O'Connor Ministry


The O'Connor Ministry was the 28th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, and was led by Liberal Premier Ray O'Connor and his deputy Cyril Rushton. It succeeded the Court Ministry on 25 January 1982, upon the retirement of Sir Charles Court from politics. The ministry was in turn followed by the Burke Ministry on 25 February 1983 after the Liberal Party lost government at the state election held on 19 February.

Overview

, who had been in parliament since 1959 and first appointed as a Minister in 1967, had replaced Des O'Neil as Deputy Premier upon the latter's retirement from politics at the 1980 election. On 18 December 1981, Sir Charles Court, then 70 years of age, announced his decision that he would step down as Premier on 25 January 1982. O'Connor was elected unopposed by the party room to replace him.
The final term of the preceding Court Ministry had been somewhat troubled due in part to the inconsistent support of Liberal MLA Dr Tom Dadour and the 1978 split of the National Country Party, with a breakaway National Party maintaining an independent line and holding three seats. A range of issues in several portfolios, most notably Aboriginal affairs and education, had received public prominence.
Of the former Court ministry, 10 of the 13 ministers retained office—Sir Charles Court, Bill Grayden and David Wordsworth resigned, and backbenchers Bob Pike, Jim Clarko and Richard Shalders were promoted. The latter two were initially Honorary Ministers, but were fully promoted on 14 May 1982.

The Ministry

On 25 January 1982, the Governor, Sir Richard Trowbridge, constituted the Ministry. He designated 13 principal executive offices of the Government and appointed the following ministers to their positions, who served until the end of the Ministry on 25 February 1983. Two honorary ministers, Jim Clarko and Richard Shalders, were appointed to assist ministers in various portfolios, and on 14 May 1982, they fully assumed the portfolios. This was done pursuant to the Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1980, assented on 9 September 1980, which had grown the Ministry from 13 to 15.
The list below is ordered by decreasing seniority within the Cabinet, as indicated by the Government Gazette and the Hansard index. Blue entries indicate members of the Liberal Party, whilst green entries indicate members of the National Country Party. The members of the Ministry were:
OfficeMinister

Premier and Treasurer

Minister Co-ordinating Economic and Social Development
Ray O'Connor, MLA

Deputy Premier

Minister for Transport

Minister for Emergency Services
Cyril Rushton, MLA

Minister for Agriculture

Minister for Primary Industry

Minister for Fisheries and Wildlife
Dick Old, MLA

Attorney-General

Minister for Federal Affairs

Minister for Police

Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council		Ian Medcalf, ED, QC, LL.B., MLC

Minister for Works

Minister for Water Resources

Minister for Education

Minister assisting the Minister Co-ordinating
Economic and Social Development		Andrew Mensaros, MLA

Minister for Resources Development

Minister for Mines

Minister for Fuel and Energy		Peter Jones, MLA

Minister for Health
Minister for Police

Minister for Prisons

Minister assisting the Minister for Emergency Services		Bill Hassell, LL.B., MA, MLA

Minister for Labour and Industry

Minister for Immigration		Gordon Masters, MLC

Minister for Local Government

Minister for Urban Development and Town Planning		June Craig, MLA

Minister for Lands
Minister for Forests

Minister for Conservation and the Environment
Ian Laurance, Dip.Teach, BA, FAIM, MLA

Minister for Industrial Development and Commerce

Minister for Regional Administration

Minister for the North-West

Minister for Tourism		Barry MacKinnon, BEc, Dip.Acctg, FASA, MLA

Chief Secretary

Minister for Prisons

Minister for Cultural Affairs

Minister for Recreation
Bob Pike, MLC

Minister for Education		Jim Clarko, BA, DipEd, MA, MLA

Minister for Community Welfare

Minister for Housing

Minister for Consumer Affairs		Richard Shalders, Dip.Teach, MLA