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Don Dunstan

January 26, 2023

This article is about the premier of South Australia. For the governor of South Australia, see Donald Dunstan (governor).

Donald Allan Dunstan AC QC (21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999) was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for the division of Norwood from 1953 to 1979, and leader of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party from 1967 to 1979. Before becoming premier, Dunstan served as the 38th attorney-general of South Australia and the treasurer of South Australia. He is the fourth longest serving premier in South Australian history.

The Honourable
Don Dunstan
AC QC
Dunstan in 1968
35th Premier of South Australia
Elections: 1968, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1977
In office
2 June 1970 – 15 February 1979
MonarchElizabeth II
Governor
DeputyDes Corcoran
Preceded bySteele Hall
Succeeded byDes Corcoran
In office
1 June 1967 – 17 April 1968
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorSir Edric Bastyan
DeputyDes Corcoran
Preceded byFrank Walsh
Succeeded bySteele Hall
Leader of the Opposition in South Australia
In office
17 April 1968 – 2 June 1970
DeputyDes Corcoran
Preceded bySteele Hall
Succeeded bySteele Hall
Leader of the South Australian Labor Party
In office
1 June 1967 – 15 February 1979
Preceded byFrank Walsh
Succeeded byDes Corcoran
Treasurer of South Australia
In office
2 June 1970 – 15 February 1975
PremierDon Dunstan
Preceded bySteele Hall
Succeeded byDes Corcoran
In office
1 June 1967 – 16 April 1968
PremierDon Dunstan
Preceded byFrank Walsh
Succeeded bySteele Hall
38th Attorney-General of South Australia
In office
20 June 1975 – 9 October 1975
PremierDon Dunstan
Preceded byLen King
Succeeded byPeter Duncan
In office
10 March 1965 – 16 April 1968
PremierFrank Walsh
Preceded byColin Rowe
Succeeded byRobin Millhouse
Member of the South Australian Parliament
for Norwood
In office
7 March 1953 – 10 March 1979
Preceded byRoy Moir
Succeeded byGreg Crafter
Personal details
Born(1926-09-21)21 September 1926
Suva, Colony of Fiji
Died6 February 1999(1999-02-06) (aged 72)
Norwood, South Australia
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLabor
Spouses
Gretel Elsasser
​
​
(m. 1949; div. 1974)​
Adele Koh
​
​
(m. 1976; died 1978)​
Domestic partner(s)Stephen Cheng
(1986–1999)
Children3

In the late 1950s, Dunstan became well known for his campaign against the death penalty being imposed on Max Stuart, who was convicted of rape and murder of a small girl, opposing then-Premier Thomas Playford IV over the matter. During Labor's time in opposition, Dunstan was prominent in securing some reforms in Aboriginal rights and in Labor abandoning the White Australia policy. Dunstan became Attorney-General after the 1965 election, and replaced the older Frank Walsh as premier in 1967. Despite maintaining a much larger vote over the Liberal and Country League (LCL), Labor lost two seats at the 1968 election, with the LCL forming government with support of an independent. Dunstan responded by increasing his attacks on the Playmander, convincing the LCL into watering down the malapportionment. With little change in Labor's vote but with the Playmander removed, Labor won 27 of 47 seats at the 1970 election, and again in 1973, 1975, and 1977.

Dunstan's socially progressive administration saw Aboriginal land rights recognised, homosexuality decriminalised, the first female judge (Dame Roma Mitchell) appointed, the first non-British governor, Sir Mark Oliphant, and later the first Indigenous governor, Sir Douglas Nicholls. He enacted consumer protection laws, reformed and expanded the public education and health systems, abolished the death penalty, relaxed censorship and drinking laws, created a ministry for the environment, enacted anti-discrimination law, and implemented electoral reforms such as the overhaul of the Legislative Council, the upper house of Parliament, lowered the voting age to 18, enacted universal suffrage, and completely abolished malapportionment. He also established Rundle Mall, enacted measures to protect buildings of historical heritage, and encouraging arts, with support for the Adelaide Festival Centre, the State Theatre Company, and the establishment of the South Australian Film Corporation.

At the same time, there were also problems; the economy began to stagnate, and the large increases to burgeoning public service generated claims of waste. One of Dunstan's pet projects, a plan to build a new city at Monarto to alleviate urban pressures in Adelaide, was abandoned when economic and population growth stalled, with much money and planning already invested. After four consecutive election wins, Dunstan's administration began to falter in 1978 following his dismissal of Police Commissioner Harold Salisbury, as controversy broke out over whether he had improperly interfered with a judicial investigation. In addition, policy problems and unemployment began to mount, as well as unsubstantiated rumours of corruption and personal impropriety. The strain on Dunstan was increased by the death of his wife. His resignation from the premiership and politics in 1979 was abrupt after collapsing due to ill health, but he lived for another 20 years, remaining a vocal and outspoken campaigner for progressive social policy.

Early life

Dunstan was born on 21 September 1926 in Suva, Colony of Fiji, the son of Francis Vivian Dunstan and Ida May Dunstan (née Hill),[1] Australians of Cornish descent.[2][3] His parents had moved to Fiji in 1916 after his father took up a position as manager of the Adelaide Steamship Company.[4] He spent the first seven years of his life in Fiji, starting his schooling there. Dunstan was beset by illness, and his parents sent him to South Australia hoping the drier climate would assist his recovery. He lived in Murray Bridge for three years with his mother's parents before returning to Suva for a short period during his secondary education.[5] During his time in Fiji, Dunstan mixed easily with the Indian settlers and indigenous people, something that was frowned upon by many of the white people on the islands.[4]

He won a scholarship in classical studies and attended St Peter's College, a traditional private school for the sons of the Adelaide establishment. He developed public speaking and acting skills, winning the college's public speaking prize for two consecutive years.[5] In 1943, he portrayed the title role in a production of John Drinkwater's play Abraham Lincoln, and according to the school magazine, he "was the chief contributor to the success of the occasion".[6] His academic strengths were in classical history and languages, and he disliked mathematics.[5] He gained a reputation as a maverick. During this time, Dunstan did not board and lived in the seaside suburb of Glenelg with relatives.[4] Dunstan completed his secondary schooling in 1943, ranking in the top 30 overall in the statewide matriculation examinations.[6]

In his youth, influenced by his uncle, former Liberal Lord Mayor of Adelaide Sir Jonathan Cain,[7] Dunstan was a supporter of the conservative Liberal and Country League (LCL) and handed out how-to-vote cards for the party at state elections. Dunstan later said of his involvement with the Liberals: "I do not call it snobbery to deride the Establishment in South Australia, I admit that I was brought up into it, and I admit that it gave me a pain."[8] When asked of his roots, he said, "I'm a refugee from it and thank God for somewhere honest to flee to!"[9]

His political awakening happened during his university years. Studying law and arts at the University of Adelaide,[5] he became very active, joining the University Socialist Club, the Fabian Society, the Student Representative Council, as well as the Theatre Group. A two-week stint in the Communist Party was followed by membership in the Australian Labor Party.[10]

Dunstan was markedly different from the general membership of the Labor Party of the time; upon applying for membership at Trades Hall, a Labor veteran supposedly muttered "how could that long-haired prick be a Labor man?"[11] His peculiarities, such as his upper-class accent,[11] were a target of derision by the working-class Labor old guard throughout his early political involvement.[2][11] Dunstan funded his education by working in theatre and radio during his university years.[4] He eventually graduated with a double degree, with arts majors in Latin, comparative philology, history and politics, and he came first in political science.[6]

After Dunstan graduated, he moved with his wife to Fiji where he was admitted to the bar and began his career as a lawyer.[4] They returned to Adelaide in 1951 and settled in George Street, Norwood, taking in boarders as a source of extra income.[4][12]

Political beginnings

Dunstan was nominated as the Labor candidate for the electoral district of Norwood at the 1953 election. His campaign was noted for his colourful methods to sway voters: posters of his face were placed on every pole in the district, and Labor supporters walked the streets advocating Dunstan. He targeted in particular the large Italian migrant population of the district, distributing translated copies of a statement the sitting LCL member Roy Moir had made about immigrants. Moir had commented that "these immigrants are of no use to us – a few of them are tradesmen but most of them have no skills at all. And when they intermarry we'll have all the colours of the rainbow."[13] Dunstan won the seat and was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly. His son Andrew was born nine months after the win.[13][14][15]

 
Dunstan at a young age

Dunstan was to become the most vocal opponent of the LCL Government of Sir Thomas Playford, strongly criticising its practice of electoral malapportionment, known as the Playmander, a pun on the term gerrymander. This system gave a disproportionate electoral weight to the LCL's rural base,[2] with votes worth as much as ten times others − at the 1968 election the rural seat of Frome had 4,500 formal votes, while the metropolitan seat of Enfield had 42,000 formal votes.[16] He added colour and flair to debate in South Australian politics, changing the existing "gentlemanly" method of conducting parliamentary proceedings.[17][18] He did not fear direct confrontation with the incumbent government and attacked it with vigour. Up to this point most of his Labor colleagues had become dispirited by the Playmander and were resigned to the ongoing dominance of Playford and LCL, so they sought to influence policy through collaborative legislating.[18]

In 1954, the LCL introduced the Government Electoral Bill, which was designed to further accentuate the undue weight favouring rural voters. During the debate, Dunstan decried this "immoral Bill ... I cannot separate it from the motives of those who put it forward. Since it is immoral, so are they."[18] Such language, unusually aggressive by the prevailing standards, resulted in Dunstan's removal from the parliamentary chambers after he refused a request from the Speaker to retract his remark. The first parliamentarian to be expelled in years, Dunstan found himself on the front pages of newspapers for the first time.[18] Nevertheless, he was not able to build up much of a profile in his first few years as The Advertiser, the dominant newspaper in the city, had a policy of ignoring the young politician's activities—its editor Lloyd Dumas was the father of one of Dunstan's first girlfriends.[19]

