Ian David Thompson (1 September 1935 – 2 December 2009) was an Australian politician who served as

Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Legislative Assembly. The office has existed since the creation of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 under the '' Constitution Act 1889''. The 31st and cur ...

. Thompson was born in Morawa and left school in year 8, working as a carpenter, fitter and mechanic. In 1971 he was elected as the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member for

Darling Range The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

. He transferred to Kalamunda in 1974 and back to Darling Range in 1989. He held various shadow ministries during the 1980s. In the 1970s he was one of a group of Liberal MPs to oppose the closure of the Tresillian disabled children's home; Thompson claimed

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Sir Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was a Western Australian politician, and the 21st Premier of Western Australia from 1974 to 1982. He was a member of the Liberal Party. Early life Court's family e ...

blamed him for the party disunity. In 1977 Thompson was elected

, and was required to use his casting vote after the

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 fe ...

withdrew its support for a government bill to limit the ability of illiterate people to vote. Thompson voted against the measure, leading Court to demand his resignation; Thompson refused and faced a censure motion in the Liberal Party room, which was defeated after Margaret McAleer called for unity. Thompson would eventually resign from the Liberal Party anyway, and he retired from politics in 1993 as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

.The speaker who stuck to his guns
/ref>

References

1935 births 2009 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Independent members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Australian carpenters Members of the Order of Australia People from Morawa, Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub