Bernard Collaery
Encyclopedia
Bernard Joseph Edward Collaery, a former Australian politician, and currently a barrister
and lawyer, was a member of the first multi-member single electorate unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
for the Residents Rally
party, from 1989 to 1992. He served as Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General from 1989 to 1991 in the Kaine
Alliance Government.
Collaery was elected to the Assembly at the first Australian Capital Territory general election, held in 1989 and was leader of the Residents Rally Party, "a community-based urban green party". The life of the first Assembly was characterised by a hung parliament
and significant political instability. Confidence was waning in the minority Follett
Labor
government. On 5 December 1989, Collaery moved the following motion in the Assembly
The vote was resolved in affirmative (10 votes to 7 votes), and Trevor Kaine
elected as Chief Minister
as leader of an Alliance Government, comprising members of both the Liberal Party and some (but not all) members of the Residents Rally in the Assembly. Collaery was subsequently appointed as Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General in the Kaine Liberal
government with responsibility for welfare and community services; housing; sport and recreation; and youth. On 29 May 1991, Kaine announced to the Assemby that members of Residents Rally had met the previous evening and decided to dissolve the Alliance, due to an internal split in the Rally party, where two of the four members chose to align themselves with the Kaine government. The remaining two members choose to not align themselves with the Kaine government. Collaery stood down as Attorney-General and as Deputy Chief Minister. On 6 June 1991, a motion of no confidence in Kaine, as Chief Minister, was passed with Collaery voting in favour of the motion, despite him previously being a senior figure in the Kaine Alliance government. The Follett Labor government resumed power, and Collaery sat on the backbenches. He was unsuccessful in seeking re-election to the Assembly at the 1992 general election
.
In the 1993 federal election, Collaery was an independent
candidate for election to the Australian Senate
; he was unsuccessful.
Collaery has had a long association, representing the interests of Timor-Leste
. Collaery advocated on behalf of Timor-Leste and was legal advisor to the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction
(CNRT) in the critical period up until formal independence in 2002.
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and lawyer, was a member of the first multi-member single electorate unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
for the Residents Rally
Residents Rally
Residents Rally was an Australian political party, with four candidates elected to the first Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly at the 1989 Australian Capital Territory general election. Residents Rally were led by Canberra human rights barrister and lawyer, Bernard Collaery....
party, from 1989 to 1992. He served as Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General from 1989 to 1991 in the Kaine
Trevor Kaine
Trevor Thomas Kaine , an Australian politician, was Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 1989 to 1991, and was elected a multi-member single electorate first unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, from 1989 to 2001, initially as a member of the Liberal...
Alliance Government.
Political career
Prior to entering politics, Collaery was a First Secretary in Australia's Embassy in France.Collaery was elected to the Assembly at the first Australian Capital Territory general election, held in 1989 and was leader of the Residents Rally Party, "a community-based urban green party". The life of the first Assembly was characterised by a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
and significant political instability. Confidence was waning in the minority Follett
Rosemary Follett
Rosemary Follett AO , Australian politician, was the first Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory. She was the first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territory....
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...
government. On 5 December 1989, Collaery moved the following motion in the Assembly
- That this Assembly no longer has confidence in the Chief Minister of the ACT and the minority Labor Government and has confidence in the ability of Mr Kaine to form a government.
The vote was resolved in affirmative (10 votes to 7 votes), and Trevor Kaine
Trevor Kaine
Trevor Thomas Kaine , an Australian politician, was Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 1989 to 1991, and was elected a multi-member single electorate first unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, from 1989 to 2001, initially as a member of the Liberal...
elected as Chief Minister
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of party with the largest representation of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usually takes on the role...
as leader of an Alliance Government, comprising members of both the Liberal Party and some (but not all) members of the Residents Rally in the Assembly. Collaery was subsequently appointed as Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General in the Kaine 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...
government with responsibility for welfare and community services; housing; sport and recreation; and youth. On 29 May 1991, Kaine announced to the Assemby that members of Residents Rally had met the previous evening and decided to dissolve the Alliance, due to an internal split in the Rally party, where two of the four members chose to align themselves with the Kaine government. The remaining two members choose to not align themselves with the Kaine government. Collaery stood down as Attorney-General and as Deputy Chief Minister. On 6 June 1991, a motion of no confidence in Kaine, as Chief Minister, was passed with Collaery voting in favour of the motion, despite him previously being a senior figure in the Kaine Alliance government. The Follett Labor government resumed power, and Collaery sat on the backbenches. He was unsuccessful in seeking re-election to the Assembly at the 1992 general election
Australian Capital Territory general election, 1992
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 15 February 1992. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Rosemary Follett, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Trevor Kaine. Candidates were elected to fill seats using a modified D'Hondt method for a...
.
In the 1993 federal election, Collaery was an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate for election to the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
; he was unsuccessful.
Legal career
As a barrister, Collaery has represented plaintiffs in a number of high profile cases, including:- 1997 Thredbo landslide1997 Thredbo landslideThe Thredbo landslide was a catastrophic landslide that occurred at the village and ski resort of Thredbo, New South Wales, Australia, on 30 July 1997. Two ski lodges were destroyed, and a total of 18 died.- Landslide :...
– Coronial inquiry – representing the families of the deceased - 2003 Canberra bushfires2003 Canberra bushfiresThe Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s pasture, forests and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the renowned Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed...
– ACT Supreme Court compensation – representing various landholders - Royal Canberra Hospital implosionRoyal Canberra Hospital implosionThe Royal Canberra Hospital implosion was a failed building implosion with lethal consequences. The implosion occurred on 13 July 1997, when the city's superseded hospital buildings at Acton Peninsula on Lake Burley Griffin were demolished to make way for the National Museum of...
– damages claim on behalf of the family of the deceased - Compensation case where a man suffering a psychotic episode was shot by police who was left a quadraplegic by the incident. The ACT Supreme Court awarded negligence damages against the police officer, the Australian Federal PoliceAustralian Federal PoliceThe Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
and ACT Mental Health
Collaery has had a long association, representing the interests of Timor-Leste
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. Collaery advocated on behalf of Timor-Leste and was legal advisor to the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction
National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction
National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction is a political party in East Timor founded by former President Xanana Gusmão in March 2007 in preparation for the 2007 parliamentary election....
(CNRT) in the critical period up until formal independence in 2002.