Peter Ryan (politician)
Encyclopedia
Peter Julian Ryan is an Australia
n politician
and leader of the National Party
in Victoria
. He has represented the electoral district of Gippsland South
since 1992, and has been the Deputy Premier of Victoria
, Minister for Police
as well as the Minister for Rural and Regional Development since 2 December 2010.
's course in 1974 at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor to the Supreme Court of Victoria
in 1974.
Ryan began working as a lawyer for the Gippsland
firm Warren Graham and Murphy in Sale in 1974. He became a partner in 1976 and managing partner in 1989 until leaving the firm in 1991 to pursue a career in politics.
as the member for Gippsland South in 1992. At this election, the Kirner Government
was defeated by the Liberal-National Coalition
in a landslide win. This led to problems for the National Party, because the Liberal Party
had won a majority in its own right in both the Assembly
and Council
. Jeff Kennett
honoured his pre-election arrangements with the Nationals, but by not holding the balance of power the Nationals were very much the junior member of the Coalition. Ryan was not given a portfolio for the seven year duration of the Kennett Government, although he was a member of several committees.
delivering a minority Labor Government with support from three independents. Kennett left the parliament shortly after the election, and National Party leader Pat McNamara resigned as leader in December 1999. Ryan was elected as leader unopposed. One of his first acts as leader was to terminate the coalition arrangement and sit on the benches as a separate party.
was also lost to the ALP. At the 2002 election, the Nationals received only 4.3% of the primary vote and were reduced to just seven seats in the Assembly and four seats in the Council; the combined total of eleven was the minimum required to maintain Third Party status. However, they did manage to win back Benalla despite the ALP landslide.
However, the Nationals were steadily re-defining themselves as a party distinct from the Liberals, including a re-branding as the "Vicnats". Ryan led several attacks against the Liberal Party, particularly their no-tolls policy on the Melbourne Eastlink freeway
and on former leader Robert Doyle's
remarks that the Liberals were twenty seats from government, a statement that assumed that the Nationals would support a Liberal government.
Relations soured further at the beginning of 2006 when Senator Julian McGauran
defected from the Nationals to the Liberals, who were in a coalition government at federal level. Federal party leader Mark Vaile
accused McGauran of betrayal, while Ryan stated that "People treat deserters exactly in the way that this fellow will be treated and reviled for the rest of his days. And justifiably so."
In 2003 the party was re-branded as The Nationals in line with the federal party, although the official name remains the National Party of Australia.
Many commentators had stated that The Nationals were facing electoral oblivion at the 2006 election
, especially when rumours emerged of a possible preference deal between the Liberals and the ALP which would favour the Liberals against the Nationals, and the ALP against the Greens. Changes to the Upper House
were also likely to slash the Nationals from four members to just one. Ten days prior to the election, Ryan gave what one commentator described the "speech of the campaign thus far" when he lambasted the major parties for their perceived actions.
"Welcome", he said, "to Survivor Spring Street", an exercise in reality politics in which "associations that in some instances have been developed for years, amount to an absolute hill of beans", one in which the support offered through long-standing political partnership "is thrown back in your face".
The Nationals went on to increase their primary vote to 5.17%, winning two seats in the Assembly which were offset by two losses in the Council. One notable victory was in Mildura
, where Peter Crisp
defeated the incumbent Russell Savage
(one of the three independents who had removed the Nationals from power in 1999), an event which Ryan described as "an impossible dream".
Premier Steve Bracks
resigned unexpectedly in July 2007. In contrast with the leader of the Opposition, Ted Baillieu
, Ryan commended Bracks on his parliamentary career and thanked him for his professionalism. This action is in step with what one commentator describes as "an unprecedented warm relationship with the state Labor Government", which includes reciprocating support for committee chairs.
Labor government and the election of Ted Baillieu
as Premier
and Peter Ryan, as customary in a coalition
agreement, his deputy and hence, Deputy Premier of Victoria
. The Nationals at the 2010 election under Ryan's leadership won the seat of Gippsland East
from an Independent, boosting the Nationals Legislative Assembly representation from 9 to 10. Ryan is also the Minister for Police as well as Minister for Rural and Regional Development in the coalition government.
