Thomas Price

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Thomas Price (January 19, 1852 – May 31, 1909) was a mason and lay preacher who became the first Labour premier of South Australia in 1905.

He was born in Brymbo, Denbighshire, Wales, and emigrated to Australia with his family in 1883. There he quickly became involved in trade union activity, and was elected to the Lower House of South Australia in 1893, becoming Labor leader in 1899.

Price came to power in May 1905 in a minority government, after increasing his party's representation from five to 15 in the 42-member lower house. With the support of 8 liberals headed by Archibald Peake, Price forced Richard Butler to resign. Price retained the premiership at the November 1906 double dissolution election with an additional four seats in the House of Assembly. Price obtained the double dissolution on the issue of reform to the Legislative Council. The council continued to be intransigent to reform, however Price accepted the council's compromise proposal of a £17 householder franchise. Labor's left wing criticized him for this compromise.

He introduced various reforms including free state secondary schools, the formation of wages boards and a minimum wage, establishing the Municipal Tramways Trust through nationalisation, the costly administration of the Northern Territory was surrendered to the Federal government, and reform (though limited) of the upper house.

He died of tuberculosis and diabetes at Mount Lofty, Hawthorn, South Australia on 31 May 1909. He was given a state funeral and buried at Mitcham Cemetery.

[edit] 1905 Lower House results

House of Assembly 1905-06 (MM FPTP) — Turnout 61.19% (Non-CV) [1]

–	Party	Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
–	Australian Labour Party	148,550	41.29	+22.21	15	+10
–	Anti - Reform Party	118,571	32.96	*	10	*
–	Franchise Reform Party	77,211	21.46	*	14	*
–	Ministerialists (Labor-Liberal)	11,655	3.24	*	2	*
–	Independent	3,779	1.05	-3.10	1	-1
	Total	359,766			42

[edit] External links

• Thomas Price profile from SA Parliament website
• Australian Dictionary of Biography

Political offices
Preceded by Richard Butler	Premier of South Australia 1905 – 1909	Succeeded by Archibald Peake
Party political offices
Preceded by Lee Batchelor	Leader of the Australian Labor Party (SA division) 1899 – 1909	Succeeded by John Verran

v • d • e Premiers of South Australia Finniss · Baker · Torrens · Hanson · Reynolds · Waterhouse · Dutton · Ayers · Blyth · Hart · Boucaut · Strangways · Colton · Morgan · Bray · Downer · Playford II · Cockburn · Holder · Kingston · Solomon · Jenkins · Butler · Price · Peake · Verran · Vaughan · Barwell · Gunn · Hill · Butler · Richards · Playford IV · Walsh · Dunstan · Hall · Corcoran · Tonkin · Bannon · Arnold · Brown · Olsen · Kerin · Rann

v • d • e Leaders of the Australian Labor Party (SA division) McPherson · Batchelor · Price · Verran · Vaughan · Kirkpatrick · Gunn · Hill · Richards · Lacey · Richards · O'Halloran · Walsh · Dunstan · Corcoran · Bannon · Arnold · Rann