John Keating (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
John Henry Keating was an Australia
n politician.
Keating was born in Hobart
and educated at Officer College, Hobart, Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, Sydney
and the University of Tasmania
where he received a Bachelor of Laws
in 1896. He established a legal practice in Launceston
and became a campaigner for federation
and secretary of the Northern Tasmanian Federation League. He married Sarah Alice "Lallie" Monks in January 1906.
seat of George Town in 1900. In the 1901 election, he was elected to the Australian Senate
as the youngest member of the Parliament
, where he supported the Protectionist Party
governments of Edmund Barton
and Alfred Deakin
. He supported the establishment of a system of compulsory conciliation and arbitration
a Commonwealth old-age pension scheme and a White Australia
. He was appointed an honorary minister in the second Deakin Ministry
in July 1905 and Vice-President of the Executive Council
in October 1906. He was responsible for the drafting of the 1905 Copyright Act. He was Minister for Home Affairs
from January 1907 to November 1908 and was responsible for passing a bill to provide bounties to assist industry and a bill to establish the Commonwealth quarantine service
. He sat on the backbench during Deakin's Fusion government
. Although he fully supported Australia's participation in World War I
, he voted to force the Hughes
government to an election in 1917
in protest at Hughes' manoeuvering to have the Tasmanian Government replace Labor
Senator Rudolph Ready
—who had been forced by ill-health to resign—with the Nationalist
John Earle
, thus gaining control of the Senate. He failed to win re-election as a Nationalist at the 1922 election
and returned to his legal practice.
Keating's wife died in October 1939 and he died a year later of the effects of a duodenal ulcer, survived by a son and a daughter.
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.
Keating was born in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
and educated at Officer College, Hobart, Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, Sydney
Sydney
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...
and the University of Tasmania
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
where he received a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1896. He established a legal practice in Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
and became a campaigner for federation
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...
and secretary of the Northern Tasmanian Federation League. He married Sarah Alice "Lallie" Monks in January 1906.
Political career
Keating stood unsuccessfully for the Tasmanian House of AssemblyTasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
seat of George Town in 1900. In the 1901 election, he was elected to the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
as the youngest member of the Parliament
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
, where he supported the Protectionist Party
Protectionist Party
The Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1889 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. It argued that Australia needed protective tariffs to allow Australian industry to grow and provide employment. It had its greatest strength in Victoria and in...
governments of Edmund Barton
Edmund Barton
Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
and Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
. He supported the establishment of a system of compulsory conciliation and arbitration
Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration is a defunct Australian court, which had jurisdiction to arbitrate interstate industrial disputes....
a Commonwealth old-age pension scheme and a White Australia
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
. He was appointed an honorary minister in the second Deakin Ministry
Second Deakin Ministry
The Second Deakin Ministry was the fifth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 5 July 1905 to 12 December 1906.Protectionist Party...
in July 1905 and Vice-President of the Executive Council
Vice-President of the Executive Council
The Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council is a position in Australian federal governments, whose holder acts as presiding officer of the Federal Executive Council in the absence of the Governor-General....
in October 1906. He was responsible for the drafting of the 1905 Copyright Act. He was Minister for Home Affairs
Minister for Home Affairs (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Home Affairs has been Brendan O'Connor since 6 June 2009. The Home Affairs portfolio brings together agencies such as the Australian Customs Service , the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which were previously the...
from January 1907 to November 1908 and was responsible for passing a bill to provide bounties to assist industry and a bill to establish the Commonwealth quarantine service
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service is the Australian government agency responsible for enforcing Australian quarantine laws...
. He sat on the backbench during Deakin's Fusion government
Commonwealth Liberal Party
The Commonwealth Liberal Party was a political movement active in Australia from 1909 to 1916, shortly after federation....
. Although he fully supported Australia's participation in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he voted to force the Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
government to an election in 1917
Australian federal election, 1917
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 May 1917. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
in protest at Hughes' manoeuvering to have the Tasmanian Government replace 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...
Senator Rudolph Ready
Rudolph Ready
Rudolph Keith Ready was an Australian politician. Born in Tasmania, he received a primary education before becoming a storekeeper. In 1910, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor Senator for Tasmania. He resigned his place in 1917, leading to the appointment, only hours later, of...
—who had been forced by ill-health to resign—with the Nationalist
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...
John Earle
John Earle (Australian politician)
John Earle was an Australian politician and the first Labor Premier of Tasmania.- Early life :Born into a farming family of Cornish descent in Bridgewater, Tasmania, Earle left home at 17 to work as a blacksmith's apprentice in a Hobart foundry...
, thus gaining control of the Senate. He failed to win re-election as a Nationalist at the 1922 election
Australian federal election, 1922
Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1922. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes lost its majority...
and returned to his legal practice.
Keating's wife died in October 1939 and he died a year later of the effects of a duodenal ulcer, survived by a son and a daughter.