Kevin Lyons
Encyclopedia
Kevin Orchard Lyons was an Australia
n politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
representing the seat of Darwin
(later renamed Braddon
). Born in 1923 in Hobart
, he was the son of Joseph Lyons
(who would go on to become Premier of Tasmania and later Prime Minister of Australia
) and Enid Lyons
(who would become the first woman elected to the Australian House of Representatives
), and brother of Tasmanian politician Brendan Lyons
. Lyons was elected to the House of Assembly for the Liberal Party
on 21 August 1948, and from 29 October 1956 to 1 June 1959 was Speaker of the House
.
On 7 September 1966, Lyons resigned from the Liberal Party after a dispute arose over preselection for the upcoming election. He formed his own party, the Centre Party
, and ran for election retaining his seat in Darwin. The 1969 election
resulted in a hung parliament
, with Lyons' Centre Party holding the balance of power
. Lyons agreed to form a coalition government
with the Liberals, and was appointed Deputy Premier under Angus Bethune as Premier. Lyons dissolved the coalition in 1972, and was subsequently critical of Bethune, who lost the 1972 election
to Labor's Eric Reece
.
Lyons died in Melbourne on 24 May 2000. A condolence motion was read in the House the next day.
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 member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian 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...
representing the seat of Darwin
Division of Darwin
The Division of Darwin was an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1903 and abolished in 1955, when it was replaced by the Division of Braddon. It was named after Charles Darwin, who visited Australia in 1836. It was located in north-western Tasmania, including the...
(later renamed Braddon
Division of Braddon (state)
The Electoral Division of Braddon, Tasmania is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The constituency takes its name from the former Premier of Tasmania, Sir Edward Braddon. Prior to 1955, the electorate was known as Darwin. The boundaries and name of the electorate are...
). Born in 1923 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...
, he was the son of Joseph Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
(who would go on to become Premier of Tasmania and later Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
) and Enid Lyons
Enid Lyons
Dame Enid Muriel Lyons, AD, GBE was an Australian politician and the first woman to be elected to the Australian House of Representatives as well as the first woman appointed to the federal Cabinet...
(who would become the first woman elected to the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
), and brother of Tasmanian politician Brendan Lyons
Brendan Lyons
Brendan Aloysius Lyons was an Australian politician. He was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 1982 election representing the Division of Bass for the Liberal Party...
. Lyons was elected to the House of Assembly for 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...
on 21 August 1948, and from 29 October 1956 to 1 June 1959 was Speaker of the House
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
.
On 7 September 1966, Lyons resigned from the Liberal Party after a dispute arose over preselection for the upcoming election. He formed his own party, the Centre Party
Centre Party (Tasmania)
The Centre Party was a minor Australian political party formed by Kevin Lyons in 1969, which held the balance of power in the Tasmanian House of Assembly following the 1969 state election in Tasmania...
, and ran for election retaining his seat in Darwin. The 1969 election
Tasmanian state election, 1969
A general election for the Tasmanian House of Assembly was held on 10 May 1969. The incumbent Labor Party, which had been in power continuously since 1934, was led by Eric Reece, who had been premier of Tasmania since 1958. The opposition Liberal Party was led by Angus Bethune.The election resulted...
resulted in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
, with Lyons' Centre Party holding the balance of power
Balance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
. Lyons agreed to form a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
with the Liberals, and was appointed Deputy Premier under Angus Bethune as Premier. Lyons dissolved the coalition in 1972, and was subsequently critical of Bethune, who lost the 1972 election
Tasmanian state election, 1972
Elections for the Tasmanian House of Assembly were held on 22 April 1972. The one-term Liberal government of Premier Angus Bethune had collapsed following the withdrawal of support by Kevin Lyons...
to Labor's Eric Reece
Eric Reece
Eric Elliott Reece, AC was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions: from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975.-Biography:...
.
Lyons died in Melbourne on 24 May 2000. A condolence motion was read in the House the next day.