Max Stuart trial

Main article: Max Stuart
See also: Thomas Playford IV

In December 1958 there occurred an event that initially had nothing to do with Playford, but eventually intensified into a debacle regarded as a turning point in his premiership and marked the end of his rule. Dunstan was prominent in pressuring Playford during this time.[20]

A young girl was found raped and murdered, and Max Stuart, an Aboriginal man, was convicted and sentenced to be executed.[20][21] Stuart's lawyer claimed that the confession was forced, and appeals to the Supreme and High Courts were dismissed. Amid objections against the fairness of the trial among an increasing number of legal academics and judges,[22][23] The News brought much attention to Stuart's plight with an aggressive, tabloid-style campaign.[24]

When Playford and the Executive Council decided not to reprieve Stuart, an appeal to the Privy Council was made to stall the execution.[25] Spearheaded by Dunstan, Labor then tried to introduce legislation to stall the hanging.[26] Amid hue and cry, Playford started a Royal Commission to review the case. However, two of the commissioners had already been involved in the trial and one of the appeals.[27] This provoked worldwide controversy with claims of bias from Dunstan and Labor, who also attacked Playford for what they regarded as a too-restrictive scope of inquiry.[28]

The Royal Commission began its work and the proceedings were followed closely and eagerly debated by the public. As Playford did not commute Stuart's sentence, Dunstan introduced a bill to abolish capital punishment. The vote was split along party lines and was thus defeated, but Dunstan used the opportunity to attack the Playmander with much effect in the media, portraying the failed legislation as an unjust triumph of a malapportioned minority who had a vengeance mentality over an electorally repressed majority who wanted a humane outcome.[29]

 
Dunstan in 1963

Amid the continuing uproar, Playford decided to grant clemency.[30] The Royal Commission concluded that the guilty verdict was sound. Although a majority of those who spoke out against the handling of the matter (including Dunstan) thought Stuart was probably guilty,[31] the events provoked heated and bitter debate in South Australian society and destabilised Playford's administration,[32] while bringing much publicity to Dunstan.[33]

From 1959 onwards, the LCL government clung to power with the support of two independents, as Labor gained momentum. Always at the forefront, Dunstan lambasted the government for perceived underspending on social welfare, education, health and the arts.[34] Dunstan heavily promoted himself as a reformer.[4]

In 1960, Dunstan became president of the State Labor Party. The year also saw the death of Opposition Leader Mick O'Halloran and his replacement by Frank Walsh. Dunstan attempted to win the position of Opposition Leader and, failing that, Deputy Leader. However, the Labor caucus was sceptical of his age and inexperience, and he failed to gain either position, albeit narrowly.[35][36]

Ascent to power

Federally, Dunstan, together with fellow Australian Fabian Society member Gough Whitlam, set about removing the White Australia policy from the Labor platform. The older trade-unionist-based members of the Labor Party vehemently opposed changing the status quo. However, the "New Guard" of the party, of which Dunstan was a part, were determined to bring about its end. Attempts in 1959 and 1961 failed, with Labor leader Arthur Calwell stating, "It would ruin the Party if we altered the immigration policy ... it was only cranks, long hairs, academics and do-gooders who wanted the change." However, Dunstan persisted in his efforts, and in 1965 it was removed from the Labor platform at their national conference; Dunstan personally took credit for the change.[2] Whitlam later brought about the comprehensive end of the White Australia policy in 1973 as Prime Minister of Australia.[37][38][39]

Dunstan pursued similar reforms with respect to Indigenous Australians. In 1962, the Aboriginal Affairs Bill was introduced to liberalise constraints that had been placed on Indigenous Australians in the past and had effectively resulted in segregation. The initial proposal still retained some restrictions, placing more controls over full-blooded Aboriginal people. Dunstan was prominent in Labor's opposition to the double standards,[40] and called for abolition of race-based restrictions, saying that social objectives could be achieved without explicit colour-based schemes.[40] He was successful in forcing amendments to liberalise controls on property and the confinement of Indigenous Australians to Aboriginal reserves. However, his attempt to remove the different standards required of part and full-blooded Aboriginal people failed, as did his proposal to ensure that at least half of the members of the Aboriginal Affairs Board be Indigenous Australians.[41] Despite the passage of the bill, restrictions remained in place and Dunstan questioned the policy of assimilation of Aboriginal people, which he saw as the diluting of their distinctive cultures.[42]

Labor won the seats of Glenelg and Barossa at the 1965 election, after winning the seats of Chaffey and Unley at the 1962 election. Labor thus finally overcame the Playmander and formed government for the first time in 32 years, with Frank Walsh as Premier of South Australia. Despite winning 55 percent of the primary vote, the Playmander was still strong enough that Labor won only 21 of 39 seats, a two-seat majority. Dunstan became Attorney-General and Minister of Community Welfare and Aboriginal Affairs. He was far and away the youngest member of the cabinet; he was the only minister under 50,[43] and one of only three under 60.[44] Dunstan had a major impact on Government policy as Attorney-General.[45] Having only narrowly lost out on the leadership in 1960, Dunstan became the obvious successor to the 67-year-old Walsh, who was due to retire in 1967 under Labor rules of the time.[43][46]

 
The South Australian Parliament House, situated on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace

The Walsh Government implemented significant reform in its term of office.[47] Liquor, gambling and entertainment laws were overhauled and liberalised,[48] social welfare was gradually expanded and Aboriginal reserves were created. Strong restrictions on Aboriginal access to liquor were lifted.[49] Women's working rights were granted under the mantra of "equal pay for work of equal value", and racial discrimination legislation was enacted. Town planning was codified in law,[47][50] and the State Planning Authority was created to oversee development.[43] Workers were given more rights and the bureaucracy of the education department was liberalised.[43] Much of the reform was not necessarily radical and was primarily to "fill the gaps" that the previous LCL government had left.[51] Despite a consistently higher statewide vote, Labor were consistently outnumbered 16–4 in the Legislative Council,[44] so some desired legislation did not make it through.[49] In 1965, the legislature convened for 65 days, the most for 34 years, but many bills were still yet to be debated.[45]

Many bills were watered down,[49] but due to lack of public interest, outcry was minimal. In particular, the council blocked electoral reform legislation, paving the way for a probable LCL win at the next election.[52] Such was Dunstan's pre-eminence during his term as Attorney-General that the cabinet was often called the "Dunstan Ministry".[45][51]

An economic depression had begun in South Australia after the Labor government gained office in 1965; unemployment went from the lowest in the country to the second highest, while immigration levels dropped.[53] Labor was not responsible for the depression, although it initially did little to alleviate it. The Liberals seized on this opportunity, blaming it on "twelve months of Socialist administration in South Australia"[53] and branding it the "Dunstan Depression".[53]

In the 1966 Australian federal election, Labor suffered a swing against it of 11.8% in South Australia, double the national average. If this was replicated at a state election, it was projected that Labor would hold only ten of the 39 seats. The Liberals dropped Playford as the state leader, and the younger and more progressive Steele Hall took his place. In a dire situation with the next state election looming,[54] Labor changed leaders with Walsh, a "neanderthal figure in the television age",[51] standing down in May 1967. Much of the Labor Right faction, as well as Walsh,[43] was opposed to Dunstan taking the leadership, but no other MPs had the same charisma or eloquence. Eventually, Dunstan won the leadership over Des Corcoran, winning fourteen votes to eleven on the strength of rural and marginal Laborites, having trailed by one vote on the first count before less popular candidates were eliminated.[43][55]

Dunstan's first Premiership was eventful, with a steady stream of reform and attempts to end the depression. The latter half of 1967 saw the beginnings of a slight recovery, with unemployment dipping and industrial capacity steadying. The 1967–68 budget ran into deficit, allocating funds to energise the economic engine whilst Dunstan lambasted the Federal Government for neglecting the South Australian economy, demanding it take a degree of responsibility for its ills.[56]

Elections 1968–1970

In preparation for the 1968 election, Labor campaigned heavily around its leader, and this resonated with voters; in surveys conducted in parts of the metropolitan area, 84% of respondents declared their approval of Dunstan.[57] In a presidential-style election campaign, Hall and Dunstan journeyed across the state advocating their platforms, and the major issues were the leaders, the Playmander and the economy.[58] Television saw its first major use in the election, and Dunstan, an astute public speaker, successfully mastered it.[59] With his upbeat style, Dunstan also made an impact in the print media, which had long been a bastion of the LCL.[58] Despite winning a 52% majority of the primary vote, and 54% of the two-party preferred count,[58] Labor lost two seats, resulting in a hung parliament: the LCL and Labor each had 19 seats. Had 21 votes in the rural seat of Murray gone the other way, Labor would have retained power. The balance of power rested with the chamber's lone independent, Tom Stott, who was offered the speakership by the LCL in return for his support on the Assembly floor.[58] Stott, a conservative, agreed to support the LCL.[4][58][60][61]

 
The South Australian House of Assembly. The Assembly's composition was radically altered after changes were made to electoral legislation, abolishing the electoral malapportionment of the "Playmander".[4]

