Joan Kirner
Encyclopedia
Joan Elizabeth Kirner AM
(born 20 June 1938), Australian politician, was the 42nd Premier of Victoria, the first woman to hold the position, which she held for two years prior to a landslide election defeat.
, Melbourne
and was educated at state and private schools and at the University of Melbourne
, where she graduated in arts and completed a teaching qualification. She taught in state schools and became active in school and parents' organisations. In 1960 she married Ron Kirner, with whom she had three children. She was President of the Victorian Federation of States School Parents' Clubs, an influential education lobby from 1971 to 1977 and its executive officer from 1978 to 1982. She was appointed to several government advisory bodies on education.
She is an avid supporter of the Essendon Football Club
.
in 1978 and became a member of its Socialist Left faction. In 1982 she was elected as a Labor member of the Victorian Legislative Council
, the upper house of the Victorian Parliament. In 1985 she was elected to the Cabinet of John Cain's
Labor government and became Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands. She proposed the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988), the first Australian legislation which gave legal protection of rare species.
While Minister, and in association with Heather Mitchell from the Victorian Farmers' Federation, Kirner was instrumental in the formation of the first Landcare
groups.
At the 1988 election Kirner shifted to the Legislative Assembly, becoming MP for Williamstown, and was promoted to the Education portfolio. In this portfolio Kirner carried out a series of controversial reforms aimed at reducing what Kirner saw as the class-based inequity of the education system, culminating in a new system of assessment, the Victorian Certificate of Education
(VCE
).
By this time the Labor government was in deep crisis, with the some of the state's financial institutions on the brink of insolvency, the budget deficit unsustainably high and growing and the Labor Party deeply divided on how to respond to the situation. The party hoped that the elevation of a popular woman as its new leader would improve its position, but Kirner never succeeded in gaining control of the crisis into which the state had plunged.
Conservative Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun
reacted with hostility to a Premier from the socialist left, dubbing her "Mother Russia" and other pejorative names. She was lampooned alternatively as a sinister commissar
and as a frumpy housewife in a polka dot dress. She allowed the Victorian Trades Hall Council
to influence government policy. She seemed unfazed and gradually won some respect, although she was unable to restore the government's standing.
During 1991 and 1992 Kirner took several decisions to cut government spending and raise revenue to some extent. Some of these were actively opposed by trade unions and some members of the government. The interest bill alone was $3.5 Billion per year, the government sold off trains and trams and leased them back. Another decision was the sale of the state-owned State Savings Bank of Victoria to the Commonwealth Bank in 1991. This sale resulted in staff redundancies, despite Ms Kirner's claims that jobs would be preserved. Many former staff members of the State Bank of Victoria remain angry about this matter today. Among her advisers at this time was Steve Bracks
, who later succeeded her as MP for Williamstown and who became Premier in 1999.
In October 1992 Kirner faced an election which the opinion polls gave her no chance of winning. She remained personally more popular than the Liberal
Opposition Leader, Jeff Kennett
, but the electorate accepted Kennett's campaign theme that Labor was the "guilty party" for Victoria's financial woes, and the Liberals won a huge majority. Kirner stayed on as Opposition Leader for a short period, then resigned. She retired from Parliament in 1994.
, an organisation which promotes women's careers in politics. Kirner was one of the leaders of the movement in the Labor Party to adopt a policy of setting targets for the number of women candidates in winnable electorates. She has repeatedly publicly supported candidates identified with her Socialist Left faction.
Since January 2006, Kirner has been the Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Victorian Communities.
Kirner is also a board member of Museum Victoria, operators of Melbourne Museum, Royal Exhibition Building, Scienceworks Museum and Immigration Museum in Melbourne.
Kirner has been a long-time advocate of abortion law reform to legalise abortion. She supports the Essendon Football Club
.
In 1993 she famously appeared on The Late Show
with colleague David White, MLA, in a musical skit performing Joan Jett
's I Love Rock 'N Roll. This brief performance was covered nationally by the media.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 20 June 1938), Australian politician, was the 42nd Premier of Victoria, the first woman to hold the position, which she held for two years prior to a landslide election defeat.
Biography
Kirner was born Joan Hood in EssendonEssendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...
, 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...
and was educated at state and private schools and at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, where she graduated in arts and completed a teaching qualification. She taught in state schools and became active in school and parents' organisations. In 1960 she married Ron Kirner, with whom she had three children. She was President of the Victorian Federation of States School Parents' Clubs, an influential education lobby from 1971 to 1977 and its executive officer from 1978 to 1982. She was appointed to several government advisory bodies on education.
