56-666: Nicklin may refer to: Frank Nicklin (1895 – 1978), Australian politician Jeff Nicklin (c. 1915 – 1945), Canadian soldier and football player Percy Nicklin (fl. 1930s), British ice hockey coach Electoral district of Nicklin in Australia See also [ edit ] Nicklin Ministry led by Frank Nicklin Nicklin Way , street in Queensland, Australia Topics referred to by
112-702: A Country-Liberal coalition over the ALP in any event. Largely on the strength of QLP preferences, the Coalition scored a healthy four-seat swing in the 1960 state election —the first time since 1912 that a non-Labor government had been reelected. The QLP eventually became the Queensland branch of the Democratic Labor Party . The Country and Liberal Parties enjoyed a harmonious relationship, with Nicklin and Liberal leader Kenneth Morris being friends as well as colleagues. The parties had some disputes over seat allocation in
168-551: A QLP challenger. This created dozens of three-cornered contests, and the two Labor factions could not direct preferences to each other even if they'd wanted to do so. Taking advantage of the split in the Labor vote, Nicklin's Country-Liberal coalition came to power with 42 seats – the first non-Labor Government since 1932. The two Labor factions won only 31 seats between them. Nicklin was the first of six consecutive Country/National Party leaders to become Premier. Nicklin's first priority
224-466: A Queenslander), who believed that given the ructions in Labor, Nicklin had a good chance to become Premier himself. On 12 June 1957, Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice of Queensland Alan Mansfield (Governor John Lavarack was indisposed) ordered Parliament to reassemble. Shortly after 10:30 pm that night, Treasurer Ted Walsh moved that supply be granted to the Gair QLP government. The remnants of
280-579: A cabinet of generally moderate members – the radicalism of the Ryan Government had largely gone from the Queensland ALP by this time. Forgan Smith's immediate challenge was dealing with the problem of how to respond to the Great Depression: in particular, the need to reduce unemployment. Notwithstanding his earlier rebukes of Moore's administration, he followed (as Moore had done) the principles of
336-447: A chronic bronchial condition. He was sponsored by a cousin in Mackay , where he settled, worked as a painter and decorator, and married a local farmer's daughter, Euphemia (Effie) Margaret Wilson (15 January 1913-12 October 1958). Forgan Smith became involved in trade unionism and Queensland Labor politics. Mackay was then the centre of the sugar industry in Queensland and sugar remained
392-592: A major priority for Forgan Smith throughout his career. Despite the fact that he was only 28 and had been in Queensland only three years, he was pre-selected to run for the seat of Mackay in the 1915 election as the Labor candidate. The election saw a decisive victory for Labor under T. J. Ryan , and Forgan Smith won the seat and entered Parliament. Despite his youth and inexperience, it did not take Forgan Smith too long to adjust. When Prime Minister Hughes called for conscription to be introduced, Forgan Smith joined Premier Ryan in opposing it. This gave him recognition in
448-709: A member and then chairman of the Sugar Board and chairman of the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board. Subsequently, he became the Chancellor of the University of Queensland in 1944, occupying this position until his death in 1953. Forgan Smith and his wife had two children. Forgan Smith's family recalled him as being warm, humorous, and unpretentious, in contrast to his public image. He was a heavy drinker. Early in his public life, he moved with his family Yeronga ,
504-523: A number of projects such as the Moogerah Dam were undertaken. Mining boomed – total mining output almost trebled, and Weipa became the largest bauxite mine in the world. The Nicklin Government, especially through effective Treasurers such as Tom Hiley , was good at attracting foreign customers for Queensland's minerals and other produce. Probably Nicklin is best remembered for his probity, which earned him
560-408: A paradox – determined yet open, honest and outwardly benevolent. Not the wisest or most imaginative of Queensland Premiers, he nonetheless achieved a good deal without needing to hog the limelight. He was lucky to have been in office during a time of stability and prosperity, and it is true that his administration benefited from the parlous state of the ALP after Gair's downfall. Even so, his Premiership
616-481: A suburb of the state capital, Brisbane . He lived there for most of the remainder of his life. For recreation, Forgan Smith golfed, played lawn bowls, and attended cricket matches. Forgan Smith suffered from duodenal ulcers for much of his life. In the early 1940s, his bronchial condition was diagnosed as cancer of the larynx . While in Sydney on Sugar Board business, Forgan Smith died suddenly on 25 September 1953 from