There was a degree of speculation in the press that Dunstan would call for a new election because of the adverse outcome. However, Dunstan realised the futility of such a move and instead sought to humiliate the LCL into bringing an end to malapportionment. Although Stott's decision to support the LCL ended any realistic chance of Dunstan remaining premier, Dunstan did not immediately resign his commission, intending to force Hall and the LCL to demonstrate that they had support on the floor of the Assembly when it reconvened. He used the six weeks before the start of the new legislature to draw attention to malapportionment.[58] Protests were held on 15 March in Light Square. There, Dunstan spoke to a crowd of more than ten thousand: "We need to show that the people of SA feel that at last the watershed has been reached in this, and that they will not continue to put up with a system which is as undemocratic as the present one in SA."[62] On 16 April, the first day of the new House's sitting, Dunstan lost a confidence vote. With it now clear that the LCL had control of the House, Dunstan tendered his resignation to Governor Edric Bastyan.[63][64] Hall was then sworn in as premier. However, the six weeks of protesting had brought nationwide criticism of the unfairness of the electoral system and put more pressure on the LCL to relent to reforms; it has been seen as one of the most important political events of its time.[63]

With the end of Playford's tenure, the LCL had brought younger, more progressive members into its ranks. The Hall Government continued many of the social reforms the Walsh/Dunstan governments had initiated; most of these at the instigation of Hall or his Attorney-General, Robin Millhouse. Abortion was partially legalised,[65] and planning for the Festival Centre began.[66] The conservative and rural factions of the League, notably in the Legislative Council dominated by the landed gentry, were bitterly opposed to some reforms, and more than once Hall was forced to rely on Labor support to see bills passed. The LCL began to break apart; what had once been a united party was now factionalised into four distinct groups across the political spectrum.[63][67] The economy of South Australia began to pick up under Hall, returning to full employment.[68] During the term in opposition, Des Corcoran became Dunstan's deputy, and the pair worked together well despite any rift that may have been caused by the struggle to succeed Walsh.[63]

Hall was embarrassed that the LCL was in a position to win government despite having clearly lost the first-preference vote, and was committed to a fairer electoral system. Soon after taking office, he enacted a complete overhaul of the electoral system. While they fell short of "one vote one value" as Labor and Dunstan had demanded, they were still significant. Under the Playmander the lower house had 39 seats, 13 in Adelaide and 26 in the country. Hall's reforms expanded the lower house to 47 seats–28 in Adelaide and 19 in the country. While there was still a slight rural weighting (since Adelaide accounted for two-thirds of the state's population), with Adelaide now electing a majority of the legislature, historical results made a Labor win at the next election likely.[69] The capital had been SA Labor's power base for three decades. Even at the height of Playford's power in the 1950s, the LCL won almost no seats in the capital outside of the wealthy eastern crescent and around Holdfast Bay. This was a major reason why Playford's LCL never held more than 23 seats–two more than needed to govern. Under the circumstances, conventional wisdom was that Hall undertook electoral reform knowing he was effectively handing the premiership to Dunstan at the next election.

Stott withdrew support in 1970 over the Chowilla Dam, a dispute over the location of a dam on the Murray River,[70] and South Australia went to the polls.[70] The dam controversy was not much of an election issue, and attempts by the Democratic Labor Party to portray Dunstan as a communist over his opposition to ongoing Australian support for South Vietnam had little effect.[70] The LCL campaigned heavily on Hall, while Dunstan promised sweeping social reform, artistic transformation and more community services. He said "We'll set a new standard of social advancement that the whole of Australia will envy. We believe South Australia can set the pace. It can happen here. We can do it."[71] Dunstan won the 1970 South Australian state election easily, taking 27 seats compared with the LCL's 20.[72] Although the share of the votes had been similar to 1968, the dilution of the Playmander had changed the share of the seats. As Labor had attained a majority of the popular vote for a long period, and because malapportionment had been largely ended, the political scientists Neal Blewett and Dean Jaensch said: "A Dunstan decade seems assured."[73]

Dunstan decade

 
Dunstan with Des Corcoran in April 1971

Dunstan wasted no time in organising his new ministry. He served as his own Treasurer, and took several other portfolios for himself.[4] Deputy Premier Des Corcoran took on most infrastructure portfolios: Marine and Harbours, and Public Works. Corcoran became the face of the Dunstan ministry in its relationship with the Labor caucus, with his ability to use his strong manner to settle disputes.[74] Bert Shard became Health Minister, overseeing the construction and planning of new, major public hospitals: the Flinders Medical Centre and Modbury Hospital.[75] Hugh Hudson took on the Education portfolio, an important role in a government that was determined to bring about profound change to the South Australian education system.[76] Geoff Virgo, the new Transport Minister, was to deal with the Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study (MATS) plans.[77] Len King was made Attorney-General and Aboriginal Affairs Minister despite being a new member of parliament.[73] Dunstan formed a strong circle of loyal ministers around him, in a style radically different from his predecessors.[75][78]

Soon after the election, Dunstan travelled to Canberra for the annual Premiers' Conference as the sole Labor premier. His Government, on a mandate to dramatically increase funding in key areas, sought to appropriate further finances from the Federal Government. This brought Dunstan into conflict with Prime Minister John Gorton, and federal funding to SA was not increased. An appeal was made to the Federal Grants Commission, and Dunstan was awarded more than he had hoped for. In addition to the money received from the Grants Commission, funds were diverted from water-storage schemes in the Adelaide Hills over the advice of engineers, and cash reserves were withdrawn from the two government-owned banks. The monies were subsequently used to finance health, education and arts schemes.[79]

On the death in office of Governor Sir James Harrison in 1971, Dunstan finally had the opportunity to put forward a nominee for governor of his own choosing to HM Queen Elizabeth II (and by extension the British Foreign Office[80] which still technically oversaw the appointment process of Australian state governors until the Australia Act 1986): Sir Mark Oliphant, a physicist who had worked on the Manhattan Project.[81][82][83] Dunstan had never been happy that governors were usually British ex-servicemen and it was a personal goal of his to see an active and notable South Australian take on the role; Sir Mark Oliphant was uneventfully sworn in.[84] Although the post is mostly ceremonial (with the exception of constitutional responsibilities), Oliphant brought energy to the role and he used his stature to decry damage to the environment caused by deforestation, excessive open-cut mining and pollution.[85] Oliphant's tenure was successful and held in high regard, although he did come into conflict with the premier at times as both men were outspoken and strong-willed.[82]

 
The Adelaide Festival Centre. A 620-seat theatre in the complex is named the "Dunstan Playhouse" in his honour.

In 1972, the first major developments in regard to the state's population growth occurred. Adelaide's population was set to increase to 1.3 million[86][87] and the MATS plan and water-storage schemes were in planning to accommodate this. These were summarily rejected by the Dunstan Government, which planned to build a new city 83 kilometres from Adelaide, near Murray Bridge. The city, to be known as Monarto, was to be built on farmland to the west of the existing town. Dunstan was very much against allowing Adelaide's suburbs to further sprawl, and thus Monarto was a major focus of his government.[86] He argued that the new South Eastern Freeway would allow a drive of only 45 minutes from Adelaide, that the city was not far from current industry, and that water could be readily supplied from the River Murray.[88] The government hoped Adelaide would not sprawl into the Mount Lofty Ranges to the east and that the bureaucracy would be dispersed from the capital. In contrast, public servants feared being forced into the rural settlement. Critics (of whom there were many) derided the project as "Dunstan's Versailles in the bush".[89] Environmental activists aired fears of the effects of Monarto on the River Murray, which was already suffering from pollution and salinity problems. Later on, it was noticed that there was hard bedrock underneath the ground, raising drainage problems.[89]

From 1970 to 1973, much legislation passed through the South Australian Parliament. Workers saw increases in welfare,[73][90] drinking laws were further liberalised, an Ombudsman was created,[73] censorship was liberalised,[91] seat belts were made mandatory,[82] the education system was overhauled,[92] and the public service was gradually increased (doubling in size during the Dunstan era).[93] Adelaide's water supply was fluoridated in 1971 and the age of majority was lowered from 21 to 18.[82] A Commissioner of Consumer Affairs was created, a demerit point system was introduced to penalise poor driving practices in an attempt to cut the road toll, and compensation for workers was improved.[73] Police autonomy and powers were restricted following a rally in opposition to the Vietnam War, which was broken up by police, although Dunstan had wanted the demonstrators to be able to close off the street. A royal commission was called into the police commissioner's disregard for Dunstan's orders, and resulted in legislation giving the government more control over the police; the commissioner then retired.[94] The dress code for the Parliament was relaxed during this period, the suit and tie was no longer seen as obligatory,[4] and Dunstan himself caused media frenzy when he arrived at Parliament House in 1972 wearing pink shorts that ended above his knees. After his departure from public life he admitted that his sartorial statement may have gone beyond the limits.[2] Nevertheless, his fashion sense resulted in his being voted "the sexiest political leader in Australia" by Woman's Day in 1975,[6] and the image of Dunstan in the shorts remains iconic.[2]

 
Mark Oliphant, the first Governor of South Australia to be appointed on Dunstan's recommendation

Having played a part in Labor's abandonment of the White Australia Policy at national level, Dunstan was also prominent in promoting multiculturalism. He was well known for his attendance at and patronage of Cornish, Italian and Greek Australian cultural festivals and his appreciation of Asian art, and sought to build on cultural respect to create trade links with Asia.[95] Dunstan's involvement in such cultural exchanges was also credited with generating strong support for Labor from ethnic and non-Anglo-Saxon immigrant communities,[95] although it was viewed with suspicion by some in the Anglo-Saxon establishment.[96] Dunstan himself later recalled: "When I proposed the establishment of a Cornish Festival, in Australia's 'Little Cornwall', people of Cornish descent came flocking."[97]

Having been vocal in criticising Playford for sacrificing heritage to the march of development, Dunstan was prominent in protecting historic buildings from being bulldozed for high-rise office blocks. In 1972, the government intervened to purchase and thereby save Edmund Wright House on King William Street from being replaced with a skyscraper. In 1975, the Customs House at Semaphore was purchased to save it from demolition.[98] His support of heritage preservation overlapped with his promotion of gourmet dining when his personal efforts helped to save the historic Ayers House on North Terrace, having it converted into a restaurant to avoid demolition.[99] In contrast, there were also some controversial developments. Part of the rocky Hallett Cove on Gulf St Vincent in Adelaide's southern suburbs was developed for housing, as were vineyards in Morphettville, Tea Tree Gully, Modbury, and Reynella.[98] This attracted criticism, as Dunstan was prominent in promoting South Australian viticulture and enotourism.[85]

In pursuit of economic links with the nations of South-East Asia, Dunstan came into contact with the leaders of the Malaysian state of Penang in 1973. Striking a note with Chong Eu Lim, the Chief Minister, Dunstan set about organising cultural and economic engagement between the two states. "Penang Week" was held in Adelaide in July, and in return, "South Australia Week" was held in Penang's capital, George Town.[100] In the same year, the Adelaide Festival Centre was opened – Australia's first multifunction performing arts complex.[101]

Over a six-year period, government funding for the arts was increased by a factor of seven and in 1978, the South Australian Film Corporation commenced work. During Dunstan's time in charge, acclaimed films such as Breaker Morant, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Storm Boy were made in the state.[102] Dunstan's support of the arts and fine dining was credited by commentators with attracting artists, craftspeople and writers into the state,[103] helping to change its atmosphere.

The Legislative Council, the upper house of Parliament, was, due to its limited electoral roll, overwhelmingly non-Labor.[104] Unlike the Lower House, its members were elected only by voters who met certain property and wealth requirements.[105] Combined with the remains of the "Playmander" malapportionment,[106] it was difficult for the Labor Party to achieve the representation it wished. The Legislative Council either watered down or outright rejected a considerable amount of Labor legislation;[73] bills to legalise homosexuality, abolish corporal and capital punishment and allow gambling and casinos were rejected.[73][107] A referendum had indicated support for Friday night shopping, but Labor legislation was blocked in the upper house by the LCL.[94]

 
Dunstan meeting with Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in Canberra in 1973

Dunstan called an election for March 1973, hoping to gain a mandate to seek changes to the council.[108] The LCL were badly disunited; the more liberal wing of the party under Hall joined Dunstan in wanting to introduce universal suffrage for the upper house, while the more conservative members of the LCL did not. The conservatives then decided to limit Hall's powers, resulting in his resignation and creation of the breakaway Liberal Movement (LM), which overtly branded itself as a semi-autonomous component within the LCL.[109] Labor capitalised on the opposition divisions to secure an easy victory. They campaigned under the slogan "South Australia's Doing Well with Labor", while the LCL was hampered by infighting; many LCL candidates were claiming different leaders in their electoral material depending on their factional allegiance.[110] The Labor Party won with 51.5% of the primary vote and secured a second consecutive majority government with 26 seats. It was only the second time a Labor government in South Australia had been re-elected for a second term, the first being the early Thomas Price Labor government. It would be the first five-year-incumbent Labor government however.[111] They also gained two more seats in the Legislative Council to have six of the twenty members.[112] Labor entered the new term with momentum when a fortnight after the election, the LCL purged LM members from its ranks, forcing them to either quit the LM or leave the LCL and join the LM as a distinct party.[112]

Dunstan saw reform of the Legislative Council as an important goal, and later a prime achievement, of his Government. Labor, as a matter of party policy, wanted to see the Legislative Council abolished.[113] Dunstan, seeing this as unfeasible in his term, set about to reform it instead. Two bills were prepared for Legislative Council reform; one to lower the voting age to 18 and introduce universal suffrage, and another to make councillors elected from a single statewide electorate under a system of proportional representation. The LCL initially blocked both bills, stating that it would accept them only if modifications were made to the second one. Changes were conceded; unlike the House of Assembly, voting would not be compulsory and the preference system was to be slightly altered. Once the amendments were made, the legislation was passed.[114]

During his second term, Dunstan started efforts to build a petrochemical complex at Redcliff, near Port Augusta. Negotiations were held with several multinational companies, but nothing eventuated.[112] Legislation was passed to create a Land Commission and introduce urban land price controls.[115] However, a bill to create "a right to privacy" was defeated in the upper house after protests from journalists, as was legislation to mandate refunds to consumers for returning beverage containers and therefore promote recycling.[115] In 1975, Dunstan declared Australia's first legal nude bathing reserve.[116]

 
Dunstan (far left) distances his government from the Commonwealth.
Dunstan to dump Whitlam, a cartoon by Stewart McCrae.

Prior to the 1975 federal and state elections, Australia, and South Australia in particular, had been hit by a series of economic problems. The 1973 oil crisis had massively increased the cost of living, domestic industry began to erode due to a lack of cost-competitiveness, and government funds were waning. In response, the Dunstan Government sold loss-making railways to the Commonwealth and brought in new taxes to allow wage rises. The changes had unexpected consequences: inflation, already high, increased markedly, and workers were still displeased with wages. The LCL, now known as the Liberal Party, had rebuilt after internal schism and had modernised to make themselves more appealing to the public.[115] Having called an early election, Dunstan appealed to the electorate and pushed blame onto the Whitlam Government for South Australia's problems. In a television address just days before the election, he said: "My Government is being smeared and it hurts. They want you to think we are to blame for Canberra's mistakes. The vote on Saturday is not for Canberra, not for Australia, but for South Australia."[117]

Labor remained the largest party in Parliament, but lost the two-party preferred vote at 49.2% and saw its numbers decrease from 26 to 23. The LCL held 20 seats, the Liberal Movement two, the Country Party one, and the last remaining with an independent, the nominally Labor Mayor of Port Pirie, Ted Connelly. Dunstan appealed to Connelly and offered him the role of Speaker.[14][60][118][119] However, the reforms to the Legislative Council's election bore fruit. Of the 11 seats up for election, Labor won six with 47.3% of the vote, and the LM two, allowing Labor a total of 10 seats. This meant they could now, with the help of the LM, push through reforms opposed by the Liberals.[120]

Dunstan continued to try to push through further legislation; he sought to expand on the Hall Government's electoral-boundaries reform,[121] to bring it closer to one vote one value. The legislation sought to establish 47 electoral districts containing roughly equal numbers of voters (with a 10% tolerance). Redistributions were to be presided over by an independent boundaries commission. The bill passed with the support of the breakaway LM in the upper house – former Premier Steele Hall and his former Attorney-General Robin Millhouse.[122][123]

One famous demonstration of Dunstan's charismatic style and media savvy came in January 1976. A psychic predicted that, due to Dunstan and the state's social liberalisation – which he saw as sinful[124] – God would destroy Adelaide with a tsunami caused by an earthquake.[124] This was publicised by the media, prompting a not insignificant number of residents to sell their property and leave; some businesses had clearance sales while many who decided to stay indulged in doomsday parties.[124] Dunstan promised to stand on the seashore at Glenelg and wait for the imminent destruction. He did so on 20 January, the day of the predicted storm, and nothing happened, although he made newspaper headlines in the United Kingdom for his defiance.[124][125]

In 1976, the Dunstan Government stepped up its legislative efforts. Some bills, such as the one to remove the sodomy law and decriminalise male homosexuality, had been initially blocked by the Legislative Council.[115] However, the bill to abolish capital punishment passed with ease, and the homosexuality law reforms eventually passed in September.[126] Rape law was properly codified and defined as a crime within marriage for the first time in Australia.[127] Shopping hours, previously the most restrictive in the nation, became the most open.[123][128] Following a royal commission, Friday night shopping was introduced for the city and Thursday night shopping for the suburbs.[123] The deposits on beverage containers was finally passed.[123] The first signs of Monarto's eventual failure began to appear: birth rates started dropping significantly, immigration slowed and the economy was stagnant. South Australia's robust population growth, previously the highest per capita among the states, came to an abrupt halt. However, state money continued to be poured into the Monarto project,[14] despite the fact that the Whitlam government cut funding to $600,000 in 1975, while his Liberal successor Malcolm Fraser gave nothing at all the following year. However, by the time Monarto was eventually scrapped after Dunstan's departure, no less than $20 million had been used to buy land, plant trees and formulate development plans,[89] and the failed project is often seen as Dunstan's greatest failure.[129] In addition, the federal government removed subsidies for shipbuilding at Whyalla, forcing the operations to be scaled down.[130]

After Oliphant's term had expired, Dunstan appointed the first Indigenous Australian Governor,[2] Sir Douglas Nicholls, a former football player and clergyman. Following Nicholls' resignation due to ill health in 1977, a second consecutive clergyman took the post, Methodist Keith Seaman.[123] However, this appointment was not successful; Seaman became involved in an unspecified scandal and made a statement admitting to a "grave impropriety", without elaborating further. He did not resign and kept a low profile from then on.[82] Dunstan also appointed Dame Roma Mitchell to become the nation's first female Supreme Court judge.[131]

