James Gardiner (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
from July 1902 to April 1904, and June 1917 to April 1919.
Early life
Born on 12 June 1861 at PapakuraPapakura
The Papakura District was the name of a local council territory in New Zealand's Auckland Region that existed from 1989 until 2010. The area made up the southernmost part of the Auckland metropolitan area....
Valley, south of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, James Gardiner was born to pioneers George and Mary Gardiner (née Craig). Moving to South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
early in 1865, Gardiner was initially educated in Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
then Saddleworth. After he left school at age 11, he worked for the South Australian Carrying Company Limited and other commercial companies.
Gardiner then worked in 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...
for 11 years as an accountant for William Hamilton & Co., a stock and station agency. After leaving the stock and station agency about 1893, Gardiner set up business for himself for two years, then accepted a position with the publisher Gordon & Gotch. Following news of gold strikes in Coolgardie
Coolgardie, Western Australia
Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. It has a population of approximately 800 people....
and Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
, Gardiner was sent to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 1895 to establish and manage a new branch.
From 1897 to 1899 he served as president of the Western Australian Cricketing Association (WACA)
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
. He subsequently served two further terms as president, 1906 to 1915 and 1917 to 1924. Gardiner relinquished his position with Gordon & Gotch to set up his own auctioneering business in 1900 which, as a stock, station and commission agency, promoted suburban and rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
land sales. He also pursued land settlement and development, and was foremost in developing land around the Moora region, Western Australia.
Western Australian federation
Gardiner ran for parliament for the seat of AlbanyElectoral district of Albany
The Electoral district of Albany is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Albany is named for the port and regional city of Western Australia which falls within its borders. It is one of the oldest electorates in Western Australia, with its first member having been...
in 1900 after George Leake
George Leake
George Leake CMG QC was Premier of Western Australia from 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, and again from 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.-Early life:...
resigned. Although he lost that by-election, he was actively involved in the campaign for the federation of Australia
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
. During the federal campaign, the Western Australian parliament
Parliament of Western Australia
The Parliament of Western Australia consists of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly . The Parliament sits at Parliament House in Harvest Terrace, Perth....
at first refused the people of the colony the right to vote for or against accepting the draft Commonwealth constitution, a right available to electors in all other Australian colonies. James Gardiner, George Leake and Walter James
Walter James
Sir Walter Hartwell James KCMG KC was the fifth Premier of Western Australia and an ardent supporter of the federation movement....
, with other supporters of federation, promoted the 'Bill to the People Petition' supporting federal union. The petition was initially unheeded by parliament, but the cause was furthered by the 'Separation for Federation' movement on the goldfields. There was strong anti-federation sentiment in the farming, coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
industries, owing to fears that the abolition of inter-colonial import tariffs and the inception of free trade with the eastern colonies would ruin these industries. Gardiner campaigned with Walter James in June 1900 to allay the fears of Collie
Collie, Western Australia
-External links:*...
coal miners that the coal industry would suffer as a result of federation. The miners ultimately voted for federation on 31 July 1900.
Politics 1901-1904
Gardiner again contested the seat of Albany in the Western Australian general election of 1901 and was elected. A new government under Walter James emerged in July 1902, and Gardiner was appointed treasurerTreasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
. Aware that federation disadvantaged Western Australia due to the loss of revenue previously raised through inter-colonial customs duties, he implemented a five per cent duty on the dividends of companies carrying out business in Western Australia to help raise the diminishing state revenue.
In February 1904, Gardiner attended the State Treasurers' Conference in Melbourne where, among other issues, he argued against changes to the system of collecting customs revenue, which would have reduced Western Australia's total revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
and increased the revenue of the other Australian states. He was forced to resign from parliament in April 1904 to reconsolidate his firm's business.
Midland Railway Company
Free of political responsibilities, Gardiner then began forging a significant working relationship with the Midland Railway CompanyMidland Railway of Western Australia
The Midland Railway of Western Australia was a privately built and operated railway in Western Australia, operated by the British-owned Midland Railway Company of Western Australia...
to promote land sales. His first association with the company was in July 1905, when he drafted a scheme for land sales. The company was in litigation with the Western Australian Government
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
, which was claiming payments from the company for pastoral rents and licence fees. Gardiner negotiated with Premier Cornthwaite Rason
Cornthwaite Rason
Sir Cornthwaite Hector William James Rason , better known as Hector Rason, was the seventh Premier of Western Australia....
and restrictions on land sales were withdrawn. Gardiner pursued a scheme of land development and settlement for the company until 1918.
