Bill Baxter
Encyclopedia
William Robert Baxter (born 3 November 1946) was a former Australia
n politician and the current Victorian State President of The Nationals
. He was the Nationals
member of the Victorian Legislative Council
representing North Eastern Province from June 1978 until November 2006 (excepting a four-month break in 1984–85). He also served one term in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
from 1973 to 1976.
area. He started high school in Nathalia, but graduated from Melbourne
's prestigious Scotch College
. Despite having completed high school at Scotch College, Baxter returned to his family property at Picola
, near Nathalia, and began working as a farmer and grazier. Around the same time, he began to pursue an interest in politics.
branch, and a delegate to the party conference, at the age of only twenty. At the 1969 federal election
, he was Deputy Prime Minister Sir John McEwen
's campaign director in his seat of Murray
.
Baxter was elected to the Nathalia Shire Council
in 1970, and in 1973, became the Shire President. In the same year, he stood as the Nationals candidate for the largely safe Legislative Assembly
seat of Murray Valley
, replacing the retiring George Moss
. Having been easily elected, he juggled the two commitments until 1975, when he ceased to be Shire President, although he remained on the council. Throughout this term, Baxter also served on the Road Safety Committee. In the leadup to the 1976 state election, the Murray Valley electorate underwent major boundary changes, and as a result, Baxter chose to contest the adjacent seat of Benambra
. Baxter polled the most primary votes, but though it had been a National Party seat since 1932, Benambra fell to Lou Lieberman
of the rival conservative Liberal Party
on preferences.
After losing his seat in the Legislative Assembly, Baxter made a comeback in 1978, when he switched to the Legislative Council
and successfully contested a by-election in the safe National Party seat of North Eastern Province. He received his first parliamentary position the following year, when he was appointed as Deputy Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council and Party Whip. He was again returned in a regular election the following year. After the election, he nominated for a position on the Public Works Committee, and served there until 1982, when he switched to the Natural Resources and Environment Committee.
In 1984, Baxter resigned from the Legislative Council to contest the federal seat of Indi
, challenging sitting Liberal member Ewen Cameron
. The bid was unsuccessful, as Baxter came third behind Cameron and the ALP candidate, and Cameron was easily re-elected on Baxter's preferences. Baxter subsequently contested the by-election for his old seat in February 1985, and was once again elected to the Legislative Council. Over the next three years, he served on three more committees, responsible for Economic and Budget Review, WorkCare and Social Development.
Baxter retained his previous portfolios after being re-elected in 1985, and received another promotion in 1988, when he became Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council. In 1990, he was made Shadow Minister for Roads and Ports as part of the Liberal-National coalition
opposition. Two years later, Jeff Kennett
led the coalition to an election victory, and Baxter became Minister for Roads and Ports in the new government. However, the 1996 election saw a changed ratio between the two parties, and the National Party lost one of its portfolios to the Liberals. As a result, Baxter returned to the backbenches, and instead took up a position as Chairman of the Parliament House Completion Authority, which oversaw the renovation of Parliament House
in order to comply with the original architectural designs.
The coalition between the Liberal and National parties again fractured after the Kennett government suffered a surprise defeat at the 1999 election. This meant that a range of new portfolios had to be filled, in order to cover all the areas that had previously been overseen by members of the larger Liberal Party. When these were allocated after the 2002 election, Baxter once again was in line for promotion, obtaining the high-profile portolios of the treasury, finance, industry, industrial relations and the financial services industry. In addition, he was also a member of the Legislative Council Privileges and Public Accounts and Estimates Committees.
Baxter was an active member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
for many years, having served on its executive committee and attended numerous conferences, going back as far as 1980. In September 2002, he made a bid for the position of executive committee chairman, but was defeated by Canada
's Bob Speller
.
As a result of reforms to the Legislative Council made after the 2002 election, Baxter's two-member electorate was abolished and replaced with a larger, five-member electorate. After fellow incumbent Damian Drum
won the first spot on the National Party ticket, Baxter decided to transfer back to the Legislative Assembly, and he hoped to regain the seat of Benambra for the Nationals at the upcoming 2006 election
. He polled third behind Bill Tilley
of the Liberal Party
and Labor
candidate Lisa Mahood
.
In early 2007 Baxter became the Victorian State President of The Nationals after the resignation of John Tanner, who became Federal President.
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 and the current Victorian State President of The Nationals
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
. He was the Nationals
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
member of the Victorian Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
representing North Eastern Province from June 1978 until November 2006 (excepting a four-month break in 1984–85). He also served one term in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
from 1973 to 1976.
Early life
Baxter was born and raised in the NathaliaNathalia, Victoria
Nathalia is a town in northern Victoria, Australia. The town is located within the Shire of Moira Local government area on the banks of Broken Creek and on the Murray Valley Highway. At the 2006 census, Nathalia had a population of 1,431....
area. He started high school in Nathalia, but graduated from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's prestigious Scotch College
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
. Despite having completed high school at Scotch College, Baxter returned to his family property at Picola
Picola, Victoria
Picola is a town in northern Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of Moira Local Government Area, from the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Picola had a population of 754....
, near Nathalia, and began working as a farmer and grazier. Around the same time, he began to pursue an interest in politics.
Political career
In 1966, he became the secretary of his local Country PartyNational Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
branch, and a delegate to the party conference, at the age of only twenty. At the 1969 federal election
Australian federal election, 1969
Federal elections were held in Australia on 25 October 1969. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia John Gorton with coalition partner the Country Party led by John McEwen defeated the Australian...
, he was Deputy Prime Minister Sir John McEwen
John McEwen
Sir John "Black Jack" McEwen, GCMG, CH , was an Australian politician and the 18th Prime Minister of Australia...
's campaign director in his seat of Murray
Division of Murray
The Division of Murray is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the north of the state, adjoining the Murray River, which forms Victoria's border with New South Wales...
.
Baxter was elected to the Nathalia Shire Council
Shire of Nathalia
The Shire of Nathalia was a Local Government Area located on the Murray River in the Goulburn Valley region about north of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia...
in 1970, and in 1973, became the Shire President. In the same year, he stood as the Nationals candidate for the largely safe Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
seat of Murray Valley
Electoral district of Murray Valley
The Electoral district of Murray Valley is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.It contains the towns of Cobram, Numurkah, Rutherglen, Wangaratta and Yarrawonga, as well as many other smaller towns....
, replacing the retiring George Moss
George Moss
George Moss is a Christian, American rapper, artist, producer, actor, and radio host at 88.3 and 89.9 WAYfm. After the release of his debut solo album, "All or Nothing" in 2008 and a string of radio singles such as "Whoa!", "Get Right", "Transparent", and "Go Hard or Go Home", he quickly rose to...
. Having been easily elected, he juggled the two commitments until 1975, when he ceased to be Shire President, although he remained on the council. Throughout this term, Baxter also served on the Road Safety Committee. In the leadup to the 1976 state election, the Murray Valley electorate underwent major boundary changes, and as a result, Baxter chose to contest the adjacent seat of Benambra
Electoral district of Benambra
The Electoral district of Benambra is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is located in north-east Victoria and includes the towns of Chiltern, Wodonga, Yackandandah, Beechworth, Tallangatta, and Corryong...
. Baxter polled the most primary votes, but though it had been a National Party seat since 1932, Benambra fell to Lou Lieberman
Lou Lieberman
Louis Stuart "Lou" Lieberman is an Australian politician and was a member of both the Victorian Legislative Assembly and the Australian House of Representatives....
of the rival conservative Liberal Party
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...
on preferences.
After losing his seat in the Legislative Assembly, Baxter made a comeback in 1978, when he switched to the Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
and successfully contested a by-election in the safe National Party seat of North Eastern Province. He received his first parliamentary position the following year, when he was appointed as Deputy Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council and Party Whip. He was again returned in a regular election the following year. After the election, he nominated for a position on the Public Works Committee, and served there until 1982, when he switched to the Natural Resources and Environment Committee.
