John Thwaites (Australian politician)
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Johnstone William "John" Thwaites (born 15 October 1955), is a former
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...
politician, and served as
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, ...
of the state of
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
from 1999 to 2007.


Early life

Thwaites was born in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, and came to
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 ...
as a child with his family. He 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
Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
,
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 met ...
, where he graduated in science and law. He practised as a barrister before entering politics. He was a ministerial advisor to Labor Party state government ministers
Jim Kennan James Harley Kennan SC (25 February 1946 – 4 August 2010) was an Australian politician and later adjunct professor of law at Deakin University. Kennan earned a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne. He was a member of parliament b ...
and Andrew McCutcheon before being elected to the
Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...
for the seat of Albert Park.


Local council and Mayor

Thwaites was elected to the
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at ...
City Council in 1985 and served until 1993, and was Mayor in 1991–92. He is married to Melanie Eagle, who was mayor of the neighbouring city of St Kilda at the same time. Both councils are now part of the
City of Port Phillip The City of Port Phillip is a local government area of Victoria, Australia on the northern shores of Port Phillip, south of Melbourne's central business district. It has an area of 20.7 km² and had a population of 113,200 in June 2018. P ...
. Thwaites and Eagle have one son.


State Parliament

Thwaites entered Parliament at the 1992 election, as member for the inner city seat of Albert Park. Labor, having been in office for ten years, suffered a landslide defeat at the hands of 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 li ...
under
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, serving ...
. In the last three years of its term, Labor, under
Joan Kirner Joan Elizabeth Kirner (née Hood; 20 June 1938 – 1 June 2015) was an Australian politician who was the 42nd Premier of Victoria, serving from 1990 to 1992. A Labor Party member of the Parliament of Victoria from 1982 to 1994, she was a mem ...
, had presided over a sharp
recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
and a series of financial disasters including the forced sale of the
State Bank of Victoria The State Bank of Victoria was an Australian bank that existed from 1842 until 1990 when it was taken over by the Commonwealth Bank. It was owned by the Government of Victoria, State of Victoria. History A government-controlled savings bank had ...
, and the collapse of Pyramid Building Society. Most commentators expected Labor to be in opposition for many years. In the greatly reduced Labor Caucus, Thwaites gained rapid promotion. He became Shadow Minister for Health in January 1994, Shadow Minister for Health and Community Services in April 1996, and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in December 1996. Thwaites belonged to neither of the dominant factions of the Victorian Labor Party, the right-wing
Labor Unity The Labor Right, also known as Modern Labor, is a political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at the national level that is characterised by being more economically conservative and, in some cases, more socially conservative. The Labor ...
or the left-wing Socialist Left, and was an acceptable compromise candidate as Deputy to the then Opposition Leader,
John Brumby John Mansfield Brumby (born 21 April 1953) is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier ...
. Labor was again heavily defeated at the 1996 election, and it became apparent that the party could not recover under Brumby's leadership. Thwaites had been a loyal deputy to Brumby, although in March 1999 he supported moves to have Brumby resign. Thwaites could not become Leader himself because he had a small factional base, but instead supported Steve Bracks for the leadership. As Shadow Minister for Health, Thwaites campaigned against the Kennett Government’s cuts to health and the privatisation of ambulance services. He used Freedom of Information documents to highlight long delays in hospital emergency departments and health budget cuts. (“Austin in patient crisis, says Labor”, The Age, 3 October 1996.) Thwaites also highlighted concerns about privatisation of ambulance dispatching to a private company, Intergraph, which the Auditor General found “at best involved serious mismanagement or, at worst, constituted corrupt activity”.  (“State backs Intergraph reports bid”, The Age, 3 September 1999). The Intergraph affair and concerns about hospital privatisation and ambulance services were major issues in the 1999 state election. (“Selloffs the big difference” The Age 9 September 1999. “Ambulance scandal threatens Kennett” The Age 28 September 1999).


