Harry Holgate

The Honourable Harry Holgate AO
36th Premier of Tasmania
In office 11 November 1981 – 26 May 1982
Deputy	Michael Barnard
Preceded by	Doug Lowe
Succeeded by	Robin Gray
Constituency	Bass
Personal details
Born	5 December 1933 Maitland, NSW, Australia
Died	16 March 1997 (aged 63) Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Rosalind Wesley[1] Katharine West
Occupation	Journalist

Harold Norman "Harry" Holgate AO (5 December 1933 – 16 March 1997) was an Australian Labor Party politician and Premier of Tasmania from 11 November 1981 to 26 May 1982.

Born in Maitland, New South Wales in 1933, Holgate was a television producer and journalist prior to entering politics, arriving in Tasmania to work for The Examiner newspaper in 1963.^[2] He first stood for election in 1972 but was unable to meet the required quota of 4,707 votes.^[3] From 1973 to 1974, he worked as a press secretary for Deputy Prime Minister Lance Barnard.^[2]

In 1974, he stood for election again and was the second candidate elected in the Division of Bass (following Liberal member Neil Robson). He held his seat from 26 July 1974 until 1992, and was Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from May 1975 to December 1976. Holgate became Premier in 1981 after a motion of no confidence was raised against Doug Lowe, who subsequently resigned from the party. Holgate only stayed in office for seven months, before being defeated by Robin Gray's Liberals at the 1982 election--only the second time in 48 years that Labor had been consigned to opposition in Tasmania.^[4]

Holgate died of cancer in Launceston on 16 March 1997.

References

1. Reynolds, Margaret (2008). Living politics. Brisbane: University of Queensland. p. 27. ISBN 0-7022-3438-9.
2. Lennon, Paul (2 December 2006). "Address at the State Dinner to Mark the Sesquicentenary of the Tasmanian Parliament". Premier of Tasmania. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
3. 1972 House of Assembly Election Results, Parliament of Tasmania, 22 April 1972.
4. Angle, Maura: The Franklin Dam dispute, Stateline (Tasmanian edition) (ABC TV), 27 June 2003.

External links

• Parliamentary Library profile