George Gear (born 8 March 1947) is a former

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n politician. , he is the mayor of the City of Melville in Western Australia, and had previously served from 1983 to 1996 in Federal Parliament including as Assistant Treasurer under the Keating government.

Background

Gear was born 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 ...

, Western Australia and received a Bachelor of Education at Mount Lawley College of Advanced Education, a Diploma of Electrical Engineering at

Fremantle Technical College The Fremantle Technical School building, also known as the Fremantle Technical College building, is a two-storey building of red brick construction located at the corner of South Terrace, Fremantle, South Terrace and Essex Street in Fremantle ...

and a Diploma of Technical Teaching from

Perth Technical College Central Institute of Technology was a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institution based in Perth, Western Australia until 2016 when it became a part of North Metropolitan TAFE. It was the equal oldest post-secondary educational institution ...

. Prior to entering federal parliament, he was a lecturer in electrical trades and engineering at TAFE. In 1969, he married Carol Howman and they have one son and one daughter.

Career

Gear was elected for the Australian Labor Party as the member for the seat of

Tangney The Division of Tangney is an Australian electoral division in the state of Western Australia. The Division was named after Dame Dorothy Tangney, the first female member of the Australian Senate. Tangney is an affluent electorate covering t ...

at the 1983 election for the Australian House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Liberal Peter Shack. However, after a redistribution erased his majority and made Tangney a notional Liberal seat, Gear shifted to the nearby seat of

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...

for the 1984 election and won. He had to fend off spirited challenges from Liberal opponent Ricky Johnston in the next four elections, particularly when his seat started shifting southward toward

Mandurah Mandurah () is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 107,641 as of the 2021 Australian census, 2 ...

. At the 1996 federal election, Johnston was successful at her fifth attempt, making him one of eight ministers to be defeated in the 1996 election.

Time in Federal Parliament

Gear was Government Whip from May 1990 to March 1993. During this time he was a member of the House Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration which conducted an extensive Inquiry into Australia's banking system. He was also Chairman of the House Privileges Committee. In 1991 Gear led a

parliamentary delegation A parliamentary delegation (or congressional delegation, also CODEL or codel, in the United States) is an official visit abroad by a member or members of a legislature. To schedule a parliamentary delegation, a member must apply to the relevant c ...

to the United Nations General Assembly in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

between September and December. He was attached to the Australian mission and worked as a part of their team in negotiations, speeches and chairing meetings as required. In March 1993, Gear was elected to the ministry and was appointed Assistant Treasurer in the Second Keating Ministry. He represented Australia at the Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, The World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, The

Asia Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offices ...

in Nice, the Pacific Forum in Port Moresby and the annual bilateral talks with the Japanese Government in Tokyo. Gear was the Federal Minister in charge of the Australian Taxation Office, National Competition Policy where he set up the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission and the Industry Commission. He also set up the National Competition Council to arbitrate and ensure access to important infrastructure such as rail lines. He was also minister in charge of the Foreign Investment Review Board

Entry into Local Government

In July 2019, Gear released a media statement declaring his intention to contest the role of Mayor in the City of Melville for the 2019 local government elections. The position had been occupied since 2007 by Russell Aubrey, whose third term as Mayor had been marred with public controversy and internal division. A long-time Melville resident, Gear ran his campaign on a platform of rebuilding confidence in the Council, restoring integrity to City processes and decision-making, mending relations with ratepayers and residents and giving ratepayers better value for money. Following the conclusion of polling conducted by the Western Australian Electoral Commission on 19 October 2019, Gear was elected as mayor, capturing 42 per cent of the votes, ahead of rivals Russell Aubrey (29 per cent) and Katy Mair (29 per cent). His current term of office is until 21 October 2023.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gear, George Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Tangney Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Canning Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1947 births Living people People from Kalgoorlie 20th-century Australian politicians Mayors of places in Western Australia