Allan Walsh (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Allan Peter Walsh is a former Australia
n politician. He was the Labor
member for Maitland
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1981 to 1991.
Born in Maitland
, Walsh attended Manly
Boys' High School and Sydney Technical College
before receiving a Bachelor of Arts
form the University of Newcastle
and a Diploma of Education
from the Newcastle College of Advanced Education. He served as a fighter pilot in the RAAF 1962–70, and was then a teacher at Newcastle
and Maitland Technical College. On 3 September 1966 he married Marcia, with whom he had two children.
In 1981, when the local state Liberal
MP for Maitland
resigned, Walsh was selected as the Labor
candidate to contest the by-election. He was narrowly defeated by the Liberal candidate Peter Toms
. However, the 1981 redistribution made Maitland a solid Labor seat and Walsh easily defeated Toms in the state election later the same year. He was nearly defeated in 1988, surviving by 444 votes, and when the 1991 redistribution gave the seat a 7.4% Liberal margin, Walsh retired from politics.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member for Maitland
Electoral district of Maitland
Maitland is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Robyn Parker of the Liberal Party of Australia....
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1981 to 1991.
Born in Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
, Walsh attended Manly
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
Boys' High School and Sydney Technical College
Sydney Technical College
The Sydney Technical College was a name used by Australia's oldest technical education institution.It began as the Sydney Mechanics' Institute in 1843...
before receiving a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
form the University of Newcastle
University of Newcastle, Australia
The University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...
and a Diploma of Education
Diploma of Education
The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom...
from the Newcastle College of Advanced Education. He served as a fighter pilot in the RAAF 1962–70, and was then a teacher at Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
and Maitland Technical College. On 3 September 1966 he married Marcia, with whom he had two children.
In 1981, when the local state Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
MP for Maitland
Electoral district of Maitland
Maitland is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Robyn Parker of the Liberal Party of Australia....
resigned, Walsh was selected as the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
candidate to contest the by-election. He was narrowly defeated by the Liberal candidate Peter Toms
Peter Toms
Peter Toms OAM, JP is an Australian politician who represented the Electoral district of Maitland between 21 February 1981 and 28 August 1981 for the Liberal Party of Australia.-Early life and military:...
. However, the 1981 redistribution made Maitland a solid Labor seat and Walsh easily defeated Toms in the state election later the same year. He was nearly defeated in 1988, surviving by 444 votes, and when the 1991 redistribution gave the seat a 7.4% Liberal margin, Walsh retired from politics.