Brian Howe (politician)

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For other people with this name, see Brian Howe.

Brian Leslie Howe (born 23 January 1936), Australian politician, was Deputy Prime Minister in the Labor government of Paul Keating from 1991 to 1995.

Howe was born in Melbourne and became a Uniting Church in Australia minister before being elected for the Melbourne metropolitan electoral Division of Batman to the Australian House of Representatives in 1977. He was a member of the Socialist Left faction of the Labor Party. He was Minister for Defence Support in the government of Bob Hawke from 1983. In 1984 he was promoted to Cabinet as Minister for Social Security. In this role he carried out radical reforms to Australia's social security system.

In 1990 Howe became Minister for Health. When Paul Keating resigned from Cabinet in 1991, Howe succeeded him as Deputy Prime Minister. He became Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services in the Keating government in December 1991, dropping the Health part of the portfolio in 1993. He resigned as Deputy Prime Minister in June 1995 and was succeeded by Kim Beazley, and retired from politics at the 1996 election.

Preceded by
Neil Blewitt
Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services
1990–1993
Succeeded by
Graham Richardson
Preceded by
Paul Keating
Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party
1991–1995
Succeeded by
Kim Beazley
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
1991–1995