Ralph Willis
|
The Honourable Ralph Willis AO |
|
|---|---|
| Treasurer of Australia | |
|
In office 23 December 1993 – 11 March 1996 |
|
| Prime Minister | Paul Keating |
| Preceded by | John Dawkins |
| Succeeded by | Peter Costello |
|
In office 9 December 1991 – 26 December 1991 |
|
| Prime Minister |
Bob Hawke Paul Keating |
| Preceded by | John Kerin |
| Succeeded by | John Dawkins |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Gellibrand |
|
|
In office 2 December 1972 – 31 August 1998 |
|
| Preceded by | Hector McIvor |
| Succeeded by | Nicola Roxon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
14 April 1938 Melbourne |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Dawson |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | Unionist |
Ralph Willis AO (born 14 April 1938), Australian politician, was Treasurer for the final years of the Keating Labor Government.
Willis was born in Melbourne to Stan and Doris Willis and educated at Footscray Central School, University High School and Melbourne University, gaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He subsequently worked as a research officer and industrial advocate for the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). He and his wife Carol Willis (née Dawson) have three children, Sandra, Fiona and Evan.
In 1972, the year that the Whitlam Labor government was elected, Willis was elected as a Labor member of the House of Representatives for the extremely safe Labor seat of Gellibrand in Melbourne's western suburbs. He was elected to the Opposition front bench after Labor's defeat in 1975, and was Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Economic Affairs and Treasury from 1976 to 1983. In January 1983, however, he was dropped from the position as shadow Treasurer by Labor leader Bill Hayden, who decided that Paul Keating would be likely to put increased pressure on the government in the area of economic policy.
As a former ACTU official, Willis was regarded as a protegee of the new Labor leader, Bob Hawke (a former ACTU President), who became Prime Minister in March 1983. Hawke, however, kept Keating in the Treasury portfolio and Willis became Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations. In 1987, he lost part of his portfolio to John Dawkins, who was appointed Minister for Employment, Education and Training, but Willis retained Industrial Relations. In 1988 he shifted to Transport and Communications, and in 1990 to Finance. When Keating resigned as Treasurer in 1991, Willis was again passed over when Hawke gave the Treasury to John Kerin. But Kerin's period as Treasurer was troubled and in December 1991 Willis finally became Treasurer.
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