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and leader of the National 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 Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. He has represented the electoral district of Gippsland South
Electoral district of Gippsland South
The Electoral district of Gippsland South is a Lower House electoral district of the Victorian Parliament. It is located within the Eastern Victoria Region of the Legislative Council ....
since 1992, and has been the Deputy Premier of Victoria
Deputy Premier of Victoria
The Deputy Premier of Victoria is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Victoria. The Deputy Premiership has been a ministerial portfolio since , and the Deputy Premier is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier....
, Minister for Police
Victorian Ministry for Police
The Victorian Ministry for Police is a ministry of the Government of Victoria. It has responsibility for three government agencies:*Victorian Crime Commission*Victoria Police*Victorian Office of Police Integrity...
as well as the Minister for Rural and Regional Development since 2 December 2010.
Early years
Ryan was born in Bendigo and educated in Shepparton where he graduated from high school in 1968. He went on to study law, graduating from his articled clerkArticled clerk
An articled clerk, also known as an articling student, is an apprentice in a professional firm in Commonwealth countries. Generally the term arises in the accountancy profession and in the legal profession. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a...
's course in 1974 at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor to the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
in 1974.
Ryan began working as a lawyer for the Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
firm Warren Graham and Murphy in Sale in 1974. He became a partner in 1976 and managing partner in 1989 until leaving the firm in 1991 to pursue a career in politics.
Entry to politics
Ryan entered the Victorian Legislative AssemblyVictorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
as the member for Gippsland South in 1992. At this election, the Kirner Government
Joan Kirner
Joan Elizabeth Kirner AM , 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:...
was defeated by the Liberal-National Coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
in a landslide win. This led to problems for the National Party, because 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...
had won a majority in its own right in both the Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
and 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...
. 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...
honoured his pre-election arrangements with the Nationals, but by not holding the balance of power the Nationals were very much the junior member of the Coalition. Ryan was not given a portfolio for the seven year duration of the Kennett Government, although he was a member of several committees.
Leadership ascension
Rural discontent led to a shock defeat for the Kennett Government in 1999, with large swings in rural and regional Victoria to the ALPAustralian 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...
delivering a minority Labor Government with support from three independents. Kennett left the parliament shortly after the election, and National Party leader Pat McNamara resigned as leader in December 1999. Ryan was elected as leader unopposed. One of his first acts as leader was to terminate the coalition arrangement and sit on the benches as a separate party.
Opposition years
The Nationals remained in opposition from 1999 to 2010. In mid-2000, McNamara left the parliament and his hitherto safe seat of BenallaElectoral district of Benalla
Benalla is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. The electorate covers a rural area of 17,120 km², and includes the towns of Benalla, Bright, Eildon, Euroa, Mansfield, Mount Beauty, Murchison, Myrtleford, Nagambie and Violet Town...
was also lost to the ALP. At the 2002 election, the Nationals received only 4.3% of the primary vote and were reduced to just seven seats in the Assembly and four seats in the Council; the combined total of eleven was the minimum required to maintain Third Party status. However, they did manage to win back Benalla despite the ALP landslide.
However, the Nationals were steadily re-defining themselves as a party distinct from the Liberals, including a re-branding as the "Vicnats". Ryan led several attacks against the Liberal Party, particularly their no-tolls policy on the Melbourne Eastlink freeway
EastLink, Melbourne
EastLink is a A$2.5 billion tolled freeway linking a large area through the eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It is a part of Melbourne's Metropolitan Ring Road project....
and on former leader Robert Doyle's
Robert Doyle
Robert Keith Bennett Doyle is an Australian politician and the 103rd Lord Mayor of Melbourne, elected on 30 November 2008...
remarks that the Liberals were twenty seats from government, a statement that assumed that the Nationals would support a Liberal government.
Relations soured further at the beginning of 2006 when Senator Julian McGauran
Julian McGauran
Julian McGauran , Australian politician, was a member of the Australian Senate, representing the state of Victoria. Elected as a member of the National Party, he resigned from the Nationals and joined the Liberal Party of Australia in February 2006...
defected from the Nationals to the Liberals, who were in a coalition government at federal level. Federal party leader Mark Vaile
Mark Vaile
Mark Anthony James Vaile , Australian politician, is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and former leader of the National Party of Australia.-Early life:...
accused McGauran of betrayal, while Ryan stated that "People treat deserters exactly in the way that this fellow will be treated and reviled for the rest of his days. And justifiably so."
