John Kerin
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John Charles Kerin (born 21 November 1937) is an Australian economist and former Labor Party politician who served in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
from 1972 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1993. He held a number of senior ministerial roles in both the Hawke and Keating Governments, including six months as
Treasurer of Australia The Treasurer of Australia (or Federal Treasurer) is a high ranking official and senior minister of the Crown in the Government of Australia who is the head of the Ministry of the Treasury which is responsible for government expenditure and ...
and eight years as Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, holding the latter role for the longest period in Australian history.


Early life and education

Kerin was born in
Bowral Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, about ninety minutes southwest of Sydney. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and Highlands. Bowral once served ...
in the Southern Highlands of
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 ...
. Growing up in a rural area, he was educated at
Hurlstone Agricultural High School , motto_translation = For my country , location = Glenfield, Sydney, Macarthur region, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia Sydney , pushpin_image = ...
and
Bowral High School , motto_translation = Higher , slogan = Exceptional learning opportunities for all , location = Aitken Road, Bowral, Southern Highlands, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map ...
. He worked as a poultry farmer before later completing a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England,
Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...
, in 1967, and then a Bachelor of Economics from the
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
in 1977. In between studying for his two degrees, Kerin spent time working at the
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) is a federal research branch of the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, located in Canberra, Australia. ABARES was establi ...
(ABARE).


Political career

Having joined the Labor Party as a student, Kerin was elected to the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
for the seat of Macarthur at the 1972 election. He remained on the backbench throughout the Whitlam Government, but lost his seat in Labor's landslide defeat at the 1975 election, returning to work at the ABARE. He was later selected as Labor's candidate for the safe seat of
Werriwa The Division of Werriwa is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The name Werriwa derives from a local Aboriginal name for Lake George, which was located in the division when it was established in 1900. The division ...
at the 1978 by-election caused by the retirement of former Prime Minister
Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...
, who had held the seat since 1952. After Labor's landslide victory at the 1983 election, newly elected Prime Minister
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 â€“ 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...
appointed Kerin as Minister for Primary Industries and Energy owing to Kerin's significant experience both in economics and working on commodities and agricultural policies. His background made Kerin a good fit for the role, and he remained in the position for almost the entirety of Hawke's time as Prime Minister, making him by far the longest-serving minister in this portfolio in Australian history. During his time as Primary Industries and Energy Minister, Kerin played a key role in the Hawke Government's numerous economic reforms, particularly the gradual abolition of most
tariff A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and poli ...
protections on agricultural imports. After
Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...
resigned as
Treasurer of Australia The Treasurer of Australia (or Federal Treasurer) is a high ranking official and senior minister of the Crown in the Government of Australia who is the head of the Ministry of the Treasury which is responsible for government expenditure and ...
in June 1991 to mount an unsuccessful leadership challenge to Hawke, Kerin was appointed to replace him. Keating had been an influential and long-serving Treasurer, as well as being Hawke's primary political partner, leading to significant and immediate media pressure on Kerin to see how he would compare. Kerin was highly regarded as Minister for Primary Industry After an initially positive start, Kerin was judged by several journalists as failing to respond adequately to the
Liberal-National Coalition The Liberal–National Coalition, commonly known simply as "the Coalition" or informally as the LNP, is an alliance of centre-right political parties that forms one of the two major groupings in Australian federal politics. The two partners in ...
's proposals for their new ' Fightback!' economic policy. Kerin was further undermined by hostile briefing by some from within the Labor Caucus, and ultimately his authority in office was fatally undermined when he made a public gaffe by appearing to forget the meaning of a
gross operating surplus In the national accounts, gross operating surplus (GOS) is the portion of income derived from production by incorporated enterprises that are earned by the capital factor. It is calculated as a balancing item in the generation of income account of ...
. Hawke felt that he had no option but to sack Kerin as Treasurer, replacing him with
Ralph Willis Ralph Willis AO (born 14 April 1938) is a former Australian politician who served as a Cabinet Minister during the entirety of the Hawke-Keating Government from 1983 to 1996, most notably as Treasurer of Australia from 1993 to 1996 and briefl ...
, and instead appointing Kerin as Minister for Transport and Communications. However, his time in this role would be brief, as Keating mounted a successful challenge to Hawke's leadership less than a fortnight later. Having promised the portfolio of Transport and Communications to his close ally
Graham Richardson Graham Frederick Richardson (born 27 September 1949) is an Australian former Labor Party politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1983 to 1994 and served as a Cabinet Minister in both the Hawke and Keating Governments. He is c ...
, Keating moved Kerin to the role of Minister for Trade and Overseas Development. In this position, Kerin played a key role in preparing the groundwork for the
APEC The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Leaders' Summit at which the Bogor Declaration would be declared, pledging significant movement towards free trade amongst Pacific economies. He was dropped from the ministry after the 1993 election and at the end of that year Kerin announced his retirement from Parliament, stating that he wished to move on to other things.


Post-political career

After his retirement from politics in 1993, Kerin was appointed to a senior position at the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation, and joined numerous boards of various charities and companies. Kerin remained active across a range of public policy issues in Australia. In October 2008 he was appointed to the board of the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...
. He was appointed the 2008 Distinguished Life Member of the Australian Agriculture and Resource Economics Society. In October 2010 he was appointed Chair of the
Crawford Fund The Crawford Fund, established as an initiative of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in 1987, is a national support organisation for international agricultural research. History According to a paper prepared ...
, a position he held until early 2017. The Crawford Fund aims to increase Australia's engagement in international agricultural research, development and education. In 2011 he resigned from the New South Wales branch of the Labor Party in protest at what he saw as the increasingly highly centralised nature of control over the operations of the organisation. He said that the administrative arm of the party had become increasingly involved in policy formulation, leaving little room for meaningful participation by rank and file party members. In August 2012, he rejoined the Party as a member in Canberra, where he stated he felt that local management of the party was more responsive to the concerns of members. In 2017, Kerin released a memoir of his experiences as Primary Industries and Energy Minister between 1983 and 1991.John C. Kerin. 2017.
The way I saw it; the way it was: the making of national agricultural and natural resource management policy.'
Melbourne: Analysis and Policy Observation.


References


External links

* John Kerin (2003), "Primary Industry Policy", in Susan Ryan and Troy Bramston (Eds.), ''The Hawke Government: A Critical Perspective'', Pluto Press, . * John Kerin (2013), "Primary Industry Policy", in Troy Bramston (ed.), ''The Whitlam Legacy'', The Federation Press, Annandale, NSW. (hbk) * John C. Kerin (2017),
The way I saw it; the way it was: the making of national agricultural and natural resource management policy
. Melbourne: Analysis and Policy Observation. doi: 10.4225/50/590fe72f12dd9 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerin, John 1937 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Macarthur Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Werriwa Members of the Australian House of Representatives Treasurers of Australia Members of the Order of Australia Officers of the Order of Australia Members of the Cabinet of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Government ministers of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering