Richard Robson
Encyclopedia
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
against the 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...
of the day.
Early life
Richard Robson was born at TynemouthTynemouth
Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England, at the mouth of the River Tyne, between North Shields and Cullercoats . It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough in its own right...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 15 March 1867. He was educated at Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1887 he emigrated to Western Australia
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...
, working as a jackaroo
Jackaroo (trainee)
A Jackaroo is a young man working on a sheep or cattle station, to gain practical experience in the skills needed to become an owner, overseer, manager, etc. The word originated in Queensland, Australia in the Nineteenth Century and is still in use in Australia and New Zealand in the twenty-first...
in the Murchison
Murchison River (Western Australia)
The Murchison River is the second longest river in Western Australia. It flows for about from the southern edge of the Robinson Ranges to the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri. It has a mean annual flow of about 200 million cubic metres.-Course:...
district until after 1890. By 1895 he was in business at Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
as a commission and mining agent. That year he married Clara Hosken; they would have five children. In 1898 he was vice-President of the Geraldton Chamber of Commerce.
Political life
On 12 July 1899, Robson was elected to the Legislative AssemblyWestern Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
seat of Geraldton
Electoral district of Geraldton
Geraldton is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.Geraldton was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election...
in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. In February 1900, the Geraldton Advertiser reported on a speech made by Robson to a meeting of his constituents. Robson was reported as claiming that bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
and corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
were rampant in 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....
; that the Forrest Ministry
Forrest ministry
The Forrest Ministry was the first government ministry in Western Australia, after the inauguration of responsible government. It was in government from 29 December 1890 to 14 February 1901, when it was succeeded by the Throssell Ministry following the 1901 elections.The members of the Forrest...
was "corrupt and rotten to the core"; and that several Members had "no visible means of support" because they were paid by a group of financiers who wanted to keep the 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...
in office. The allegations were raised in the Assembly by Frederick Moorhead when it next sat on 23 May. The premier
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
, John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
, who had been deeply offended by Robson's reported statements, declared that the charges had impugned his personal honour and integrity, and demanded that they either be substantiated or withdrawn. The Assembly then resolved that Robson, who was absent from the House, should attend on 29 May to explain his reported statements. Robson attended on that date, making a speech in which denied that he had attacked the character of any Member, and submitted that he was responsible for his statements "only to those whom I represent". He then unsuccessfully moved for the establishment of an impartial tribunal in investigate his claims.
The following day, the House resolved that Robson's charges did indeed "constitute a reflection upon the honour of members of the House". A Select Committee was then appointed to inquire into the truth of Robson's allegations. The committee met early in June, and heard from Robson and several other witnesses. Robson named five Members who appeared to be "without visible means of support", and Forrest was interrogated by Robson's legal counsel, but nothing new emerged except the fact that one of the three government whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
s, Cornthwaite Rason
Cornthwaite Rason
Sir Cornthwaite Hector William James Rason , better known as Hector Rason, was the seventh Premier of Western Australia....
, was paid an allowance out of the Ministers' salaries. Robson's defence was that his allegations of corruption should not be interpreted as allegations against any individuals, but rather as allegations of general maladministration and disregard for the principles of good government. The Select Committee's report, presented on 13 June, found that Robson's statements reflected on the character of Members, and found no evidence of the alleged corruption. The question of the validity of Robson's defence was left to the House.
Following the presentation of the Committee's report, Charles Moran
Charles Moran
Charles Moran was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...
gave notice of motion for the following day, declaring that Robson should be censured by the Speaker unless he gave an "unqualified withdrawal of the charges". Robson then withdrew the charges, apologised unreservedly to the House and to any individuals who had felt themselves affected by his statements, and resigned as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. The following day, the Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly...
, 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:...
, read a letter written to the House by Robson as a private citizen; in it, Robson admitted that he ought not to have made references to Members being without visible means of support, but added "I was justified in saying that the Government was rotten and corrupt, and that statement I have not withdrawn". The House then resolved that Robson's comments had been "a grave breach" of parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made related to one's duties as a legislator. It is common in countries whose constitutions are...
, but since he had withdrawn the statements, and apologised, and resigned, no further action would be taken. The statement that Robson's comments were a breach of parliamentary privilege was not correct, as his comments were made outside Parliament, and were therefore not under the protection of parliamentary privilege. He could conceivably been sued by those Members who felt they had been slandered, but this course of action seems not to have been considered at any stage.
Later life
In 1900, Robson enlisted to serve in the Second Boer WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. As a Captain, he led the first Australia
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 contingent of mounted infantry. After the end of the war, he stayed in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as Commandant of the South African Constabulary in the Standarton district. A recipient of the Queen's Medal
Queen's Medal
The Queen's Medal may refer to:*Queen's Medal for Shooting Excellence: the medal awarded to the winner of the British RASAAM and TASAAM Competition held annual at Bisley in the United Kingdom...
(three bars), he was Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Bethel
Bethel
Bethel was a border city described in the Hebrew Bible as being located between Benjamin and Ephraim...
district from 1901 to 1907. In 1907, Robson returned to England and settled at Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, where he worked as a removalist and cabinet maker in partnership with his brother. He later became director of Robson and Sons Ltd., cabiner makers and upholsterers. He died at sea on 30 November 1928, while en route to Australia.