In 2003 the party was re-branded as The Nationals in line with the federal party, although the official name remains the National Party of Australia.
2006 election
Victorian state election, 2006
An election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. Just over 3 million Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly and, for the first time, 40 members to the Legislative Council under a proportional representation system...
, especially when rumours emerged of a possible preference deal between the Liberals and the ALP which would favour the Liberals against the Nationals, and the ALP against the Greens. Changes to the Upper House
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...
were also likely to slash the Nationals from four members to just one. Ten days prior to the election, Ryan gave what one commentator described the "speech of the campaign thus far" when he lambasted the major parties for their perceived actions.
"Welcome", he said, "to Survivor Spring Street", an exercise in reality politics in which "associations that in some instances have been developed for years, amount to an absolute hill of beans", one in which the support offered through long-standing political partnership "is thrown back in your face".
The Nationals went on to increase their primary vote to 5.17%, winning two seats in the Assembly which were offset by two losses in the Council. One notable victory was in Mildura
Electoral district of Mildura
Mildura is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a 27,162 km² rural electorate in the far-north-west of the state, encompassing the regional towns of Hopetoun, Mildura, Ouyen, Red Cliffs and Robinvale...
, where Peter Crisp
Peter Crisp
Peter Crisp is an Australian politician and member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2006. He was formerly a Wentworth Shire Councillor....
defeated the incumbent Russell Savage
Russell Savage
Russell Irwin Savage , Australian politician, was the independent member for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Mildura from 1996 until 2006...
(one of the three independents who had removed the Nationals from power in 1999), an event which Ryan described as "an impossible dream".
Premier 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....
resigned unexpectedly in July 2007. In contrast with the leader of the Opposition, Ted Baillieu
Ted Baillieu
Edward Norman "Ted" Baillieu MLA is an Australian politician. He is currently the Premier of Victoria and the member for the Legislative Assembly seat of Hawthorn...
, Ryan commended Bracks on his parliamentary career and thanked him for his professionalism. This action is in step with what one commentator describes as "an unprecedented warm relationship with the state Labor Government", which includes reciprocating support for committee chairs.
Coalition
In February 2008 Ryan announced at a joint news conference with Liberal Party leader Ted Baillieu that the Victorian Nationals and Liberals would join in a new Coalition agreement. As part of the arrangement, both parties agreed to hold joint party meetings, develop joint policies, allocate five shadow cabinet positions to the Nationals, abolish three-cornered contests (unless otherwise agreed) and run joint legislative council tickets in the non-metropolitan Regions. Ryan became the Shadow Minister for Regional and Rural Development and the Shadow Minister for Manufacturing, Exports and Trade. Following the horrendous summer bushfires of 2009, Ryan was appointed Shadow Minister for Bushfire Response by the Coalition.Deputy Premier of Victoria
The 2010 election saw the defeat of the John BrumbyJohn Brumby
John Mansfield Brumby , is an Australian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became Premier after the resignation of Steve Bracks. He also served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. He contested his first election...
Labor government and the election of Ted Baillieu
Ted Baillieu
Edward Norman "Ted" Baillieu MLA is an Australian politician. He is currently the Premier of Victoria and the member for the Legislative Assembly seat of Hawthorn...
as Premier
Premiers of Victoria
The Premier of Victoria is the leader of the government in the Australian state of Victoria. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Legislative Assembly....
and Peter Ryan, as customary in a coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
agreement, his deputy and hence, Deputy Premier of Victoria
Deputy Premier of Victoria
The Deputy Premier of Victoria is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Victoria. The Deputy Premiership has been a ministerial portfolio since , and the Deputy Premier is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier....
. The Nationals at the 2010 election under Ryan's leadership won the seat of Gippsland East
Electoral district of Gippsland East
The Electoral district of Gippsland East is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It covers most of eastern Victoria and includes the towns of Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Orbost, Omeo, Maffra and Heyfield....
from an Independent, boosting the Nationals Legislative Assembly representation from 9 to 10. Ryan is also the Minister for Police as well as Minister for Rural and Regional Development in the coalition government.