In 1984, Baxter resigned from the Legislative Council to contest the federal seat of Indi
Division of Indi
The Division of Indi is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. It is located in north-eastern Victoria. Its northern border is formed by the Murray River...
, challenging sitting Liberal member Ewen Cameron
Ewen Cameron (Australian politician)
Ewen Colin Cameron was an Australian politician. Born in Melbourne, he had been a farmer and member of Euroa Shire Council before entering federal politics. In 1977, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Liberal member for Indi, defeating Mac Holten, a member of the...
. The bid was unsuccessful, as Baxter came third behind Cameron and the ALP candidate, and Cameron was easily re-elected on Baxter's preferences. Baxter subsequently contested the by-election for his old seat in February 1985, and was once again elected to the Legislative Council. Over the next three years, he served on three more committees, responsible for Economic and Budget Review, WorkCare and Social Development.
Baxter retained his previous portfolios after being re-elected in 1985, and received another promotion in 1988, when he became Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council. In 1990, he was made Shadow Minister for Roads and Ports as part of the Liberal-National coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
opposition. Two years later, Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
led the coalition to an election victory, and Baxter became Minister for Roads and Ports in the new government. However, the 1996 election saw a changed ratio between the two parties, and the National Party lost one of its portfolios to the Liberals. As a result, Baxter returned to the backbenches, and instead took up a position as Chairman of the Parliament House Completion Authority, which oversaw the renovation of Parliament House
Parliament House, Melbourne
Parliament House in Melbourne, located at Spring Street in East Melbourne at the edge of the Melbourne city centre, has been the seat of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia, since 1855 .- History :In 1851, even before the colony of Victoria acquired full parliamentary self-government, Governor...
in order to comply with the original architectural designs.
The coalition between the Liberal and National parties again fractured after the Kennett government suffered a surprise defeat at the 1999 election. This meant that a range of new portfolios had to be filled, in order to cover all the areas that had previously been overseen by members of the larger Liberal Party. When these were allocated after the 2002 election, Baxter once again was in line for promotion, obtaining the high-profile portolios of the treasury, finance, industry, industrial relations and the financial services industry. In addition, he was also a member of the Legislative Council Privileges and Public Accounts and Estimates Committees.
Baxter was an active member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights...
for many years, having served on its executive committee and attended numerous conferences, going back as far as 1980. In September 2002, he made a bid for the position of executive committee chairman, but was defeated by Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's Bob Speller
Bob Speller
Robert "Bob" Speller, PC is a Canadian politician.A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Speller was elected to the Canadian House of Commons four times from 1988 to 2000...
.
As a result of reforms to the Legislative Council made after the 2002 election, Baxter's two-member electorate was abolished and replaced with a larger, five-member electorate. After fellow incumbent Damian Drum
Damian Drum
Damian Kevin Drum is the Nationals member for Northern Victoria Region in the Victorian parliament, Australia. He is also a former Australian rules footballer and coach, most notably as senior coach of the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League from 1999 to 2001. He turned to...
won the first spot on the National Party ticket, Baxter decided to transfer back to the Legislative Assembly, and he hoped to regain the seat of Benambra for the Nationals at the upcoming 2006 election
Victorian state election, 2006
An election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. Just over 3 million Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly and, for the first time, 40 members to the Legislative Council under a proportional representation system...
. He polled third behind Bill Tilley
Bill Tilley
Bill Tilley is the Liberal Party of Australia member for the seat of Benambra in the Victorian Legislative Assembly. He was elected at the 2006 Victorian state election, beating Labor candidate and Wodonga mayor Lisa Mahood and former Nationals Upper House member Bill Baxter.Prior to his candidacy,...
of the Liberal Party
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...
and 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 Lisa Mahood
Lisa Mahood
Lisa Mahood is a councilor and the former Mayor of the City of Wodonga and the Australian Labor Party candidate for the seat of Benambra at the 2006 Victorian State election....
.
In early 2007 Baxter became the Victorian State President of The Nationals after the resignation of John Tanner, who became Federal President.