Bertram Stevens
Encyclopedia
Sir Bertram Sydney Barnsdale Stevens KCMG (2 January 188924 March 1973) was the United Australia Party
Premier of New South Wales
from 16 May 1932 to 5 August 1939.
suburb of Redfern
and attended Fort Street High School
. An accountant by training, the teetotal Methodist Stevens worked for years in local government and various civil service departments. In 1914, he married Edith Lillie Anderson and they had one son and two daughters. In 1924, he became under-secretary and director of finance at the State Treasury, where he came into conflict with the Labor
Premier and Treasurer, Jack Lang
and subsequently resigned. In 1927, he became an alderman on Marrickville Council
.
, as member for the Sydney suburban electoral district of Croydon
. During the Nationalist Party
Premiership of Sir Thomas Bavin, Stevens served first as Assistant Treasurer, and from 1929 as Treasurer.
Not long after the Great Depression
ended Bavin's administration in 1930, Stevens became Deputy Leader of the Opposition. In 1932 the Nationalist Party was absorbed into the United Australia Party
, and Stevens became that party's state parliamentary leader. In May 1932 the Governor Sir Philip Game
dismissed the Lang government, which was in dispute with Australia's federal government of James Scullin
, and appointed Stevens as Premier. Stevens immediately called a new state election which his party won in a landslide. His major reform was the replacement of the appointed Legislative Council
, by a Council elected by the whole parliament to terms equivalent to four Assembly terms, that is up to 12 years; this was passed by referendum
in 1933. He reduced the protections for mortgagors and tenants that had been introduced by Lang. The UAP won again in 1935 and 1938. For most of Stevens's seven-year Premiership, one of the longest in New South Wales history—it continued until the eve of World War II
—he was his own Treasurer.
Stevens had been in conflict with the deputy leader of the UAP, Eric Spooner
since 1936 for not running a balanced budget
and, Spooner resigned from cabinet in July 1939 and on 1 August, moved a no confidence motion against him, succeeding by two votes. Stevens resigned and Alexander Mair
took over as Premier. Stevens was interested in entering federal parliament, and despite Robert Menzies
's discouragement, resigned his Assembly seat and ran for the Labor-dominated seat of Lang
in 1940, but was beaten.
. After the war, Stevens was president of the India League of Australia, and wrote prolifically upon Indian politics; but he never again held elective office. He died in the Sydney suburb of Concord West
, poor and almost forgotten, survived by a son and two daughters.
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
Premier of New South Wales
Premiers of New South Wales
The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...
from 16 May 1932 to 5 August 1939.
Early life
Stevens was born in the SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
and attended Fort Street High School
Fort Street High School
Fort Street High School is a co-educational, academically selective, public high school currently located at Petersham, an inner western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. An accountant by training, the teetotal Methodist Stevens worked for years in local government and various civil service departments. In 1914, he married Edith Lillie Anderson and they had one son and two daughters. In 1924, he became under-secretary and director of finance at the State Treasury, where he came into conflict with 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...
Premier and Treasurer, Jack Lang
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
and subsequently resigned. In 1927, he became an alderman on Marrickville Council
Marrickville Council
Marrickville Council is a Local Government Area situated in the Inner West region of Sydney, Australia.The area is bounded by Leichhardt to the north, the City of Sydney to the east and north-east, the City of Botany Bay to the south-east, Rockdale to the south, Canterbury to the west, and...
.
Political career
In 1927 he entered the Legislative AssemblyNew 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...
, as member for the Sydney suburban electoral district of Croydon
Electoral district of Croydon (New South Wales)
Croydon was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1927, with the abolition of proportional representation from part of the multi-member electorate of Western Suburbs, and named after and including the Sydney suburb of Croydon...
. During the Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
Premiership of Sir Thomas Bavin, Stevens served first as Assistant Treasurer, and from 1929 as Treasurer.
Not long after the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
ended Bavin's administration in 1930, Stevens became Deputy Leader of the Opposition. In 1932 the Nationalist Party was absorbed into the United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
, and Stevens became that party's state parliamentary leader. In May 1932 the Governor Sir Philip Game
Philip Game
Air Vice-Marshal Sir Philip Woolcott Game GCB, GCVO, GBE, KCMG, DSO was a British Royal Air Force commander, who later served as Governor of New South Wales and Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis...
dismissed the Lang government, which was in dispute with Australia's federal government of James Scullin
James Scullin
James Henry Scullin , Australian Labor politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, marking the beginning of the Great Depression and subsequent Great Depression in Australia.-Early life:Scullin was...
, and appointed Stevens as Premier. Stevens immediately called a new state election which his party won in a landslide. His major reform was the replacement of the appointed Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
, by a Council elected by the whole parliament to terms equivalent to four Assembly terms, that is up to 12 years; this was passed by referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
in 1933. He reduced the protections for mortgagors and tenants that had been introduced by Lang. The UAP won again in 1935 and 1938. For most of Stevens's seven-year Premiership, one of the longest in New South Wales history—it continued until the eve of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
—he was his own Treasurer.
Stevens had been in conflict with the deputy leader of the UAP, Eric Spooner
Eric Spooner
Eric Sydney Spooner was an Australian politician.Spooner was born in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo and educated at Christ Church St Laurence School. At 14 he became a telegraph messenger and studied at night at the University of Sydney to gain a diploma in economics and commerce. He married...
since 1936 for not running a balanced budget
Balanced budget
A balanced budget is when there is neither a budget deficit or a budget surplus – when revenues equal expenditure – particularly by a government. More generally, it refers to when there is no deficit, but possibly a surplus...
and, Spooner resigned from cabinet in July 1939 and on 1 August, moved a no confidence motion against him, succeeding by two votes. Stevens resigned and Alexander Mair
Alexander Mair
Alexander Mair was an Australian politician and served as the Premier of New South Wales from 5 August 1939 to 16 May 1941. Born in Melbourne, working in various businesses, Mair moved to Albury, New South Wales and went on to be a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for fourteen...
took over as Premier. Stevens was interested in entering federal parliament, and despite Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
's discouragement, resigned his Assembly seat and ran for the Labor-dominated seat of Lang
Division of Lang
The Division of Lang was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, and was named after Rev. John Dunmore Lang, a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and advocate of Australian independence...
in 1940, but was beaten.
Later life
In 1941 and 1942, Stevens was the Australian representative to the Eastern Group Supply Council in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. After the war, Stevens was president of the India League of Australia, and wrote prolifically upon Indian politics; but he never again held elective office. He died in the Sydney suburb of Concord West
Concord West, New South Wales
Concord West is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Concord West is located 16 km west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay...
, poor and almost forgotten, survived by a son and two daughters.