Eric Reece
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| Hon. Eric Reece AC | |
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32nd Premier of Tasmania
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| In office 26 August 1958 – 26 May 1969 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Cosgrove |
| Succeeded by | Angus Bethune |
| Constituency | Darwin/Braddon |
| In office 3 May 1972 – 31 March 1975 |
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| Preceded by | Angus Bethune |
| Succeeded by | Bill Neilson |
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| Born | July 6, 1909 Mathinna, Tasmania, Australia |
| Died | October 23, 1999 (aged 90) Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse | Alice Reece |
Eric Elliott Reece, AC (July 6, 1909 – October 23, 1999) was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions from August 26, 1958 to May 26, 1969 and May 3, 1972 to March 31, 1975.
Born in the small town of Mathinna on 6 July 1909, Reece was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly on 23 November 1946 representing the seat of Darwin (later renamed Braddon). He spent a record 28 years as a minister on the front bench, and never served on the back bench during his parliamentary term. He became Premier in 1958, after the retirement of previous Labor leader Robert Cosgrove.
Reece lost the premiership of Tasmania in 1969, when the ALP was narrowly defeated by the Liberal Party led by Angus Bethune ending 45 years of Labor government in Tasmania. The Liberals had gained a one-seat majority in the House of Assembly by forming a coalition with their former leader, Kevin Lyons, who had founded his own Centre Party. The Liberals' majority in the House of Assembly ended, however, when Lyons quit the coalition, forcing Bethune back to the polls in 1972.[1] Reece and the Labor Party regained control in a landslide win, with Reece gaining the record for highest-ever vote in Braddon of 35.4%.
Reece was well-known for his staunch support of Tasmania's Hydro Electric Commission and its power development schemes on the Gordon River, which earned him the nickname 'Electric Eric'. In 1967, he controversially approved the flooding of Lake Pedder in Tasmania's south west, despite a determined protest movement and a blank cheque offer from Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to preserve the Lake Pedder area. Reece refused Whitlam's offer, stating that he would "not have the Federal Government interfering with the sovereign rights of Tasmania".[2]
Reece was quoted as saying:
"There was a National Park out there, but I can't remember exactly where it was . . . at least, it wasn't of substantial significance in the scheme of things. The thing that was significant was that we had to double the output of power in this state in ten years in order [to] supply the demands of industry and the community. And this was the scheme that looked as though it could do a greater part of [the] job for us."[3]
Reece retired from active politics on 31 March 1975 after the ALP introduced a mandatory retirement age of 65. He was however involved in the December 1982 rally in Queenstown in support of the Organisation for Tasmanian Development and marched with Robin Gray in support of the building of the Gordon-below-Franklin dam [4]
He died on October 23, 1999 at the age of 90.
[edit] References
- ^ Bethune Memorial, Stateline (Tasmanian edition) (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 27 August 2004.
- ^ Lake Pedder 30th Anniversary, Dimensions in Time (ABC TV, 10 June 2002.
- ^ TimeFrame: Lake Pedder, ABC TV.
- ^ Pink. Kerry (2001) Through Hell's Gates: A History of Strahan and Macquarie Harbour Fifth edition ISBN 06463666653 pp.72 for photo, p.73 for text
[edit] Further reading
Green, Roger (1981) Battle for the Franklin Sydney: Australian Conservation Foundation and Fontana Books ISBN 0006367151 - specifically pp 26-38 for an extended interview as to his views of the Lake Pedder issue.
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Cosgrove |
Premier of Tasmania 1958 – 1969 |
Succeeded by Angus Bethune |
| Preceded by Angus Bethune |
Premier of Tasmania 1972 – 1975 |
Succeeded by Bill Neilson |
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