Dunstan broke new ground in Australian politics with his policies on native title for Aboriginal people. The North West Aboriginal Reserve (NWAR) covered more than 7% of the state's land, and was inhabited by the Pitjantjatjara people. In 1977, when the NWAR was about to be transferred to the Aboriginal Lands Trust, a tribal delegation asked for the lands to be given to the traditional owners. Dunstan agreed to an investigation, and subsequently introduced the Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Bill.[132] This bill proposed for a tribal body, the Anangu Pitjantjatjaraku, to take control of the NWAR and further lands after the claims were cleared by an independent tribunal. It also proposed to allow the body to decide mining proposals on the land and receive royalties.[132] This aroused discontent among mining interests, but a bipartisan parliamentary committee endorsed the bill and it was tabled. However, Labor lost power before the bill was passed and although the new Liberal government said they would remove the mining restrictions, mass public rallies forced them to relent, and a bill similar to Dunstan's was passed.[133] The legislation, the bedrock of which was laid by Dunstan, was the most reformist in Australia, and in the 1980s, more than 20% of the land was returned to its traditional owners.[96][134]

Dunstan called another snap election in September at the 1977 election; he hoped to recover from the previous election, the outcome of which had been affected by the dismissal of the Federal Labor Government. As the remnants of the Playmander had been abolished, conditions were more favourable for Labor and they wanted to end their reliance on the casting vote of the speaker. The campaign proceeded smoothly and exploited the unpopularity of the federal Liberal government, using the jingle "Thank the Lord for South Australia".[130] Labor won an absolute majority with 51.6% of the primary vote and 27 seats.[60][130]

Salisbury affair and departure from office

Since 1949, there had been a "Special Branch" within the South Australian Police, for the purposes of surveillance and espionage. Conceived in 1939 an "intelligence branch", to maintain surveillance of the large German Australian community during World War II,[135] it had amassed information on tens of thousands of individuals and organisations.[130] While such an operation troubled Dunstan and his government because of civil liberties concerns, the branch's apparent party-political bias was even more worrying. In particular, it held information files on Labor parliamentarians, communists, church leaders and trade unionists, and so-called "pink files" on gay community activists which dated from the time before homosexuality was decriminalised.[136] Although only two Labor MPs, from both federal and state parliaments, did not have files, the branch held significantly fewer files relating to Liberal Party figures.[137] Dunstan had known of the existence of the branch since 1970,[138] but said that he had been assured by the police commissioner that its files were not systematically focused on left-wing political figures.[137][139]

However, Peter Ward, a journalist and former Dunstan staffer, published a story about the files.[130] An inquiry was conducted into the Special Branch by Justice White of the Supreme Court of South Australia, and the report was placed in Dunstan's hands on 21 December 1977.[140] It said the dossiers did exist and that they were "scandalously inaccurate, irrelevant to security purposes and outrageously unfair to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of loyal and worthy citizens".[137] The report also noted that the files overwhelmingly focused on left-wing politicians and activists, and that Dunstan had been misled by the Police Commissioner, Harold Salisbury.[137] After reviewing the findings, Dunstan sacked Salisbury in January and threatened to make the report public.[137]

However, controversy erupted regarding the inquiry and Dunstan's subsequent actions because Salisbury had a reputation as a man of integrity. Ward claimed that Dunstan had known about the true contents of the files for several years. A Royal Commission under Justice Mitchell,[137] set up at the instigation of the Liberals, investigated the matter. It cleared the Dunstan Government of any error, and did not find that it had known about the Special Branch's activities earlier.[141] Dunstan had sacked Salisbury for misleading Parliament about the existence of the "pink files"[142] and many of the Special Branch files were burnt. Salisbury retired to the United Kingdom with a $160,000 payout. Stewart Cockburn wrote a book, The Salisbury Affair, about the debacle.[143][144]

There were initially no other major controversies for Dunstan, although the economy remained poor and the Redcliff complex was still in limbo, because an agreement with Dow was still to be finalised. The financial difficulties forced a freeze on public sector expansion and hospital developments, and there were claims of theft and mismanagement in the health system. However, the Liberal opposition was in a disorganised state and unpopular, so they were not able to pressure Dunstan effectively.[145]

Towards the end of the year, political and media scrutiny of Dunstan began to grow, and he became uneasy in his dealings with the press. Soon after the Salisbury dismissal, he walked out of a stormy media conference after refusing to be drawn on the rumoured sacking of Seaman from the gubernatorial role.[146] Increasing innuendo about Dunstan's private life, and allegations of corruption and economic mismanagement were worsened by Dunstan's self-righteous tendencies. The premier angrily denied claims that he was using government funds to build an opulent residence in Malaysia, as well as claims about his sexual lifestyle.[147] He pre-emptively called a press conference on one occasion to denounce what he called "idiot rumours" and he further claimed that "reactionary forces" and "right-wing journalists" were engaged in a witchhunt against his "decent and responsible government".[147]

 
Dunstan in 1979 announcing his sudden resignation in his pyjamas after collapsing and sleeping for forty hours. It was broadcast live on television, which was unheard of at the time in South Australia.[148]

Dunstan also faced difficulties on policy issues. Factional cracks began to appear in the Labor Party, and the discovery of uranium deposits near the northern outback town of Roxby Downs put the premier in a bind. Mining the uranium promised to provide a valuable economic boost in difficult times, but a government ban on its mining, on safety grounds, was still in force.[145] Dunstan was opposed to uranium mining but was seen as lacking conviction by environmentalists, and he was also being criticised by industrialists. By May, his approval rating had fallen to 57%, down from 80% just two years earlier, and unemployment was increasing.[147] It was also widely anticipated that a book titled It's Grossly Improper would soon be released, containing embarrassing allegations about Dunstan's private life.[147]

Together with Mike Rann, his press secretary and speechwriter (and later Premier), who had worked with him in 1978 on a series of speeches on Aboriginal Land Rights, industrial democracy and women's rights, Dunstan made a uranium fact-finding trip to Europe to study safe methods of generating nuclear power and of nuclear waste disposal.[149] By the summer that followed Dunstan became extremely ill.[150] When Parliament resumed, he collapsed on the floor of the House and was forced to use a walking stick; his doctor advised him that he required six months of rest to recover. The Liberal Opposition seized on the state of affairs and charged that the Labor Party was "as ailing as the man who led it". In a stage-managed press conference on 15 February 1979, Dunstan announced his retirement as premier from his room in Calvary Hospital, clearly shaking and wearing a dressing gown.[151][152][153] The book, It's Grossly Improper, by two Adelaide journalists, Des Ryan and Mike McEwen, was published later that year.[154]

Political scientist Andrew Parkin said one of Dunstan's main achievements was to debunk the notion that state governments and parliaments lacked the ability to make significant changes with profound impacts. As evidence, he cited Dunstan's sweeping social reforms and the fact that many other state governments followed South Australia's lead.[155]

Life after politics

After Dunstan's resignation from Parliament, deputy Des Corcoran took his place as party leader and Premier. At the subsequent Norwood by-election, Dunstan's seat was retained by Labor. Corcoran soon called the 1979 election, which left the party with only 19 seats against the Liberals on 25 seats on an 8.4 percent two-party swing against Labor.[60] The Tonkin Liberal Government came to power and officially abandoned the Monarto project. Dunstan took a trip to Europe after being released from hospital, staying in Perugia for five months and pursuing Italian studies. He subsequently returned home and lived quietly in Adelaide for three years without finding work that appealed to him, such as that related to the shaping of public policy.[156]

During this time, he became increasingly disillusioned with South Australian political affairs.[157] A book by two Adelaide journalists, It's Grossly Improper, was released in November and sold out within a week. It alleged inappropriate use of government funds and a homosexual affair with a restaurateur, John Ceruto, in return for political favours.[158] There was initial fanfare and speculation as to the authenticity of its claims; Dunstan dismissed the book as a "farrago of lies" in his 1981 memoirs, entitled Felicia.[159]

From May 1980[160] to early 1981 he acted as editor for the magazine POL. In 1982, he moved to the neighbouring state of Victoria, and was appointed the Director of Tourism. This sparked an outcry in South Australia due to the two states' traditional rivalry. For his part, Dunstan said he had yearned to be given a role in shaping and building the future of his native state, but that he had been snubbed for three years. He said that public figures in South Australia had told him his high profile and ability to overshadow others could have caused a loss of face to them, and thus his departure would be seen favourably by them, while Victoria's offer gave him an opportunity to be constructive.[161] Dunstan was appointed to the Victorian Economic Development Corporation on 12 July 1983, resigning on 23 June 1986.[162] Dunstan stayed in the Director of Tourism role until 1986, when he returned to Adelaide after falling out with the government of John Cain.[4] His retirement from these positions followed the provocative publication of a photograph of him with Monsignor Porcamadonna, member of the gay community Order of Perpetual Indulgence, taken after he had launched a collection of coming out stories by gay historian Gary Wotherspoon.[142]

He was the national president of the Freedom from Hunger Campaign (1982–87), president of the Movement for Democracy in Fiji (from 1987),[2] and national chairman of Community Aid Abroad (1992–93). Dunstan was an adjunct professor at the University of Adelaide from 1997 to 1999 and portrayed himself in the 1989 Australian independent film Against the Innocent.

In his retirement, Dunstan continued to be a passionate critic of economic rationalism[163][164] (neoliberalism) and privatisation, particularly of South Australia's water, gas and electricity supplies. During the 1990s he wrote essays for the Adelaide Review magazine strongly criticising the Federal Labor Governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, the Federal Liberal Government of John Howard and the State Liberal Governments of Dean Brown and John Olsen. He remained an advocate for multiculturalism and cultural diversity, often writing about the dangers of racism.[165] A year before his death, the ailing Dunstan decried Labor's economic rationalism in front of 5,000 at the Gough Whitlam Lecture.[2] Regardless of the acclaim in which he was held during his decade in power, Dunstan was largely overlooked for honours after leaving office and largely ignored by the state's elite. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in June 1979,[166] but no national parks or gardens were named after him.[167] The Dunstan Playhouse was later named to honour his contribution to the performing arts.[168]

Personal life

 
Dunstan is strongly associated with the suburb of Norwood. A memorial in his honour is embedded in the footpath outside the Norwood Town Hall (pictured).

