Don Chipp, Founder Of Australian Democrats, Dies At 81

Aug 29, 2006

The former Liberal minister and founder of the Australian Democrats, Don Chipp, has died in Melbourne, aged 81.

Don Chipp, Australian Democrats founderChipp was born on August 21, 1925. He was elected as the Liberal Party member for the House of Representatives division of Higinbotham at a by-election on December 10, 1960. The division was renamed Hotham in 1969. Chipp held the seat until the 1977 elections.

Chipp was appointed Minister for the Navy by Prime Minister Harold Holt on December 14, 1966, a position he held until dropped by Prime Minister John Gorton on February 28, 1968. Gorton brought Chipp back to his government as Minister for Customs and Excise on November 12, 1969. Chipp held this portfolio until December 5, 1972, following the defeat of the William McMahon coalition government. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Australian Democrats, Political History Tagged With:

Democrats’ Leadership Contest Causing Bitterness

Mar 12, 2001

The battle between Australian Democrats Leader, Senator Meg Lees, and her challenger, Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja, has grown increasingly bitter following an intervention by the party’s founder.

Former Senator Don Chipp, who founded the party in 1977 and served as its leader until 1986, on Sunday called for the Democrats’ membership to elect the 31-year-old South Australian senator.

Chipp claimed that it was possible that One Nation might control the balance of power in the Senate after this year’s federal election. He argued that this could only be resisted by a revitalised Australian Democrats led by Stott-Despoja.

Lees must go, Chipp argued, to save her party and to save Australia. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Australian Democrats, GST Tagged With: , , ,

GST Without the Politics – Michael Schildberger

Mar 01, 1993

This is the audio of a cassette tape on the GST, released ahead of the 1993 federal election.

Produced by Michael Schildberger, a former journalist who appeared on Channel 9 for many years, the tape features a range of political identities and lobby group spokespeople:

  • Don Chipp, founder and former leader of the Australian Democrats
  • Ken Evans, KPMG Peat Marwick
  • Don Argus, National Australia Bank
  • Peter Riley, Pitcher Partners
  • David Edwards, Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Loris Redstone, New Zealand Retail and Wholesale Merchants’ Association
  • Rick Farley, National Farmers’ Federation
  • Daryl Dixon, Independent Tax and Superannuation Expert
  • Philip Anderson, Arthur Anderson



Listen to the audio cassette

Side One (28m)

Side Two (23m)

Filed Under: 1993 Federal Election, Audio, GST Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

1984 Post-Election Analysis: McMullan, Henderson And Butman

Apr 15, 1985

The document shown here provides an analysis of the 1984 Federal Election from the perspectives of operatives from the ALP, Liberal and Democrats

The booklet was originally produced by the Victorian Association of Social Studies Teachers (VASST) and reproduced by the Correspondence School.

The ALP perspective is provided by Bob McMullan, the National Secretary of the ALP. Later, McMcullan became a federal Labor senator (1988-96) and MP (1998-2010). He served as a minister in the Keating government (1993-96).

The Liberal perspective is provided by Dr. Gerard Henderson, senior advisor to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, John Howard. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 1984 Federal Election, A.L.P., Australian Democrats, Electoral Behaviour, Hawke, Liberal Party Tagged With: , , , , ,
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