Iain Evans
Encyclopedia
Iain Frederick Evans is a South Australian Liberal Party
politician
. He studied at Heathfield High School and gained a Bachelor Degree for Building Technology from the SA Institute of Technology (now University of South Australia
). Prior to entering politics he managed a family-owned building and retailing business. He was elected in the 1993 election landslide for the safe conservative seat of Davenport
(following the retirement of his father, Stan Evans
). Evans held various portfolios in the Olsen
and Kerin
governments, including Correctional Services, Environment & Heritage
, Racing and Volunteers. He gained the Deputy Leadership in November 2005 and with the resignation of Kerin after the electoral defeat of 2006 became Leader of the South Australian Liberal Party in a joint leadership ticket with Vickie Chapman
.
The following is a quote from pollbludger.com:
By February 2007, financial woes within the state Liberal party as well as contests between the party president and opposition leadership had come to a head. At a meeting in Norwood, Evans reportedly commented that "when we lose the federal election at the end of the year, the Liberal Party will be in dire straits and we have got to plan to deal with that". The alleged gaffe drew a rebuke from one federal Liberal MP who labelled Evans and his state parliamentary team "hopeless". Party president Christopher Moriarty accused Evans of being "piss-weak and gutless" for not backing a business plan aimed at assisting the party out of its parlous financial situation. High-ranking party members were canvassing support for an urgent no-confidence motion in Mr Moriarty, with one senior figure quoted as saying that "Moriarty is to the Liberal Party what Mark Latham was to Labor", but others counselled Evans against challenging Moriarty due to the high chance of failure. By late February, speculation over the opposition leader's future was being reported in the media, although he was expected to survive in the short term due to lack of options with 15 MPs remaining in the lower house. Initial reports suggested previous aspirant Martin Hamilton-Smith
might challenge for the position, with Isobel Redmond
as deputy.
In early April, Hamilton-Smith announced his leadership intentions to challenge Evans. Former Liberal Premier Kerin offered his opinion that Hamilton-Smith should and would fail, however on 11 April 2007, Hamilton-Smith defeated Evans on 13 votes to 10, becoming the new Liberal opposition leader after deputy leader Vickie Chapman offered her support to him.
Upon fellow Liberal Alexander Downer
's retirement from Federal politics, Evans announced his nomination for Liberal preselection in the 2008 Mayo by-election
. The preselection plebiscite was held to be held on 22 July, but was brought forward to 20 July, with former Howard
staffer chiefly for WorkChoices
, Jamie Briggs
, winning preselection, with Evans coming second. Bob Day
, who held membership of the Liberal Party for 20 years, and the endorsed Liberal candidate for Makin
in 2007, quit the party after failing in his bid to win Mayo preselection, citing a "manipulated" preselection process. Evans agreed to some extent.
Remarkably on 30 March 2010 exactly four years after he had been elected Liberal leader, Evans stood for the deputy's job but was defeated by the man who toppled him for the leadership in 2007, Martin Hamilton-Smith. Evans was once again defeated by Hamilton-Smith for a leadership position in a rematch between the two former leaders. Evans was overlooked for the deputy's job despite getting the support of leader Isobel Redmond. Redmond had made it known that Hamilton-Smith was not her preferred deputy and a party room meeting was called for 6 April to reconsider the deputy's job. Hamilton-Smith stood aside but Evans did renominate for the job and it went instead to Mitch Williams.
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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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He studied at Heathfield High School and gained a Bachelor Degree for Building Technology from the SA Institute of Technology (now University of South Australia
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000...
). Prior to entering politics he managed a family-owned building and retailing business. He was elected in the 1993 election landslide for the safe conservative seat of Davenport
Electoral district of Davenport
Davenport is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after nineteenth-century pioneer and politician Sir Samuel Davenport. Davenport is a 37.4 km² electorate covering part of outer suburban Adelaide and the southern foothills of...
(following the retirement of his father, Stan Evans
Stan Evans
Stanley George "Stan" Evans is a former South Australian Liberal politician.He held the seat of Onkaparinga from 1968 to 1970, then Fisher from 1970 to 1985....
). Evans held various portfolios in the Olsen
John Olsen
John Wayne Olsen, AO was Premier of South Australia between 28 November 1996 and 22 October 2001.-Parliament:Olsen was a member of the Liberal Party and Member of Parliament for more than 20 years...
and Kerin
Rob Kerin
Robert Gerard Kerin was the Liberal Premier of South Australia from 22 October 2001 to 5 March 2002. He also served as Deputy Premier of South Australia to John Olsen from 7 July 1998 until he became premier upon Olsen's resignation....
governments, including Correctional Services, Environment & Heritage
Department for Environment and Heritage
The Department for Environment and Natural Resources is a department of the Government of South Australia . It is responsible for protecting, conserving and managing South Australia's natural environment, and cultural heritage.-External links:* Government of South Australia...
, Racing and Volunteers. He gained the Deputy Leadership in November 2005 and with the resignation of Kerin after the electoral defeat of 2006 became Leader of the South Australian Liberal Party in a joint leadership ticket with Vickie Chapman
Vickie Chapman
Vickie Ann Chapman is an Australian politician, representing the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Bragg for the Liberal Party since 2002. She was Deputy Leader of the South Australian Opposition from 30 March 2006 until 4 July 2009.-Early life:Chapman was born in Kangaroo Island...
