Wilson Tuckey
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Charles Wilson Tuckey (born 10 July 1935), Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since October 1980, representing the Division of O'Connor, Western Australia.
[edit] Biography
He was born in Perth, Western Australia, and was a businessman and hotelier before entering politics. Tuckey is the oldest member of the House, having turned 72 in July 2007.
Tuckey was a Town Councillor in Carnarvon, Western Australia, 1964-65 and a member of Carnarvon Shire Council 1969-70, 1971-73 and 1977-79. He was Shire President 1965-69.
In the federal Parliament he was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1984-89 and 93-96. He was Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House 1988-89 and 1993-94. He was Minister for Forestry and Conservation and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister 1998-2001 and Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government 2002-2003.
Tuckey is one of the most colourful and controversial figures in Australian federal politics. In 1967, while a publican in Carnarvon, he was convicted of assault after striking an Aboriginal man with a length of steel cable.[1] It was alleged that the man was being pinned to the ground at the time.[2] He has had the nickname "Ironbar" ever since. Tuckey's criminal conviction for this assault did not hinder his political ambitions. It is believed that Tuckey is the first federal Minister to have a criminal conviction for violent assault.
In 1986 Tuckey taunted the then Labor Treasurer, Paul Keating, in Parliament about a former girlfriend called "Christine," leading Keating to call him "a piece of criminal garbage." In one notorious exchange, Tuckey told Keating: "You are an idiot, you are a hopeless nong", to which Keating replied: "Shut up! Sit down and shut up, you pig... Why do you not shut up, you clown?... This man has a criminal intellect... this clown continues to interject in perpetuity." A furious Keating demanded that newly installed Liberal Party leader John Howard discipline Tuckey, but he refused. Keating then promised to make Howard "wear his leadership like a crown of thorns", and the relationship between Keating and Howard, previously a civil one, deteriorated to the point where the two men refused to speak to one another.[2]
In 1989 Tuckey was one of the leaders of the plot to depose John Howard as Liberal Party leader and replace him with Andrew Peacock. After the success of the plot, Tuckey boasted about it on television, privately infuriating Howard. Despite this, his hard-line conservatism made him a favourite of Howard's after he returned to the leadership in 1995.
As Minister for Forestry Tuckey angered conservation groups through his support for the forestry industry. In 2002 he blamed the environmentalist movement for Australia's severe bushfire problem, saying that their opposition to controlled burning in national parks increased the risk of fires.
Tuckey's demise as a minister came in August 2003 when it was revealed that he had written to Patrick Conlon, who was Police Minister in South Australia, on ministerial letterhead, asking Conlon to "review" his son's conviction on a traffic charge. Prime Minister Howard said that Tuckey's actions were foolish but refused to dismiss him. Tuckey resigned as a minister shortly afterwards to return to the backbench.[3]
In 2005 when the Australian parliament voted to pass a motion asking Singaporean authorities that Van Tuong Nguyen not be executed for drug smuggling, Wilson Tuckey was the only member of parliament not to support it.
Tuckey is often quoted in the media as supporting free markets and less government intervention in the economy, he also well known for criticising the National Party on a number of issues. He has been the most outspoken critic of AWB in Federal Parliament and has led the push for it to be stripped of its export monopoly for wheat. Tuckey labelled National Party politicians who continue to support the single desk system as "drongos". He also labelled National Party senator Barnaby Joyce a "lightweight" for arguing in favour of foreign ownership restrictions to be placed upon Medibank Private after privatisation.
In August 2006, Tuckey had a public argument with Labor leader Kim Beazley over new immigration laws, ending with Tuckey calling Beazley a "fat so and so".[4]
In August 2007 Tuckey sent a fax to John Howard and several Liberal MPs suggesting the Prime Minister relinquish the leadership.[5]
In January 2008 Tuckey was labelled as an "extreme racist" by Queensland Aboriginal activist Sam Watson, after criticising the decision that traditional dancers from the Aboriginal tribe which historically reside in the area of Parliament House would appear as part of the opening of Federal Parliament. Mr Watson concluded his remarks with the statement that "Mr Tuckey and his extremist racist views really do belong to another generation." [6]
On 13 February 2008, Tuckey walked out during the opening of the 42nd Australian Federal Parliament immediately after prayers, and pointedly before the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a motion of apology to the Stolen Generation. Mr Tuckey was one of five Coalition MPs not present in the chamber, thereby boycotting the motion.[7] On the steps of parliament, Tuckey was sarcastic about what the apology would achieve for indigenous people:
"I'm there to say hallelujah. Tomorrow there'll be no petrol sniffing, tomorrow little girls can sleep in their beds without any concern - it's all fixed.
"The Rudd spin will fix it all. I've read it, I'm convinced. I think it's wonderful."[7]
In May, 2008, Tuckey was expelled from the house for 24-hours after breaching standards. His remarks against the speaker arose during a heated question time in relation to the Rudd Government's 'Fuel Watch Scheme'.
As of 2008, Tuckey is the only currently sitting Member of Parliament who first became a member during the government of Malcolm Fraser and the second longest serving Member of Parliament after Philip Ruddock.
[edit] References
- ^ Brunero, Tim. "Washing Howard's racism away", Macquarie National News, 2008-02-16. Retrieved on 2008-02-16.
- ^ a b Crabb, Annabel. "Heckler from hell lives to torment another day", The Age, August 23, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ Seccombe, Mike. "Tuckey's worrying version of family values", The Sydney Morning Herald, August 20, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ "'Iron Bar' wins on points: PM", The Age, August 10, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ Coorey, Phillip. "Tuckey blames staff for fax", The Sydney Morning Herald, August 15, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ "Tuckey labelled racist over Indigenous dance comments", ABC News, January 28, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
- ^ a b "Rudd staff rebuked for shunning Nelson", The Age, February 14, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
[edit] External Links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | Minister for Forestry and Conservation 1998 – 2001 |
Succeeded by Ian Macdonald |
| Preceded by Ian Macdonald |
Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government 2001 – 2003 |
Succeeded by Ian Campbell |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| New division | Member for O'Connor 1980 – present |
Incumbent |
|
||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tuckey, Charles Wilson |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 10 July 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
