- Wayne Goss
Infobox_President | name =Wayne Goss
nationality =Australian
order =34thPremier of Queensland
term_start =7 December 1989
term_end =20 February 1996
deputy =
predecessor =Russell Cooper
successor =Rob Borbidge
birth_date =Birth date and age|1951|2|26|df=y
birth_place =Mundubbera ,Queensland
death_date =
death_place =
constituency =Logan
party =Australian Labor Party
spouse =
profession =Lawyer
religion =
footnotes =|Wayne Keith Goss (born
26 February ,1951 ) wasPremier of Queensland from7 December ,1989 until19 February ,1996 . He was born atMundubbera ,Queensland and educated at Inala High School and theUniversity of Queensland (LLB). He worked as a solicitor and then with the Aboriginal Legal Service before setting up his own practice. Goss entered state politics as anAustralian Labor Party (ALP) MLA in 1983 for the Division of Salisbury and later Logan. Elected leader of the opposition in 1988, he became premier the following year.Goss was victorious in a landslide over
Russell Cooper in the 1989 state election in Queensland and presided over the implementation of many of the reforms of the landmarkFitzgerald Inquiry intopolice corruption . His election win was seen as the beginning of a new era, with "The Courier-Mail " declaring "Goss the Boss".Goss would go on to win a second term, with the same 19-seat majority he won in 1989 over the National Party and the Liberal Party (the two non-Labor parties went out of coalition in 1983, but resumed the coalition after the 1992 election).
The Goss Government introduced social reforms such as decriminalising homosexuality. Goss' Chief of Staff as Premier was former
diplomat ,Kevin Rudd , now leader of the federal parliamentary wing of the Australian Labor Party andPrime Minister of Australia .The 1995 election, however, was dominated by the Goss Government's plan to clear sensitive bushland for an alternative to one of south-east Queensland's major roadways. A number of seats lost were in Brisbane's Bayside area, and known as 'The Koala seats' because of the passion stirred up by people's perception that the new road would destroy
koala habitat. The Greens Party preferenced against Labor and the electorate reacted to Goss's perceived authoritarian style, dealing Labor a narrow one-seat majority.Irregularities were alleged in the Townsville seat of Mundingburra, won narrowly by Labor's Ken Davies over the Coalition's Frank Tanti. Following a declaration by the Queensland Supreme court, sitting as a Court of Disputed Returns, a by-election was ordered which was lost by Labor with the seat going to the Coalition, bringing about a
hung Parliament with the balance of power held by Gladstone based IndependentLiz Cunningham .Cunningham announced that she was going to support the
Rob Borbidge led Coalition on the floor of Parliament, leaving Goss with no alternative but to resign as Premier.Goss returned to the back benches of the Opposition under new Opposition Leader
Peter Beattie and assumed something of an "elder statesman" role. However, a diagnosis of abrain tumour (subsequently removed without any problems) forced him to scale back his activities. Despite support from both sides of Parliament - evidenced when the House gave him astanding ovation on his return from surgery - Goss retired from politics. At the time, rumours circulated that then-Federal Opposition LeaderKim Beazley had offered him a front-bench position if he ran and won in a Federal election, however no proof has been offered of this suggestion.Since his retirement from politics, Goss has served as an advisor to
accountancy groupDeloitte Touche Tohmatsu as well as in various other public roles. Goss is currently Chairman of the Australian firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.He still lives in
Brisbane with his wife, Roisin, and their two children, Caitlin and Ryan.External links
* [http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2005/s1487999.htm Wayne Goss calls for cooperative federalism (Radio Interview 21 Oct 2005)]
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