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#1732851584149672-564: A weak and divided parliamentary opposition (Moore being opposition leader 1932–1936, Edward Maher 1936–41, Sir Frank Nicklin thereafter), Forgan Smith easily achieved re-election in 1935, 1938, and 1941. With no overt antagonists inside his cabinet, he was able to depart of his own volition from the premiership, which he did on 16 September 1942, becoming Queensland's longest-serving Premier. Three months later Forgan Smith resigned from parliament. A pragmatic and hard-working politician who rose, step by step, through careful planning, Forgan Smith
728-604: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Frank Nicklin Sir George Francis Reuben Nicklin , KCMG , MM (6 August 1895 – 29 January 1978) was an Australian politician. He was the Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968, the first non- Labor Party premier since 1932. Nicklin was born in Murwillumbah , New South Wales on 6 August 1895,
784-546: Is generally considered by historians to have been a success. The state electorate of Nicklin and the Nicklin Way arterial road, both based on the Sunshine Coast , are named in his honour. William Forgan Smith William Forgan Smith (15 April 1887 – 25 September 1953) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of the state of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He came to dominate politics in
840-626: The First World War , where he was promoted to corporal and was awarded the Military Medal . On his return to Queensland he bought a small pineapple farm at Palmwoods, 100 kilometres north of Brisbane, through a soldier-settler scheme. Nicklin saved wisely and put his farming experience to good use, and his farm succeeded where many others failed. He led many fruit-growers' organisations, and then became involved in Country Party politics. When
896-590: The Official Secrets Act in the United Kingdom). Also, Forgan Smith never declared a state of emergency himself; it would fall to later Queensland leaders to take advantage of that power. He would regularly consult with his Ministers to reach a decision, and while he could be heavy-handed in manner, he sometimes took advice from subordinates. The doctrine of states' rights meant a great deal to Forgan Smith, as it did to many of his predecessors and successors in
952-653: The ALP, and he and his supporters formed the Queensland Labor Party (QLP). This body would later join the anti-communist Democratic Labor Party (DLP) which had arisen out of a split in the ALP in Victoria. Reduced to a minority government, Gair negotiated with Nicklin for support from the Country Party in Parliament. However, Nicklin broke them off at the suggestion of federal Country Party leader Arthur Fadden (himself
1008-450: The ALP, now led by Jack Duggan , crossed the floor and voted against the Government. Sensing his long-denied chance had come, Nicklin instructed the Coalition to block supply as well, bringing the Gair government down. It had been the shortest session of Parliament in Queensland's history. In the ensuing election on 3 August 1957 , every QLP MP faced an ALP challenger, while every ALP MP faced
1064-535: The Country Party's 14 and the United Australia Party's four. After the election, the Queensland caucuses of the two non-Labor parties decided to merge as the Country-National Organisation . Opposition leader Ted Maher stood down, and Nicklin was elected to lead the merged party. The merger fell apart in 1944, but Nicklin remained as head of a Country-UAP coalition. Nicklin was leader of
1120-668: The Member for the solid Country Party seat of Murrumba retired in 1932, Nicklin became the new candidate for the hybrid urban-regional seat in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. He won the seat, although the Country and Progressive National Party Government of A. E. Moore was heavily defeated. Nicklin, therefore, entered Parliament as an opposition backbencher. He transferred to the newly created Sunshine Coast seat of Landsborough in 1950. Nicklin
1176-528: The Parliamentary Labor Party and the party's union-dominated Central Executive (QCE) in Queensland. These tensions boiled over in 1957, when the QCE pushed the Government to introduce three weeks' paid leave for public servants. Gair refused, and Nicklin backed him, arguing that the QCE was dominated by unaccountable left-wing trade union leaders with communist sympathies. On 24 April Gair was expelled from
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#17328515841491232-669: The Premier. Both roles gave him ample opportunity to build a profile in Parliament and the party. In 1922 he became Minister for Public Works, where he administered a new system of unemployment relief and earned the respect of the Unions. In 1923 he was elected to the Queensland Central Executive of the Labor Party, a position which gave him considerable power. In 1925 he became Minister for Agriculture and Stock under Premier Gillies . By
1288-537: The Premiers' Plan, while simultaneously insisting that the federal government meet its contractual obligations. Determined to bring jobless figures in Queensland down, he moved to implement something akin to the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt , although his term of office predated Roosevelt's presidency by some nine months. Like Roosevelt, he owed much to the economic theory of John Maynard Keynes . Forgan Smith
1344-477: The Queensland Labor Party, but made him a lifelong enemy in Hughes. Hughes misnamed him as "Hogan Smith, an Irishman from Glasgow" and accused him of speaking "Gaelic treason". Forgan Smith read heavily on Parliamentary procedure; his knowledge meant he was made a temporary Chairman of Committees in 1917, a position which became permanent in 1920. Soon after, he entered Cabinet as a Minister without portfolio assisting
1400-544: The country.' Sometimes Forgan Smith incurred criticism for being authoritarian and dictatorial, although he was neither the first nor the last premier of his state to inspire such accusations. He used his strong and forceful personality to dominate the cabinet and parliament, and his government passed a number of controversial pieces of legislation. For instance, he added clauses to the 1936 Racing Bill which made it harder for reporters to find out and divulge information about proposed legislation, which drew heavy criticism from
1456-525: The end of 1925 he was Deputy Premier after only ten years in Parliament. Queensland Labor suffered a surprising election loss in 1929, and Forgan Smith was elected leader of the party unopposed. As the Great Depression deepened, Forgan Smith knew that he had a good chance of victory in the next election. He concentrated on keeping his party held together, while trying to prevent the pro- Lang faction from gaining influence. He concentrated his criticism of
1512-413: The end of 1967 he announced that he would retire from politics on 17 January 1968. He had served 35 years in the legislature and 27 years as leader of the non-Labor forces in Queensland. His 10 years and five months as Premier was then a Queensland record. In 1968 he was knighted, and in a rare concession to formality chose to be dubbed 'Sir Francis'. He died on 29 January 1978, aged 82. At his own choice, he
1568-496: The government of A. E. Moore on its decision to closely follow the Premiers' Plan , which Forgan Smith believed to be only making the depression worse. Forgan Smith campaigned furiously in the lead-up to the 1932 election, travelling broadly around the state. He was rewarded when he came into government, as Premier of Queensland with a seven-seat majority. Not content with the premiership, he also served as treasurer. Caucus elected
1624-465: The level of the basic wage (a measure financed by a graduated income tax), while a major public works programme was initiated which boosted job opportunities and provided the state which major constructions of lasting worth. When Minister of Agriculture back in 1926, Forgan Smith had established a faculty of agriculture at the University of Queensland. Now that he was premier, he established new faculties at
1680-580: The mid-1960s, and Morris was not always an easy man to work with, but on the whole the Nicklin Government saw a period of remarkably cordial relations between the Nationals and Liberals, especially compared with the strife of later years. Morris retired in 1962 and was succeeded by Sir Alan Munro , also a staunch coalitionist. After only three years, Munro handed the Liberal leadership to Sir Gordon Chalk , who
1736-547: The most serious crises of the Nicklin Premiership were based in poor handling of unions. In 1961, at Morris' insistence, the old Industrial Court was replaced by the Industrial Relations and Arbitration Commission, which had less power. It could not raise award payments, although it could decrease them. At the time, the miners of Mount Isa Mines (MIM) were lodging a claim for a wage rise, which could not go through
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1792-619: The negotiations to break down again. While the mines could eventually reopen, Nicklin was condemned for poor handling of the crisis. As he was leading a government that lacked experience, Nicklin knew that he would be relying heavily on Queensland's leading bureaucrats. He treated the public service union with care, restoring the privilege of a half-day's leave to visit the annual exhibition. Nicklin viewed his own achievements as Premier in terms of state development. Like most Queensland Premiers, he believed in building and capital works. Under Nicklin, road mileage doubled, irrigated land doubled, and
1848-399: The new commission. This resulted in a strike which only ended with an uneasy truce. The dispute broke out again in 1964, and again the mine needed to be closed down. Here, Nicklin acted erratically. First he did nothing for months, then passed a harsh order-in-council expanding police powers to deal with the strike. This came just as the issues behind the strike were being resolved, and caused
1904-462: The nickname 'Honest Frank'. It is not recorded who first coined the term, but it spread quickly and was widely accepted, even by Nicklin's opponents, as being accurate. Nicklin was not widely known when he became Premier, and while he was too modest a man to indulge in self-aggrandising publicity he was skilled enough as a politician to benefit from the way in which his reputation for decency stuck with him. Nicklin held his Cabinet to high standards. He