Whilst living in Norwood and studying at university, Dunstan met his first wife, Gretel Elsasser, whose Jewish family had fled Nazi Germany to Australia. They married in 1949, and moved to Fiji.[4] They returned to Adelaide in 1951 and settled in George Street, Norwood, with their young daughter, Bronwen. The family was forced to live in squalor for a number of years while Dunstan established his legal practice; during this time, they took in boarders as a source of extra income.[4][12] Gretel later gave birth to two sons, Andrew and Paul.[2]

In 1972, Dunstan separated from his wife and moved into a small flat in Kent Town, adjacent to Norwood. The family home was sold as two of the children were already studying in university. In 1974, the couple were finally divorced. Dunstan notes this period as being initially a "very bleak and lonely" time for him.[4][169] In absence of his family, he made new friends and acquaintances. Friends living nearby would come to his apartment for conversation and good food – cooking was Dunstan's hobby. Dunstan bought another house in 1974, partially financed from a then-unpublished cookbook. In 1976, Don Dunstan's Cookbook was published – the first cookbook released by a serving Australian leader.[170] More generally, Dunstan promoted a revolution in fine dining in the state.[99] Encouraged by Dunstan's enthusiasm for multiculturalism, many new restaurants were opened by proprietors and the diversity of cuisine increased. He also promoted the viticulture industry through his patronage of wine festivals.[91]

In 1973, Adele Koh, a Malaysian journalist formerly living in Singapore, was appointed to work for Dunstan. She had been expelled by the Singaporean Government of Lee Kuan Yew for criticising its policies. The newspaper she had been working for, the Singapore Herald, was shut down by the government and she then moved to Australia.[2][4] The two began a relationship in 1974, and married in 1976 in a small ceremony at Dunstan's residence.[171] Dunstan was much older than Adele, who was in her 30s.[2][4] She was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in May 1978, and died in October after Dunstan had cared for her at her bedside for months. Her death seriously affected him and his own health began to suffer.[172]

Although Dunstan never publicly commented on his sexuality, it has been said that he "lived as a sexually liberated bisexual man".[173] In 1986, he met his future partner, Stephen Cheng, a post-graduate science student then in his twenties.[174] Together, they opened a restaurant called "Don's Table" in 1994.[4] He lived with Cheng in their Norwood home for the rest of his life. Cheng nursed Dunstan through lung cancer until his death, and Dunstan bequeathed their home to Cheng for life.[174]

Death

In 1993, Dunstan was diagnosed with an aggressive throat cancer and then an inoperable lung cancer, which led to his death on 6 February 1999. Dunstan was not a smoker but was long exposed to passive smoking.[175] A public memorial service was held on 9 February at the Adelaide Festival Centre as a tribute to Dunstan's love of the arts. In attendance were former Labor Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke, Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, Premier John Olsen, and State Opposition Leader Mike Rann. Thousands more gathered outside the centre in Elder Park along the banks of the River Torrens.[176] State flags were flown at half-mast and the memorial service was televised live.

Legacy

A theatre in the Festival Centre was renamed the Dunstan Playhouse.[177]

The Electoral Commission of South Australia's 2012 redistribution included renaming the seat of Norwood to Dunstan which came into existence as of the 2014 election.[178][179] In 2014 a biography Don Dunstan Intimacy & Liberty by Dino Hodge, written with the co-operation of Dunstan's family and former lovers, was published.[173]

In 1988, Dunstan donated a collection of files pertaining to his political, professional and personal life; photographs; press clippings; speeches and press releases; audiovisual material; books from his library; some items of clothing; and other memorabilia to Flinders University Library, where it can be viewed and accessed for research purposes (see External links).

Don Dunstan Foundation

The Don Dunstan Foundation was established by Dunstan at the University of Adelaide in 1999, shortly before his death, to push for progressive change and to honour Dunstan's memory.[9][180] Dunstan had spent his last months helping to lay the platform for its establishment.[9] At the inauguration of the body Dunstan had said, "What we need is a concentration on the kind of agenda which I followed and I hope that my death will be useful in this."[9]

The Foundation aims to represent and advocate for the values of its founder, such as cultural diversity, fair distribution of wealth, human rights advocacy, and Indigenous rights in Australia.[180] Among other initiatives, it runs a series of annual events, such as a conference on homelessness, the IPAA Don Dunstan Oration, and the Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration, Hugo Lecture, AdMental, Southgate Oration and Human Rights Oration.[181]

On 3 June 2020, Jane Lomax-Smith was announced as new chair of the organisation, taking over from Lynn Arnold,[182] who had held the position for 10 years and remains on the Board as Director and Patron as of June 2022.[183]

Don Dunstan Award

Further information: Don Dunstan Award

Since its commencement in 2003, the Adelaide Film Festival has presented The Don Dunstan Award in recognition of outstanding contribution by an individual to the Australian film industry. Deemed by the Adelaide Film Festival's Board to have "enriched Australian screen culture through their work", its recipients include David Gulpilil, Rolf de Heer, and Scott Hicks. After receiving the award in 2013, Hicks acknowledged Dunstan's vision for the creation of a film industry in South Australia as being instrumental to his professional development.[184]

References

  • Blewett, Neal; Jaensch, Dean (1971). Playford to Dunstan: The Politics of Transition. Griffin Press Limited. ISBN 0-7015-1299-7.
  • Cockburn, Stewart (1991). Playford: Benevolent Despot. Axiom Publishing. ISBN 0-9594164-4-7.
  • Crocker, Walter (1983). Sir Thomas Playford: A Portrait. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84250-X.
  • Cunningham, Andrew (1981). "Industrial Relations". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 163–178. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Dunstan, Don (1981). Felicia: The Political Memoirs of Don Dunstan. Griffin Press Limited. ISBN 0-333-33815-4.
  • Hodge, Dino (2014) Don Dunstan : Intimacy & Liberty – a Political Biography. Wakefield Press ISBN 978-1743052969
  • Horne, Colin (1981). "The Arts". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 205–220. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Hyams, Bernard (1981). "Education". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 70–90. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Jaensch, Dean (1981). "Electoral Reform". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 220–237. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Jaensch, Dean (1986). "A Chronology of Political Events and Statistics". In Jaensch, Dean (ed.). The Flinders history of South Australia. Political history. Netley, South Australia: Wakefield Press. pp. 486–498. ISBN 0-949268-51-8.
  • Jaensch, Dean (1997). "The Liberal Movement and the New LM". In Warhurst, John (ed.). Keeping the Bastards Honest: The Australian Democrats' First Twenty Years. St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. pp. 37–48. ISBN 1-86448-420-9.
  • Inglis, K. S. (1961). The Stuart case. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
  • Mills, Helen (1981). "Equal Opportunity". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 115–126. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Parkin, Andrew (1981). "The Dunstan Governments: a Political Synopsis". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 1–21. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Parkin, Andrew; Pugh, Cedric (1981). "Urban Policy and Metropolitan Adelaide". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 91–114. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Parkin, Andrew (1986). "Transition, Innovation, Consolidation, Readjustment: The Political History of South Australia Since 1965". In Jaensch, Dean (ed.). The Flinders history of South Australia. Political history. Netley, South Australia: Wakefield Press. pp. 292–338. ISBN 0-949268-51-8.
  • Ryan, Des (1979). It's Grossly Improper. WENAN. ISBN 0-9595162-0-4.
  • Spoehr, John (2000). Don Dunstan: Politics and Passion. Bookends Books. ISBN 1-876725-18-4.
  • Stokes, Geoff; Cox, Richard (1981). "The ALP and the Politics of Consensus". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 256–280. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Summers, John (1986). "Aborigines and Government in the Twentieth Century". In Richard, Eric (ed.). The Flinders history of South Australia. Social history. Netley, South Australia: Wakefield Press. pp. 488–512. ISBN 0-949268-51-8.
  • Warhurst, Andrew (1981). "The Public Service". In Parkin, Andrew; Patience, Allan (eds.). The Dunstan decade : social democracy at the state level. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. pp. 179–204. ISBN 0-582-71466-4.
  • Yeeles, Richard (1978). Don Dunstan: The first 25 years in Parliament. Hill of Content Publishing. ISBN 0-85572-099-9.
  • Whitelock, Derek (2000). Adelaide : a sense of difference. Kew, Victoria: Arcadia. ISBN 1-875606-57-2.
  • Woollacott, Angela (2019). Don Dunstan : the visionary politician who changed Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1760631819. OCLC 1101565874.