Deputy Leader

In September 1999 Bracks polled surprisingly well in the election, and three rural independent members gave Labor the opportunity to govern as a minority government. As Deputy Leader, Thwaites became Deputy Premier and was given the senior Health portfolio, with a mandate to increase funding to the public health system which had been the subject of cutbacks under the Liberal government. He was also Minister for Planning from 1999 to February 2002. Shortly after taking office, Thwaites cancelled the proposed privatisation of the Austin Hospital and announced plans for the government to rebuild the hospital with public funds. (“Labor to cancel Austin hospital privatisation” The Age 28 October 1999)   (“Can the new government fix health? The Age 20 November 1999). Like all state health ministers, he had only limited success in reducing waiting lists at public hospitals, but did succeed in restoring the numbers of nurses. One of Thwaites first actions as Health Minister was to ban smoking in restaurants (“Butt out” Herald Sun 27 November 1999.)  He later introduced legislation to ban smoking in gaming venues. (“Smokers butt out at pokies” Herald Sun 30 August 2002). As Planning Minister, Thwaites put controls on high-rise development around Port Phillip Bay and introduced a residential planning code, Rescode, to preserve neighbourhood character in planning decisions. (“Limits put on bayside high-rise” Herald Sun 14 December 1999.) He also initiated ''Melbourne 2030'', a 30 year strategy plan for Melbourne. After the November 2002 state election, at which Labor was returned with a record majority, Thwaites was appointed Minister for Environment, Water and Victorian Communities. Thwaites’ term as Minister for Water coincided with the millennium drought in southeast Australia that put significant pressure on urban and rural water supplies. Premier Steve Bracks and Thwaites led a major water saving campaign commencing in 2003 that  by 2006 had reduced water use per head by 22 per cent compared to the 1990s. Thwaites introduced major reforms to water policy and legislation in Victoria including giving the environment a statutory right to water, reforming irrigation water rights and establishing sustainable water planning strategies. He also oversaw programs to return environmental flows to the Murray, Snowy and Thomson rivers. In 2007, after Victoria had experienced its worst year of drought and the lowest streamflows in the state’s history, Premier Steve Bracks and Thwaites announced the ''Our Water Our Future'' plan which included a new desalination plant at Wonthaggi, modernising Victoria’s irrigation system to save water lost through inefficiencies, expanding a water grid across Victoria and increased recycling and water conservation. As Minister for Environment, Thwaites introduced measures to lower
greenhouse emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and la ...
and water consumption. Victoria was the first state to introduce five-star energy efficiency requirements for new homes together with incentives for rainwater tanks and solar hot water. Thwaites also oversaw a major expansion of Victoria’s National Park system including creation of the Great Otway National Park, and removed cattle grazing from the Alpine National Park. In the second term of the Bracks Government, Thwaites led the development of the Government’s social justice strategy, ''A Fairer Victoria'' working with other social policy ministers. The strategy committed $788 million in the 2005 state budget and $818 million in the 2006 budget to tackle disadvantage across a range of areas including early childhood development, mental health, disability, and community development. It was described by the head of the Brotherhood of St Laurence as “an unprecedented effort to make Victoria a better place for those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.” Thwaites was re-elected at Victorian elections 2006 with a comfortable but slightly reduced majority. While there was some speculation he might be dumped as Deputy Premier, Premier Bracks has supported him continuing in this role. In the cabinet re-shuffle after the election he became minister for climate change but lost the portfolio of Victorian communities.