.
The following is a quote from pollbludger.com:
- Evans Senior decided to pull the pin altogether and make way for his son at the 1993 election. Evans Junior arrived just in time for a Liberal government and quickly established himself, making it to cabinet in December 1997. He has served in the police, industry, trade and environment portfolios in government, and in planning and industrial relations in opposition. Widely rated as the Liberal Party's best performer in parliament, Evans was discussed as a potential successor when John Olsen was obliged to resign over the Motorola affairMotorola affairThe Motorola affair was an incident which resulted in the resignation of South Australian Premier John Olsen on 21 October, 2001. His resignation came after the release of the Clayton Report, which stated that he had given "misleading, inaccurate and dishonest evidence to a judicial inquiry"...
in October 2001. It rarely escapes notice that his factional rival to succeed Rob Kerin as leader is Vickie Chapman, daughter of the aforementioned Ted Chapman – perpetuating a rivalry which now spans three decades. Evans achieved a major victory when he defeated Chapman in the deputy leadership vote after Dean Brown's resignation in November 2005, by 15 votes to five.
By February 2007, financial woes within the state Liberal party as well as contests between the party president and opposition leadership had come to a head. At a meeting in Norwood, Evans reportedly commented that "when we lose the federal election at the end of the year, the Liberal Party will be in dire straits and we have got to plan to deal with that". The alleged gaffe drew a rebuke from one federal Liberal MP who labelled Evans and his state parliamentary team "hopeless". Party president Christopher Moriarty accused Evans of being "piss-weak and gutless" for not backing a business plan aimed at assisting the party out of its parlous financial situation. High-ranking party members were canvassing support for an urgent no-confidence motion in Mr Moriarty, with one senior figure quoted as saying that "Moriarty is to the Liberal Party what Mark Latham was to Labor", but others counselled Evans against challenging Moriarty due to the high chance of failure. By late February, speculation over the opposition leader's future was being reported in the media, although he was expected to survive in the short term due to lack of options with 15 MPs remaining in the lower house. Initial reports suggested previous aspirant Martin Hamilton-Smith
Martin Hamilton-Smith
Martin Leslie James Hamilton-Smith is the member for the electoral district of Waite in the South Australian House of Assembly since 1997...
might challenge for the position, with Isobel Redmond
Isobel Redmond
Isobel Mary Redmond is the current parliamentary leader of the South Australian division of the Liberal Party of Australia and the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of South Australia since 2009. The Redmond Liberals won 18 of 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly at the 2010...
as deputy.
In early April, Hamilton-Smith announced his leadership intentions to challenge Evans. Former Liberal Premier Kerin offered his opinion that Hamilton-Smith should and would fail, however on 11 April 2007, Hamilton-Smith defeated Evans on 13 votes to 10, becoming the new Liberal opposition leader after deputy leader Vickie Chapman offered her support to him.
Upon fellow Liberal Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
's retirement from Federal politics, Evans announced his nomination for Liberal preselection in the 2008 Mayo by-election
Mayo by-election, 2008
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Mayo on 6 September 2008, following the retirement of Liberal Party MP Alexander Downer. The by-election was held on the same day as the Lyne by-election, and the Western Australian state election.The writ for the...
. The preselection plebiscite was held to be held on 22 July, but was brought forward to 20 July, with former Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
staffer chiefly for WorkChoices
WorkChoices
The Workplace Relations Act 1996, as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, popularly known as Work Choices, was a Legislative Act of the Australian Parliament that came into effect in March 2006 which involved many controversial amendments to the Workplace Relations Act 1996, the...
, Jamie Briggs
Jamie Briggs
Jamie Edward Briggs MP is an Australian politician. He has been the Liberal Party of Australia member for the Division of Mayo since the 2008 Mayo by-election....
, winning preselection, with Evans coming second. Bob Day
Bob Day
Robert John Day AO is a businessman in South Australia. A millionaire, he is a home builder and one of the founders of Home Australia...
, who held membership of the Liberal Party for 20 years, and the endorsed Liberal candidate for Makin
Division of Makin
The Division of Makin is an electoral division for the Australian House of Representatives located in the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide. Established in 1984 and named after Norman Makin, a former MP and diplomat, it has been a marginal seat at most elections since...
in 2007, quit the party after failing in his bid to win Mayo preselection, citing a "manipulated" preselection process. Evans agreed to some extent.
Remarkably on 30 March 2010 exactly four years after he had been elected Liberal leader, Evans stood for the deputy's job but was defeated by the man who toppled him for the leadership in 2007, Martin Hamilton-Smith. Evans was once again defeated by Hamilton-Smith for a leadership position in a rematch between the two former leaders. Evans was overlooked for the deputy's job despite getting the support of leader Isobel Redmond. Redmond had made it known that Hamilton-Smith was not her preferred deputy and a party room meeting was called for 6 April to reconsider the deputy's job. Hamilton-Smith stood aside but Evans did renominate for the job and it went instead to Mitch Williams.
External links
- Parliament of South Australia: MP Profile
- Poll Bludger electorate profile
- Stateline (ABC TV) 24-Mar-2006: Can Liberals heal rifts?
- The Advertiser: Evans has the aura of a defeated man
- The Australian: Lib leaders at loggerheads
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