1960-425: The opposition for sixteen years, losing five elections in a row (1944, 1947, 1950, 1953, 1956). In 1942 Labor abolished full preferential voting in favour of first-past-the-post, meaning that the Country Party and UAP could no longer rely on each other's preferences in seats that they both contested. Even more damaging to the coalition's chances was the introduction of a zonal electoral system in 1949, in which seats in
2016-485: The premiership. For example, he opposed the Uniform Tax Plan of 1942, even though it had been proposed by a federal ALP government under John Curtin . Many people expected Forgan Smith to make a move to federal politics himself, just as Ted Theodore had done. Nothing came of such notions. He seemed satisfied with his secure position in Queensland. The first Queensland premier to make wide use of radio, Forgan Smith
2072-580: The press. The 1940 Public Safety Bill gave the state government unprecedented powers during wartime. Probably the most authoritarian of his government's measures, though, was the Transport Act of 1938, which allowed the Government to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in any part or all of the state, for any time, and for any reason. In such a case, the government's actions were effectively beyond legal challenge. Admittedly, these laws were more or less in line with similar ones passed in other jurisdictions (for example,
2128-464: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Nicklin . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nicklin&oldid=787834274 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Hidden categories: Short description
2184-462: The same university in Dentistry, Veterinary Science, and Medicine. As noted by Ross McMullin , the establishment of these new faculties 'was part of the co-ordinated development of the university and Queensland's health services.' In 1938, the Premier could say without fear of being contradicted that Queensland enjoyed ‘the highest wage system, the best conditions of labour and the lowest unemployment’ in
2240-532: The son of newspaper proprietor George Francis Nicklin and his New Zealand-born wife, Edith Catherine ( née Bond). Nicklin was educated at Murwillumbah Public School and Highfield College in Turramurra, Sydney. In 1910 the family moved to Beerwah in Queensland, where Nicklin's father took up banana farming. Nicklin enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916 and served with distinction during
2296-471: The state during the 1930s, and his populism , firm leadership, defence of states' rights and interest in state development make him something of an archetypal Queensland Premier. He represented the Labor Party . Forgan Smith was born at Mynefield House, near Invergowrie , Perthshire , Scotland . His father was George Smith, the chief gardener at Airlie Castle . His mother was Mary, née Forgan. Forgan Smith
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2352-620: The traditional Labor north and west of the state required fewer members than the Country-Party dominated south-east or the Queensland People's Party (formerly UAP, soon to be the Liberals ) dominated metropolitan areas. Despite these setbacks, Nicklin was never challenged for the leadership. Many coalition members appeared to have despaired of ever defeating Labor, and were content to simply represent their constituencies. Accordingly, Nicklin
2408-510: The zonal electoral system, despite the fact that it allowed the Country Party to be the senior coalition partner even if it won fewer votes than the Liberal Party (which it did after 1966). Another electoral reform in the form of compulsory preferential voting was introduced in 1960, when it became clear that the QLP no longer posed a threat, and that QLP voters were likely to give their preferences to
2464-405: Was a popular and hardworking local member, and remained popular throughout very difficult times for the Country Party in Queensland. The opposition was fractured and weak, and the Government of William Forgan Smith very secure. Nicklin's preferred area was agriculture, and he made many speeches on the subject. In 1941 the opposition suffered another severe defeat, with Labor winning 41 seats to
2520-425: Was also a very staunch coalitionist. By comparison with the political turbulence in Queensland during the 1950s and the 1970s, the 1960s were singularly subdued. Primarily the Nicklin Government concentrated on employment relations and on developing the state's infrastructure. In general, Nicklin saw little reason to lose electoral capital by passing tough industrial relations laws during times of prosperity. However,
2576-542: Was an advocate of development. He put the relief programs to good use building infrastructure and undertaking other capital works projects. He embarked on a number of ambitious schemes, including the Story Bridge , an upgrade of Mackay Harbour, the Somerset Dam (which was not completed until after the end of his premiership) and a new building for the University of Queensland at St. Lucia that now bears his name. The relief
