 1916, following the 1916 Labor split on the issue of World War I conscription in Australia. Hughes had taken over as leader of the Australian Labor Party and Pri ...

and two for the Nationalist Party). He was recognised in parliament as an authority on mining matters. He died in office at St John of God Hospital, Kalgoorlie from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1938 and was buried in the Anglican section of Kalgoorlie Cemetery. He married Catherine Reid on 7 September 1908; they had one son and two daughters. Catherine was a prominent Kalgoorlie figure in her own right, having been made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in 1936 for her community and public health work, and unsuccessfully contested the by-election two years later, caused by his death, as the endorsed Nationalist candidate. She lost to William Hall.

References

{{reflist 1870 births 1938 deaths Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Western Australian local councillors