References

  1. ^ "Donald Allan Dunstan AC QC". Government of South Australia. 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Milliken, Robert (17 February 1999). "Obituary: Don Dunstan". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  3. ^ Whitelock, p. 137.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r . Flinders University. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d Yeeles, p. 15.
  6. ^ a b c d Cockburn, p. 312.
  7. ^ Bridge, Carl (2006). Cain, Sir Jonathan Robert (1867–1938). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University.
  8. ^ Yeeles, p. 16.
  9. ^ a b c d . ABC News Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 February 1999. Archived from the original on 10 May 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  10. ^ Yeeles, p. 63.
  11. ^ a b c Yeeles, p. 17.
  12. ^ a b Dunstan, pp. 25–32.
  13. ^ a b Dunstan, pp. 35–36.
  14. ^ a b c Crocker, p. 115.
  15. ^ "Norwood Electorate Profile". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 April 2006. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  16. ^ See references at Results of the South Australian state election, 1968 (House of Assembly).
  17. ^ Dunstan, p. 47.
  18. ^ a b c d Cockburn, p. 314.
  19. ^ Cockburn, pp. 311–312.
  20. ^ a b Cockburn, p. 292.
  21. ^ Inglis, pp. 29–30.
  22. ^ Cockburn, pp. 293–294.
  23. ^ Crocker, pp. 81–82.
  24. ^ Cockburn, p. 297.
  25. ^ Cockburn, pp. 294–296.
  26. ^ Cockburn, p. 299.
  27. ^ Cockburn, pp. 299–300.
  28. ^ Cockburn, p. 303.
  29. ^ Cockburn, pp. 302–303.
  30. ^ Cockburn, p. 305.
  31. ^ Cockburn, pp. 301, 304–307.
  32. ^ Cockburn, p. 308.
  33. ^ Cockburn, pp. 308–311.
  34. ^ Yeeles, pp. 18–23.
  35. ^ Dunstan, p. 74.
  36. ^ Crocker, p. 121.
  37. ^ Neumann, Klaus (8 September 2004). . Australian Fabian Society. Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
  38. ^ . Migration Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
  39. ^ Don Dunstan – 'The end of White Australia', Multicultural Australia 21 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ a b Summers, p. 495.
  41. ^ Summers, p. 496.
  42. ^ Summers, p. 497.
  43. ^ a b c d e f Parkin, p. 3.
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External links

  • "Dunstan, Don". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  • Don Dunstan Foundation
  • Dunstan Collection, Flinders University Library
  • Don Dunstan ABC News Obituary
Parliament of South Australia
Preceded by Member for Norwood
1953–1979 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Attorney-General of South Australia
1965–1968 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Treasurer of South Australia
1967–1968 		Succeeded by
Premier of South Australia
1967–1968 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Opposition of South Australia
1968–1970
Preceded by Premier of South Australia
1970–1979 		Succeeded by
Treasurer of South Australia
1970–1979
Preceded by Father of the Parliament of South Australia
1975–1979 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Attorney-General of South Australia
1975 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch)
1967–1979 		Succeeded by