Western Australian Country Party
During his association with the Midland Railway Company, Gardiner attempted a return to parliament in October 1911 when he contested the seat of IrwinShire of Irwin
The Shire of Irwin is a Local Government Area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, about south of Geraldton and about north of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Dongara.-History:...
. Running against two other candidates, he lost to a Liberal rival. He became involved with the Farmers and Settlers' Association (FSA) of Western Australia. Gardiner presided over a conference in June 1912, which ratified the objectives of the FSA. In March 1913, the FSA formed its own political party to contest state and federal elections. The Western Australian Country Party was engineered as the political wing of the FSA, and the FSA president, A.J. Monger, was paramount in helping to found the party. Gardiner was a member of the FSA executive committee.
In 1914, a major drought had caused widespread failure of crops. The government was providing drought relief payments to all settlers except those settled by the Midland Railway Company, as the minister for lands, James Mitchell
James Mitchell (Australian politician)
Sir James Mitchell GCMG was the 13th Premier of Western Australia, serving on two occasions, the Lieutenant-Governor of Western Australia for 15 years and the 22nd Governor of Western Australia....
, considered that the company should provide its own relief support. Gardiner used his political influence to advantage when he interviewed Premier John Scaddan in September 1914 and managed to secure an advance from the government for seeding crops, feed and water supplies.
In October 1914, Gardiner was elected to parliament as the member for Irwin
Shire of Irwin
The Shire of Irwin is a Local Government Area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, about south of Geraldton and about north of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Dongara.-History:...
. He represented the Western Australian Country Party as its leader. Increasingly, Gardiner took a pro-Labor stance to favour farmers in the newer wheatbelt areas, which drew further criticism of him from the government opposition, the government and from his own party.
A nervous breakdown in March 1915 forced Gardiner to resign as leader of the Western Australian Country Party. Francis Willmott was elected leader, and he led the Country Party to again adopt an anti-Labor stance. Upon his return to duties in June, Gardiner continued to serve in the party but persistently upheld Labor policies. Following a period of rebuilding his political status, he was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
in March 1917 after the previous Speaker, E.B. Johnston, resigned. Gardiner's deafness was a disadvantage, and he was reappointed as colonial treasurer in June when the Lefroy Ministry
Henry Lefroy
Sir Henry Bruce Lefroy KCMG was the eleventh Premier of Western Australia.-Biography:Lefroy was born in Perth, Western Australia on 24 March 1854. His father was Anthony O'Grady Lefroy, Colonial Treasurer of Western Australia for over 30 years...
was appointed.
National Country Party
During 1916 and early 1917, progress was made by the eastern states' country parties to form a national party. A proposed coalition of the Western Australian Country Party with the Liberal Party and National Labor Party in May 1917 was followed through by Gardiner. He led the Country Party into the LefroyHenry Lefroy
Sir Henry Bruce Lefroy KCMG was the eleventh Premier of Western Australia.-Biography:Lefroy was born in Perth, Western Australia on 24 March 1854. His father was Anthony O'Grady Lefroy, Colonial Treasurer of Western Australia for over 30 years...
coalition government, which comprised Liberal, Country Party and National Labor representatives. Gardiner was elected unopposed in the general elections in September, representing the National Country Party
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...
.
In January and February 1919, Gardiner was stranded in 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...
for several weeks, owing to the Spanish Flu epidemic
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
and a seamen's strike. The acting Western Australian premier, Hal Colebatch
Hal Colebatch
Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch CMG , better known as Sir Hal Colebatch, was a long-serving and occasionally controversial figure in Western Australian politics...
, had implemented quarantine restrictions, which caused a great amount of friction with Gardiner. Gardiner resigned as treasurer on 1 April 1919, although he remained in the Legislative Assembly as a backbencher. He finally resigned from parliament on 12 March 1921.
Following a three-year illness brought on by a stroke, he died on 27 October 1928 and was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, with Robert Creighton. Currently managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each...
.