Robert George Halverson, (22 October 1937 – 9 February 2016) was an Australian politician, air force officer and diplomat. He was a member of 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 1984 to 1998, representing 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 ...
. He was
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
from 1996 to 1998, and subsequently served as
Ambassador to Ireland from 1998 to 2003.
Early life
Halverson was born on 22 October 1937 in
Springvale, Victoria
Springvale ( Boonwurrung: ''Monite'') is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Greater Dandenong local government area. Springvale recorded a population of 2 ...
. He was the son of Elizabeth Gretta (née Ordner) and Herbert Martinius Halverson. His father worked as an electrician at a meatworks in
Footscray. His paternal grandfather Bendik Halverson was a Norwegian sailor who arrived in Australia in the 1870s.
Halverson was educated at Geelong Road Primary School and
Footscray Technical College.
[ At the age of 16, as an air force cadet, he was one of four ]Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...
members chosen to fly to England and meet Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
. He left school in 1953 and began an apprenticeship as an industrial chemist.[
]
Air force career
Halverson served in the Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF) from 1956 to 1981, attaining the rank of group captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
. He enlisted as an airman
An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred as a soldier in other definitions.
In civilian aviation usage, t ...
, but was selected to join the Officer Cadet School
An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Typi ...
where he topped his year. His first posting was to RAAF Base Townsville
RAAF Base Townsville (formerly RAAF Base Garbutt) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) air base located in , west of Townsville in Queensland, Australia. It is the headquarters for No. 1 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets and, along with L ...
, where an explosion left him deaf in one ear and ended his ambitions to become a pilot. He was subsequently transferred back to Melbourne where he worked in supply and equipment.[
In 1966, Halverson moved to Washington, D.C., in connection with the RAAF's purchase of ]F-111
The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons ca ...
fighter jets. He returned to Australia but moved overseas again in 1976, when he was seconded to the British Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
's RAF Support Command
Support Command was a command of the Royal Air Force between 1973 and 1994. The headquarters was located at RAF Brampton in Cambridgeshire.
History
It was formed on 31 August 1973 by the renaming of RAF Maintenance Command, for three years.[ He was made an ]Officer 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 o ...
in 1978.[ Halverson retired from the RAAF in 1981.][
]
Politics
Halverson was elected to federal parliament at the 1984 federal election, winning the Division of Casey
The Division of Casey is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was created in 1969 and is named for Richard Casey, who was Governor-General of Australia 1965–69.
The division is located in the outer easte ...
for 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 ...
.[ He attracted attention in 1989 when he referred to government MP ]Elizabeth Harvey
Elizabeth Robyn Harvey (born 19 October 1946) is an Australian politician. She was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1987 to 1990.
Harvey was born in Adelaide on 19 October 1946. She completed a d ...
as "baby" during question time
A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...
in the House of Representatives. He refused Harvey's call for an apology, stating that it was a gender-neutral term and was not sexist. In 1990, Halverson was appointed Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives under the new party leader John Hewson
John Robert Hewson AM (born 28 October 1946) is an Australian former politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party from 1990 to 1994. He led the Liberal-National Coalition to defeat at the 1993 Australian federal election.
Hewson was ...
. He was stripped of the position when his relationship with Hewson broke down after the 1993 election defeat, but regained it in May 1994 when Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United King ...
became leader. He subsequently assumed the title Chief Opposition Whip.[
After the Coalition's victory at the 1996 federal election, Halverson was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. He resigned the position in March 1998 as the Howard government became frustrated at his impartiality in enforcing discipline on both Government and opposition MPs and allowing supplementary questioning of ministers when answers were evasive.][ He usually wore the Speaker's traditional gown, but without the wig.
]
Later life
Halverson retired from politics at the 1998 election and was appointed the Australian Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, which he remained until 2003 when he was succeeded by John Herron. He died of cancer in 2016.
References
1937 births
2016 deaths
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Casey
Members of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Recipients of the Centenary Medal
Royal Australian Air Force officers
Ambassadors of Australia to Ireland
Speakers of the Australian House of Representatives
Ambassadors of Australia to the Holy See
20th-century Australian politicians
Australian people of Norwegian descent
People from Footscray, Victoria
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