William Arthur NeilsonAC(27 August 1925 – 9 November 1989) wasPremier of Tasmaniafrom 1975 to 1977.
Bill Neilson | |
|---|---|
 Neilson in 1961 | |
| 34thPremier of Tasmania | |
| In office 31 March 1975 – 1 December 1977 | |
| Deputy | Doug Lowe |
| Preceded by | Eric Reece |
| Succeeded by | Doug Lowe |
| Constituency | Franklin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 August 1925 Hobart,Tasmania,Australia |
| Died | 9 November 1989(aged 64) Hobart,Tasmania,Australia |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Spouse | Jill Benjamin |
| Occupation | Post delivery man |
Born inHobart,and educated atOgilvie High School,Neilson became a postman before entering politics. He married Jill Benjamin, daughter ofPhyllis Benjamin,inMelbournein 1949. They had one son Andrew and three daughters, Christine, Carol and Robin.
Political career
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Neilson was elected to theTasmanian House of Assemblyon 23 November 1946 at the age of 21, representing theLabor Party(ALP). For many years he was not only the youngest MHA in Tasmania,[1]but also the youngest person to be elected to any Australian parliament.[2]
He held various cabinet offices, including those of Minister for Tourism and Attorney-General. For over a decade (1958–1969), and again 1972–1974, he was Minister for Education. He was made Attorney-General again on 12 April 1974, and five days later was also made Deputy Premier, Police Minister and Environment Minister.[3]
When the PremierEric Reecewas required to retire due to his age, Neilson was elected Tasmanian Leader of the ALP and Premier of Tasmania, on 31 March 1975. The following year Neilson's government was re-elected, narrowly defeating (by just one seat) the Liberal Party led by SirMax Bingham;but towards the end of his tenure, he suffered from nervous exhaustion.[4]He resigned as Premier, and from Parliament, on 1 December 1977.
After his term as premier, Neilson accepted the position as Agent-General for Tasmania inLondon,but soon his successor in the premiership,Doug Lowe,abolished the post on cost-cutting grounds. In the 1980s, Nielson wrote as a theatre critic forThe Mercurynewspaper in Hobart. He died of cancer in November 1989 at the age of 64.
References
edit- ^"NEILSON, William Arthur".Members of theParliament of Tasmania.Retrieved24 July2022.
- ^"Parliamentary Library: Australian Political Records".Parliament of Australia.Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2008.
- ^"Ministers – House of Assembly – 1950 to 1989".Members of theParliament of Tasmania.
- ^Boyce, Peter."Neilson, William Arthur (Bill) (1925–1989)".Australian Dictionary of Biography.Canberra: National Centre of Biography,Australian National University.ISBN978-0-522-84459-7.ISSN1833-7538.OCLC70677943.Retrieved24 July2022.
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