Tales from Boomtown: Western Australian Premiers from Brand to Barnett

by Peter Kennedy

Overview

Veteran political journalist Peter Kennedy has spent more than forty years observing politics in Western Australia across an extraordinary period of change in the state's history, from 1970 to 2013. His insider's account reveals first-hand the issues linked with changes to the social fabric of Australia; the jailing of two Premiers and a deputy Premier; the ruthless removal of a Premier mid-term; the election of the nation's first female Premier, and the sensational 'WA Inc' Royal Commission. Kennedy interviewed widely to make this account of how the boom-bust West was led into its status as an economic powerhouse of the twenty first century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781742586380
Publisher:	UWA Publishing
Publication date:	03/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Peter Kennedy is one of Australia's most respected political journalists. He started out as a high school teacher and lecturer, then as a journalist with The West Australian. He moved to the Sydney Morning Herald in 1977 as the paper's State Political correspondent and was Chief of Staff in the Canberra Press Gallery. Peter then became Press Secretary to Deputy Premier Mal Bryce. He was a journalist with the ABC from 1990 until 2010, and in 1995 was awarded the prestigious Clarion Prize for outstanding contributions to journalism. Peter Kennedy retired in 2010, but continues to provide political commentary, and is an Adjunct Professor of Arts and Sciences at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Hazard at the First Hurdle: Charles Court and Brian Burke 9

Chapter 2 The Record Term Premier: David Brand 1959-71 24

Chapter 3 The Unlucky Premier. John Tonkin 1971-74 42

Chapter 4 In the Saddle at Last: Charles Court 1974-82 60

Chapter 5 The Forgotten Premier: Ray O'Connor 1982-83 84

Chapter 6 Young Man in a Hurry: Brian Burke 1983-88 100

Chapter 7 Poisoned Chalice: Peter Dowding 1988-90 148

Chapter 8 Australia's First Woman Premier: Carmen Lawrence 1990-93 172

Chapter 9 In His Father's Footsteps: Richard Court 1993-2001 194

Chapter 10 The Academic Premier: Geoff Gallop 2001-6 222

Chapter 11 Election Rush: Alan Carpenter 2006-8 248

Chapter 12 The Emperor: Colin Barnett 2008- 274

Afterword 303

Sources 307

Index 311