She is an avid supporter of the Essendon Football Club
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
.
Career
Kirner joined the Australian Labor PartyAustralian 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...
in 1978 and became a member of its Socialist Left faction. In 1982 she was elected as a Labor 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...
, the upper house of the Victorian Parliament. In 1985 she was elected to the Cabinet of John Cain's
John Cain II
John Cain , Australian Labor Party politician, was the 41st Premier of Victoria, holding office from 1982 to 1990.-Biography:...
Labor government and became Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands. She proposed the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988), the first Australian legislation which gave legal protection of rare species.
While Minister, and in association with Heather Mitchell from the Victorian Farmers' Federation, Kirner was instrumental in the formation of the first Landcare
Landcare
Landcare may refer to:*Landcare , a group formed to seek land protection*Landcare Australia, an umbrella organisation seeking land protection in Australia*Landcare Research New Zealand Limited*Landcare...
groups.
At the 1988 election Kirner shifted to the Legislative Assembly, becoming MP for Williamstown, and was promoted to the Education portfolio. In this portfolio Kirner carried out a series of controversial reforms aimed at reducing what Kirner saw as the class-based inequity of the education system, culminating in a new system of assessment, the Victorian Certificate of Education
Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
(VCE
Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
).
Premiership
Later in 1988 Kirner was elected Deputy Premier. When Cain resigned after a collapse in his political support in August 1990, Kirner was elected Labor leader and thus became Victoria's first female Premier.By this time the Labor government was in deep crisis, with the some of the state's financial institutions on the brink of insolvency, the budget deficit unsustainably high and growing and the Labor Party deeply divided on how to respond to the situation. The party hoped that the elevation of a popular woman as its new leader would improve its position, but Kirner never succeeded in gaining control of the crisis into which the state had plunged.
Conservative Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
reacted with hostility to a Premier from the socialist left, dubbing her "Mother Russia" and other pejorative names. She was lampooned alternatively as a sinister commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
and as a frumpy housewife in a polka dot dress. She allowed the Victorian Trades Hall Council
Victorian Trades Hall Council
The Victorian Trades Hall Council is a representative body of trade union organisations, known as a Labour council, in the State of Victoria, Australia...
to influence government policy. She seemed unfazed and gradually won some respect, although she was unable to restore the government's standing.
During 1991 and 1992 Kirner took several decisions to cut government spending and raise revenue to some extent. Some of these were actively opposed by trade unions and some members of the government. The interest bill alone was $3.5 Billion per year, the government sold off trains and trams and leased them back. Another decision was the sale of the state-owned State Savings Bank of Victoria to the Commonwealth Bank in 1991. This sale resulted in staff redundancies, despite Ms Kirner's claims that jobs would be preserved. Many former staff members of the State Bank of Victoria remain angry about this matter today. Among her advisers at this time was Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
, who later succeeded her as MP for Williamstown and who became Premier in 1999.
In October 1992 Kirner faced an election which the opinion polls gave her no chance of winning. She remained personally more popular than the 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...
Opposition Leader, 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...
, but the electorate accepted Kennett's campaign theme that Labor was the "guilty party" for Victoria's financial woes, and the Liberals won a huge majority. Kirner stayed on as Opposition Leader for a short period, then resigned. She retired from Parliament in 1994.
Life after Parliament
Since leaving Parliament Kirner has remained active in community affairs and politics. Initially this led her to a leading role in the Landcare movement. Subsequently she has devoted her energies to the Australian affiliate of Emily's ListEMILY's List
EMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....
, an organisation which promotes women's careers in politics. Kirner was one of the leaders of the movement in the Labor Party to adopt a policy of setting targets for the number of women candidates in winnable electorates. She has repeatedly publicly supported candidates identified with her Socialist Left faction.
Since January 2006, Kirner has been the Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Victorian Communities.
Kirner is also a board member of Museum Victoria, operators of Melbourne Museum, Royal Exhibition Building, Scienceworks Museum and Immigration Museum in Melbourne.
Kirner has been a long-time advocate of abortion law reform to legalise abortion. She supports the Essendon Football Club
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
.
In 1993 she famously appeared on The Late Show
The Late Show (Australian TV series)
The Late Show was a popular Australian comedy show, which ran for two seasons on ABC from 18 July 1992 to 30 October 1993.-Cast:The Late Show has its roots in the 1980s comedy group, The D-Generation...
with colleague David White, MLA, in a musical skit performing Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
's I Love Rock 'N Roll. This brief performance was covered nationally by the media.