White Anting

In June 2007, rumours of Steve Bracks resigning as premier, a series for leaks from inside government about Mr Thwaites and his family been given free accommodation, lift passes, food and drink at ski resorts over the last five years without declaring it. The family stayed at government-owned apartments at the invitation of the management boards, which he had appointed. Documents obtained under freedom-of-information laws show Thwaites made 17 taxpayer-funded visits to Victoria's snowfields and national parks between 2003 and 2007. He had eight stays at Tidal River on
Wilsons Promontory Wilsons Promontory, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria. South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nearb ...
, five trips to
Mount Hotham Mount Hotham is a mountain located in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, in the Australian state of Victoria. The mountain is located approximately north east of Melbourne, from Sydney, and from Adelaide by road. The nearest m ...
and two each to
Mount Buller Mount Buller is primarily a resort town on the slopes of Mount Buller in the Shire of Mansfield of the Australian state of Victoria. It is located approximately northeast of Melbourne. It is popular with snowsports enthusiasts in winter due t ...
and Falls Creek in the four years he was environment minister. Expenses for the trips, which each required at least one night's accommodation, totalled more than $17,500.


Resignation

When Premier Steve Bracks announced his surprise resignation on 27 July 2007, only hours later Thwaites announced he too would resign. He said he had been Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party in Victoria for ten years and it was now time "to give someone else a go and bring in some new blood". He officially resigned on 30 July 2007 and from parliament on the 6 August 2007.


Post-Deputy Premiership career

Since leaving politics, Thwaites has become a Professor at
Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
and Chair of it
Sustainable Development Institute
an
ClimateWorks Australia
Thwaites has also been appointed to a number of senior board positions including President,
Australian Centre for the Moving Image ACMI, formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is Australia's national museum of film, television, videogames, and art. ACMI was established in 2002 and is based at Federation Square in Melbourne, Victoria. During the 2014-15 finan ...
(ACMI), Chair Australian Building Codes Board, Chair the Climate Group Ltd,, Chair Peter Cullen Trust and director
Green Building Council of Australia Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...
and Fair Trade Australia New Zealand. He was also a consultant to Maddocks Solicitors with specialty areas of practice in environment, water and climate change between 2008 and 2015. In 2011, Thwaites was appointed as Chair of the Australian Building Codes Board, the body responsible for developing and managing Australia's building regulations. In 2012, he was appointed as Chair of the National Sustainability Council that provides independent advice to the Australian Government on sustainability issues and produces independent reports on sustainability indicators and trends. Thwaites is currently the Chair of Melbourne Water, which manages Melbourne’s water, sewerage, drainage and waterway health, and sits on a number of water advisory bodies. Thwaites has been appointed to a number of reviews and advisory bodies for the Australian and state governments. In 2016, the Victorian Government appointed him with the Hon Terry Mulder and Patricia Faulkner AO to conduct an independent review of retail electricity and gas markets. The review recommended major reforms to energy pricing for households and small business including a “no frills” electricity price to be regulated by the Essential Services Commission, the end of misleading marketing, and requiring retailers to fix offer prices for 12 months. The Victorian Government has now implemented most of these reforms. In 2017, amidst public concern about flammable cladding on buildings, Thwaites was appointed with former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu to co-chair the Victorian Cladding Taskforce to oversee the investigation and audit of buildings with dangerous cladding. Following recommendations of the Cladding Taskforce, the Victorian Government conducted a statewide audit of multi-story buildings, boosted enforcement of building regulations and announced a $600 million plan to remove dangerous cladding from buildings. Since leaving politics, Thwaites has worked with governments, business and academics to promote sustainable development and the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
. In 2012, he was appointed by the Australian Government as Chair of the National Sustainability Council to provide independent advice to the Government on sustainability issues. The Council produced the ''Sustainable Australia Report 2013''. He currently chairs the National Sustainable Development Council which in 2018 produced the ''Transforming Australia: SDG Progress report'' on Australia’s progress in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He is currently Co-Chair of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) launched by the Secretary General of the United Nations to mobilise universities in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. In July 2020, Thwaites was appointed to The Lancet Covid-19 Commission which aims to speed up global and equitable solutions to the pandemic. Thwaites was appointed
Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
for "significant service to the environment, and to the people and Parliament of Victoria" in the 2021 Australia Day Honours.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thwaites, John 1955 births Living people Members of the Order of Australia People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Monash Law School alumni Deputy Premiers of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Monash University faculty 20th-century Australian lawyers 21st-century Australian politicians English emigrants to Australia