Tom Stephens

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (October 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Thomas (Tom) Gregory Stephens (born November 15, 1951) is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Parliament of Western Australia since 1982, serving in the Legislative Council from 1982 to 2004, and in the Legislative Assembly since 2005. He served as a minister in the Gallop government from 2001 to 2004.

Stephens was first elected to the Legislative Council at a 1982 by-election for the seat of North Province, sparked by the resignation of Liberal MLC Bill Withers. He was re-elected in 1983, and moved to the new Mining and Pastoral electoral region at the conclusion of that term in 1989. He was re-elected in Mining and Pastoral in 1993, 1996 and 2001.

Stephens had previously served as a parliamentary secretary and as a minister in the Lawrence government in the 1990s, and upon the election of a new Labor government under Geoff Gallop in 2001, was promoted into the ministry. He initially served as Minister for Housing and Works, and then later added Local Government and Regional Development to his portfolios. He also held the portfolios of the Kimberley, Pilbara and Gascoyne, Regional Development and Heritage.

In late 2004, the Labor candidate for the rural seat of Kalgoorlie for the 2004 federal election, Kevin Richards, died suddenly on the eve of the campaign. Stephens, who was already preselected for the Legislative Assembly seat of Central Kimberley-Pilbara, was drafted as a last-minute replacement candidate. He duly resigned from the Legislative Council, but was defeated by incumbent Liberal MP Barry Haase. Stephens subsequently won his state seat of Central Kimberley Pilbara at the 2005 election. He now Chairs the Education and Health Standing Committee.