2632-402: Was an effective speaker, and he made a good impression on many of those who listened to him. Radio allowed him to reach a wider audience than he could otherwise have done, and he also travelled throughout the state, especially to turn the first sod on a new public works project. Though never flamboyant (and in fact somewhat dour in manner), he became respected and genuinely popular. Benefiting from
2688-568: Was left to handle most of the business of opposition. He acknowledged to a 1955 conference of leading Country Party figures that their chances of ever being seated to the right of the speaker were slim, but he continued as opposition leader anyway. After the 1956 election, in which he was severely defeated by Labor's Vince Gair , Nicklin considered retiring from politics. However, his fortunes would soon change. The late 1950s saw increasing fear of communism in Australia, and increasing tensions between
2744-487: Was meant as a stop-gap measure. In some cases, local authorities took advantage of it, while in other cases, communities became dependent on it. For example, at one stage half of the workers of Coolangatta on the Gold Coast were on relief work. In 1938 relief work was abolished in favour of a permanent, long-term capital works program. Under Forgan Smith's rule, the weekly payments received by relief workers were raised to
2800-562: Was not dogmatic, nor did he do anything spectacular, preferring to busy himself with the minutiae of day-to-day administration. He claimed to be a socialist , although he was an ardent critic of communism . By his populism, his interests in education and state development, and his dominance of state politics throughout his time in office, he has sometimes invited comparisons with a later ALP leader of substantial electoral skill, Peter Beattie . For most of his remaining years Forgan Smith pursued his other interests, sugar and education. He became
2856-434: Was not given the pomp and ceremony of a state funeral. In many ways, Nicklin broke the mould of Queensland Premiers. Neither authoritarian nor populist in temperament, he was willing to share the power for which he had been forced to wait many years, and he was prepared to defer to those whom he knew to possess greater knowledge or talent than he. Both of these traits made his Government successful. His outstanding achievement
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#17328515841492912-709: Was one of their seven children. He attended local schools before finishing at Dunoon Grammar School . After his schooling, Forgan Smith apprenticed himself to a painter and decorator in Glasgow . He took an early interest in politics, joined the Scottish Labour Party , probably influenced by his observations of the poor conditions in the Clydeside shipyards and other working-class areas in Glasgow. Forgan Smith emigrated to Queensland in 1912 hoping its warm climate would relieve
2968-508: Was only forced to dismiss ministers on two occasions, once for tax evasion and once for a sexual harassment scandal, and in both cases he lied to cover the real reasons for the ministers' departure. These stories seem to be the only deliberate untruths he ever told to the public while in office. Nicklin's hold over his cabinet was firm, and there was no question that ministers who could not live up to Nicklin's standards were summarily dismissed. From 1966 Nicklin's health declined markedly, and at
3024-462: Was probably the mere fact that his Premiership was such a quiet and uneventful time. He was friendly and well liked by the people of Queensland, and was known as 'the gentleman Premier'. Still, there is some debate over whether Nicklin's geniality was entirely genuine or whether it concealed an iron fist. There were rumours that he inspired fear in his cabinet, although this is common among successful Premiers and Prime Ministers. He remains something of
3080-465: Was to reverse the zonal electoral system in favour of his Government. Nicklin's redistribution was fairer than Hanlon's , but it still favoured the Country Party. The far-western region went down from five seats to three, and the provincial cities (which had traditionally voted ALP) were separated from their hinterlands, in which new Country Party seats were created. As a result, Liberals gained new seats in Brisbane, and in return they agreed not to contest
3136-511: Was willing to raise taxes, especially on the wealthy and on corporations, in order to fund unemployment relief programs. He was successful in raising revenue from £5.6 million in 1932–33 to £8.6 million in 1938–39; in the process he turned Queensland into Australia's highest taxing state. The Commonwealth Bank also paid Queensland £920,000 as part of a program to aid the states. This money was put towards coupons and relief work. Along with most other Queensland premiers, before and since, Forgan Smith
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