Terrence Anthony "Terry" White (born 3 September 1936)[1] is an Australian pharmacist, businessman, and former politician. White achieved notoriety when, as state leader of the Liberal Party he terminated the longstanding coalition agreement between the Liberal Party and the National Party of Joh Bjelke-Petersen. In the ensuing election, the Liberals were badly defeated, and White was replaced as party leader. After leaving politics, he established a nationwide chain of pharmacies using a franchise model and became a widely respected businessman.
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White was born in 1936, and received his initial education at the Sisters of Mercy convent in Sandgate, and St. Columban's at Albion. White showed ambition from a young age, attempting to enrol himself at Nudgee College without telling his parents so that he could receive a good education. White's working-class family were unable at first to pay the fees demanded by the school, but eventually White's mechanic father Bill came to an arrangement with the school to waive Terry's fees in exchange for maintaining the college vehicles for free and for providing buses to transport the students to nearby suburbs for sporting events, when required.[2]
After high school, White decided on the recommendation of a friend to study pharmacy. White endured 73 interviews with master pharmacists to find a position as an apprentice, before finally receiving a position at a pharmacy in Scarborough. After graduating as a pharmacist in his own right, White purchased a pharmacy at Woody Point in 1958. He later headed overseas, and got his first taste of politics when he worked on the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy. Upon his return to Australia, he joined the Queensland branch of the Liberal Party of Australia.[2]
White was first elected to parliament on 1 September 1979, at a by-election for the seat of Redcliffe following the retirement of incumbent National Party member Jim Houghton.[3] White stood on a platform of seeking seniority for the Liberal Party in the coalition with the National Party in order to ensure what he described as "responsible democratic government". White fell in with a group of MPs known as the "small-l Liberals" or, less flatteringly, the "ginger group". This group disagreed with Liberal leader Llewellyn Edwards and Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen on a number of issues, including the system of electoral malapportionment in use within Queensland at the time, reducing the power of the National Party in the cabinet, and removing the controversial street march laws in place at the time.[4] Despite many of these views being in opposition to Edwards' views and government policy, White was appointed as the minister for Welfare Services in December 1980, just fifteen months after entering parliament.[3][5]
Despite his appointment to cabinet, White continued to have frequent differences of opinion with Edwards. Matters came to a head on 4 August 1983, when Liberal MLA Ian Prentice moved a motion to bring forward debate on the establishment of a public accounts committee to monitor government spending. While this had been approved by a resolution at a Liberal party convention, it was bitterly opposed by Bjelke-Petersen and Edwards was not keen to have it debated, for fear of destabilising the coalition. A division was called, and White and the rest of the "ginger group" crossed the floor to vote with the Australian Labor Party opposition in favour of the motion. White argued that the principle of cabinet solidarity, which would normally compel him to vote against the motion, did not apply in this case because there was no official government policy on the matter.[4]
This explanation did not sit well with Edwards, who immediately sacked White as Welfare Minister, with the vocal and public support of Bjelke-Petersen.[4] In response, White called a spill motion in the partyroom to declare the party leadership open. Edwards was unable to defeat this motion, and declined to renominate for the party leadership, clearing the way for White to become the party leader.[6]
Immediately after the spill, White and his new deputy Angus Innes made their way to Bjelke-Petersen's office in the Executive Building to inform him of the new leadership arrangements within the Liberal Party, as well as the need to revise the coalition agreement. Bjelke-Petersen kept the pair waiting outside his office for an hour, in full view of the media, working on a way to bypass White and the Liberal Party altogether.[5] Bjelke-Petersen had previously stated that he would not work with Innes, and when he finally admitted White and Innes to his office, he informed them that he would not be appointing White as the deputy premier, as was customary under the existing coalition arrangement.[4]
In response, White tore up a copy of the press release issued by Bjelke-Petersen explaining his actions, a move that was interpreted by the media at the time as White tearing up the longstanding coalition agreement.[7] White then led the Liberal MLAs to the crossbench, depriving Bjelke-Petersen of the majority in the Legislative Assembly needed to govern. White, however, never actually got the opportunity to lead the Liberal Party on the floor of Assembly, as Bjelke-Petersen had some days earlier convinced the governor to indefinitely adjourn the Parliament. The government was therefore able to govern for the nine weeks until the 1983 election, free from parliamentary scrutiny and the threat of a no confidence motion.[4]
At the election, the National Party scored a resounding victory, winning 41 seats in the 82 member parliament.[8] The Liberals only won eight seats, and suffered further blows when Bjelke-Petersen invited Liberal MLAs to defect to the Nationals,[9] and Liberals Don Lane and Brian Austin took up his offer, giving the Nationals an absolute majority and leaving only six Liberals remaining. At the time, White remarked that "The scent of ministerial leather is a powerful aphrodisiac."[10] Of the 18 seats that were contested by both a National and a Liberal, the Nationals outpolled the Liberals in 15, and of the "ginger group" only White and Innes retained their seats. With an absolute majority, Bjelke-Petersen no longer required the votes of the Liberals, and formed a majority government in his own right. This spelled the end of White's leadership, and William Knox was elevated to the leadership of the remnants of the party on 3 November. White's term as leader of the Liberal Party had lasted less than three months.[4]
White left parliament in 1989, and concentrated once more on his business career, encouraged by his wife Rhonda. He sold his first franchise in 1994, and by 2010 there were over 150 "Terry White Chemist" outlets across the country, the majority of which are owned and operated by franchisees. White has also served as President of the Pharmacy Guild, and was involved in the founding of the Australian Institute of Pharmacy Management.[2][11]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Llewellyn Edwards |
Parliamentary Leader of the Liberal Party in Queensland 1983 |
Succeeded by William Knox |
| Preceded by new position |
Minister for Welfare Services 1980-1983 |
Succeeded by Bill Hewitt |
| Preceded by Jim Houghton |
Member for Redcliffe 1979–1989 |
Succeeded by Ray Hollis |