January 26, 2023
dunstan, this, article, about, premier, south, australia, governor, south, australia, donald, dunstan, governor, donald, allan, dunstan, september, 1926, february, 1999, australian, politician, served, 35th, premier, south, australia, from, 1967, 1968, again, . This article is about the premier of South Australia For the governor of South Australia see Donald Dunstan governor Donald Allan Dunstan AC QC 21 September 1926 6 February 1999 was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968 and again from 1970 to 1979 He was a member of the House of Assembly MHA for the division of Norwood from 1953 to 1979 and leader of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party from 1967 to 1979 Before becoming premier Dunstan served as the 38th attorney general of South Australia and the treasurer of South Australia He is the fourth longest serving premier in South Australian history The HonourableDon DunstanAC QCDunstan in 196835th Premier of South Australia Elections 1968 1970 1973 1975 1977In office 2 June 1970 15 February 1979MonarchElizabeth IIGovernorSir James HarrisonSir Mark OliphantSir Douglas NichollsSir Keith SeamanDeputyDes CorcoranPreceded bySteele HallSucceeded byDes CorcoranIn office 1 June 1967 17 April 1968MonarchElizabeth IIGovernorSir Edric BastyanDeputyDes CorcoranPreceded byFrank WalshSucceeded bySteele HallLeader of the Opposition in South AustraliaIn office 17 April 1968 2 June 1970DeputyDes CorcoranPreceded bySteele HallSucceeded bySteele HallLeader of the South Australian Labor PartyIn office 1 June 1967 15 February 1979Preceded byFrank WalshSucceeded byDes CorcoranTreasurer of South AustraliaIn office 2 June 1970 15 February 1975PremierDon DunstanPreceded bySteele HallSucceeded byDes CorcoranIn office 1 June 1967 16 April 1968PremierDon DunstanPreceded byFrank WalshSucceeded bySteele Hall38th Attorney General of South AustraliaIn office 20 June 1975 9 October 1975PremierDon DunstanPreceded byLen KingSucceeded byPeter DuncanIn office 10 March 1965 16 April 1968PremierFrank WalshPreceded byColin RoweSucceeded byRobin MillhouseMember of the South Australian Parliament for NorwoodIn office 7 March 1953 10 March 1979Preceded byRoy MoirSucceeded byGreg CrafterPersonal detailsBorn 1926 09 21 21 September 1926Suva Colony of FijiDied6 February 1999 1999 02 06 aged 72 Norwood South AustraliaNationalityAustralianPolitical partyLaborSpousesGretel Elsasser m 1949 div 1974 wbr Adele Koh m 1976 died 1978 wbr Domestic partner s Stephen Cheng 1986 1999 Children3In the late 1950s Dunstan became well known for his campaign against the death penalty being imposed on Max Stuart who was convicted of rape and murder of a small girl opposing then Premier Thomas Playford IV over the matter During Labor s time in opposition Dunstan was prominent in securing some reforms in Aboriginal rights and in Labor abandoning the White Australia policy Dunstan became Attorney General after the 1965 election and replaced the older Frank Walsh as premier in 1967 Despite maintaining a much larger vote over the Liberal and Country League LCL Labor lost two seats at the 1968 election with the LCL forming government with support of an independent Dunstan responded by increasing his attacks on the Playmander convincing the LCL into watering down the malapportionment With little change in Labor s vote but with the Playmander removed Labor won 27 of 47 seats at the 1970 election and again in 1973 1975 and 1977 Dunstan s socially progressive administration saw Aboriginal land rights recognised homosexuality decriminalised the first female judge Dame Roma Mitchell appointed the first non British governor Sir Mark Oliphant and later the first Indigenous governor Sir Douglas Nicholls He enacted consumer protection laws reformed and expanded the public education and health systems abolished the death penalty relaxed censorship and drinking laws created a ministry for the environment enacted anti discrimination law and implemented electoral reforms such as the overhaul of the Legislative Council the upper house of Parliament lowered the voting age to 18 enacted universal suffrage and completely abolished malapportionment He also established Rundle Mall enacted measures to protect buildings of historical heritage and encouraging arts with support for the Adelaide Festival Centre the State Theatre Company and the establishment of the South Australian Film Corporation At the same time there were also problems the economy began to stagnate and the large increases to burgeoning public service generated claims of waste One of Dunstan s pet projects a plan to build a new city at Monarto to alleviate urban pressures in Adelaide was abandoned when economic and population growth stalled with much money and planning already invested After four consecutive election wins Dunstan s administration began to falter in 1978 following his dismissal of Police Commissioner Harold Salisbury as controversy broke out over whether he had improperly interfered with a judicial investigation In addition policy problems and unemployment began to mount as well as unsubstantiated rumours of corruption and personal impropriety The strain on Dunstan was increased by the death of his wife His resignation from the premiership and politics in 1979 was abrupt after collapsing due to ill health but he lived for another 20 years remaining a vocal and outspoken campaigner for progressive social policy Contents 1 Early life 2 Political beginnings 3 Max Stuart trial 4 Ascent to power 5 Elections 1968 1970 6 Dunstan decade 6 1 Salisbury affair and departure from office 7 Life after politics 8 Personal life 9 Death 10 Legacy 10 1 Don Dunstan Foundation 10 2 Don Dunstan Award 11 References 12 References 13 External linksEarly life EditDunstan was born on 21 September 1926 in Suva Colony of Fiji the son of Francis Vivian Dunstan and Ida May Dunstan nee Hill 1 Australians of Cornish descent 2 3 His parents had moved to Fiji in 1916 after his father took up a position as manager of the Adelaide Steamship Company 4 He spent the first seven years of his life in Fiji starting his schooling there Dunstan was beset by illness and his parents sent him to South Australia hoping the drier climate would assist his recovery He lived in Murray Bridge for three years with his mother s parents before returning to Suva for a short period during his secondary education 5 During his time in Fiji Dunstan mixed easily with the Indian settlers and indigenous people something that was frowned upon by many of the white people on the islands 4 He won a scholarship in classical studies and attended St Peter s College a traditional private school for the sons of the Adelaide establishment He developed public speaking and acting skills winning the college s public speaking prize for two consecutive years 5 In 1943 he portrayed the title role in a production of John Drinkwater s play Abraham Lincoln and according to the school magazine he was the chief contributor to the success of the occasion 6 His academic strengths were in classical history and languages and he disliked mathematics 5 He gained a reputation as a maverick During this time Dunstan did not board and lived in the seaside suburb of Glenelg with relatives 4 Dunstan completed his secondary schooling in 1943 ranking in the top 30 overall in the statewide matriculation examinations 6 In his youth influenced by his uncle former Liberal Lord Mayor of Adelaide Sir Jonathan Cain 7 Dunstan was a supporter of the conservative Liberal and Country League LCL and handed out how to vote cards for the party at state elections Dunstan later said of his involvement with the Liberals I do not call it snobbery to deride the Establishment in South Australia I admit that I was brought up into it and I admit that it gave me a pain 8 When asked of his roots he said I m a refugee from it and thank God for somewhere honest to flee to 9 His political awakening happened during his university years Studying law and arts at the University of Adelaide 5 he became very active joining the University Socialist Club the Fabian Society the Student Representative Council as well as the Theatre Group A two week stint in the Communist Party was followed by membership in the Australian Labor Party 10 Dunstan was markedly different from the general membership of the Labor Party of the time upon applying for membership at Trades Hall a Labor veteran supposedly muttered how could that long haired prick be a Labor man 11 His peculiarities such as his upper class accent 11 were a target of derision by the working class Labor old guard throughout his early political involvement 2 11 Dunstan funded his education by working in theatre and radio during his university years 4 He eventually graduated with a double degree with arts majors in Latin comparative philology history and politics and he came first in political science 6 After Dunstan graduated he moved with his wife to Fiji where he was admitted to the bar and began his career as a lawyer 4 They returned to Adelaide in 1951 and settled in George Street Norwood taking in boarders as a source of extra income 4 12 Political beginnings EditDunstan was nominated as the Labor candidate for the electoral district of Norwood at the 1953 election His campaign was noted for his colourful methods to sway voters posters of his face were placed on every pole in the district and Labor supporters walked the streets advocating Dunstan He targeted in particular the large Italian migrant population of the district distributing translated copies of a statement the sitting LCL member Roy Moir had made about immigrants Moir had commented that these immigrants are of no use to us a few of them are tradesmen but most of them have no skills at all And when they intermarry we ll have all the colours of the rainbow 13 Dunstan won the seat and was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly His son Andrew was born nine months after the win 13 14 15 Dunstan at a young age Dunstan was to become the most vocal opponent of the LCL Government of Sir Thomas Playford strongly criticising its practice of electoral malapportionment known as the Playmander a pun on the term gerrymander This system gave a disproportionate electoral weight to the LCL s rural base 2 with votes worth as much as ten times others at the 1968 election the rural seat of Frome had 4 500 formal votes while the metropolitan seat of Enfield had 42 000 formal votes 16 He added colour and flair to debate in South Australian politics changing the existing gentlemanly method of conducting parliamentary proceedings 17 18 He did not fear direct confrontation with the incumbent government and attacked it with vigour Up to this point most of his Labor colleagues had become dispirited by the Playmander and were resigned to the ongoing dominance of Playford and LCL so they sought to influence policy through collaborative legislating 18 In 1954 the LCL introduced the Government Electoral Bill which was designed to further accentuate the undue weight favouring rural voters During the debate Dunstan decried this immoral Bill I cannot separate it from the motives of those who put it forward Since it is immoral so are they 18 Such language unusually aggressive by the prevailing standards resulted in Dunstan s removal from the parliamentary chambers after he refused a request from the Speaker to retract his remark The first parliamentarian to be expelled in years Dunstan found himself on the front pages of newspapers for the first time 18 Nevertheless he was not able to build up much of a profile in his first few years as The Advertiser the dominant newspaper in the city had a policy of ignoring the young politician s activities its editor Lloyd Dumas was the father of one of Dunstan s first girlfriends 19 Max Stuart trial EditMain article Max Stuart See also Thomas Playford IV In December 1958 there occurred an event that initially had nothing to do with Playford but eventually intensified into a debacle regarded as a turning point in his premiership and marked the end of his rule Dunstan was prominent in pressuring Playford during this time 20 A young girl was found raped and murdered and Max Stuart an Aboriginal man was convicted and sentenced to be executed 20 21 Stuart s lawyer claimed that the confession was forced and appeals to the Supreme and High Courts were dismissed Amid objections against the fairness of the trial among an increasing number of legal academics and judges 22 23 The News brought much attention to Stuart s plight with an aggressive tabloid style campaign 24 When Playford and the Executive Council decided not to reprieve Stuart an appeal to the Privy Council was made to stall the execution 25 Spearheaded by Dunstan Labor then tried to introduce legislation to stall the hanging 26 Amid hue and cry Playford started a Royal Commission to review the case However two of the commissioners had already been involved in the trial and one of the appeals 27 This provoked worldwide controversy with claims of bias from Dunstan and Labor who also attacked Playford for what they regarded as a too restrictive scope of inquiry 28 The Royal Commission began its work and the proceedings were followed closely and eagerly debated by the public As Playford did not commute Stuart s sentence Dunstan introduced a bill to abolish capital punishment The vote was split along party lines and was thus defeated but Dunstan used the opportunity to attack the Playmander with much effect in the media portraying the failed legislation as an unjust triumph of a malapportioned minority who had a vengeance mentality over an electorally repressed majority who wanted a humane outcome 29 Dunstan in 1963 Amid the continuing uproar Playford decided to grant clemency 30 The Royal Commission concluded that the guilty verdict was sound Although a majority of those who spoke out against the handling of the matter including Dunstan thought Stuart was probably guilty 31 the events provoked heated and bitter debate in South Australian society and destabilised Playford s administration 32 while bringing much publicity to Dunstan 33 From 1959 onwards the LCL government clung to power with the support of two independents as Labor gained momentum Always at the forefront Dunstan lambasted the government for perceived underspending on social welfare education health and the arts 34 Dunstan heavily promoted himself as a reformer 4 In 1960 Dunstan became president of the State Labor Party The year also saw the death of Opposition Leader Mick O Halloran and his replacement by Frank Walsh Dunstan attempted to win the position of Opposition Leader and failing that Deputy Leader However the Labor caucus was sceptical of his age and inexperience and he failed to gain either position albeit narrowly 35 36 Ascent to power EditFederally Dunstan together with fellow Australian Fabian Society member Gough Whitlam set about removing the White Australia policy from the Labor platform The older trade unionist based members of the Labor Party vehemently opposed changing the status quo However the New Guard of the party of which Dunstan was a part were determined to bring about its end Attempts in 1959 and 1961 failed with Labor leader Arthur Calwell stating It would ruin the Party if we altered the immigration policy it was only cranks long hairs academics and do gooders who wanted the change However Dunstan persisted in his efforts and in 1965 it was removed from the Labor platform at their national conference Dunstan personally took credit for the change 2 Whitlam later brought about the comprehensive end of the White Australia policy in 1973 as Prime Minister of Australia 37 38 39 Dunstan pursued similar reforms with respect to Indigenous Australians In 1962 the Aboriginal Affairs Bill was introduced to liberalise constraints that had been placed on Indigenous Australians in the past and had effectively resulted in segregation The initial proposal still retained some restrictions placing more controls over full blooded Aboriginal people Dunstan was prominent in Labor s opposition to the double standards 40 and called for abolition of race based restrictions saying that social objectives could be achieved without explicit colour based schemes 40 He was successful in forcing amendments to liberalise controls on property and the confinement of Indigenous Australians to Aboriginal reserves However his attempt to remove the different standards required of part and full blooded Aboriginal people failed as did his proposal to ensure that at least half of the members of the Aboriginal Affairs Board be Indigenous Australians 41 Despite the passage of the bill restrictions remained in place and Dunstan questioned the policy of assimilation of Aboriginal people which he saw as the diluting of their distinctive cultures 42 Labor won the seats of Glenelg and Barossa at the 1965 election after winning the seats of Chaffey and Unley at the 1962 election Labor thus finally overcame the Playmander and formed government for the first time in 32 years with Frank Walsh as Premier of South Australia Despite winning 55 percent of the primary vote the Playmander was still strong enough that Labor won only 21 of 39 seats a two seat majority Dunstan became Attorney General and Minister of Community Welfare and Aboriginal Affairs He was far and away the youngest member of the cabinet he was the only minister under 50 43 and one of only three under 60 44 Dunstan had a major impact on Government policy as Attorney General 45 Having only narrowly lost out on the leadership in 1960 Dunstan became the obvious successor to the 67 year old Walsh who was due to retire in 1967 under Labor rules of the time 43 46 The South Australian Parliament House situated on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace The Walsh Government implemented significant reform in its term of office 47 Liquor gambling and entertainment laws were overhauled and liberalised 48 social welfare was gradually expanded and Aboriginal reserves were created Strong restrictions on Aboriginal access to liquor were lifted 49 Women s working rights were granted under the mantra of equal pay for work of equal value and racial discrimination legislation was enacted Town planning was codified in law 47 50 and the State Planning Authority was created to oversee development 43 Workers were given more rights and the bureaucracy of the education department was liberalised 43 Much of the reform was not necessarily radical and was primarily to fill the gaps that the previous LCL government had left 51 Despite a consistently higher statewide vote Labor were consistently outnumbered 16 4 in the Legislative Council 44 so some desired legislation did not make it through 49 In 1965 the legislature convened for 65 days the most for 34 years but many bills were still yet to be debated 45 Many bills were watered down 49 but due to lack of public interest outcry was minimal In particular the council blocked electoral reform legislation paving the way for a probable LCL win at the next election 52 Such was Dunstan s pre eminence during his term as Attorney General that the cabinet was often called the Dunstan Ministry 45 51 An economic depression had begun in South Australia after the Labor government gained office in 1965 unemployment went from the lowest in the country to the second highest while immigration levels dropped 53 Labor was not responsible for the depression although it initially did little to alleviate it The Liberals seized on this opportunity blaming it on twelve months of Socialist administration in South Australia 53 and branding it the Dunstan Depression 53 In the 1966 Australian federal election Labor suffered a swing against it of 11 8 in South Australia double the national average If this was replicated at a state election it was projected that Labor would hold only ten of the 39 seats The Liberals dropped Playford as the state leader and the younger and more progressive Steele Hall took his place In a dire situation with the next state election looming 54 Labor changed leaders with Walsh a neanderthal figure in the television age 51 standing down in May 1967 Much of the Labor Right faction as well as Walsh 43 was opposed to Dunstan taking the leadership but no other MPs had the same charisma or eloquence Eventually Dunstan won the leadership over Des Corcoran winning fourteen votes to eleven on the strength of rural and marginal Laborites having trailed by one vote on the first count before less popular candidates were eliminated 43 55 Dunstan s first Premiership was eventful with a steady stream of reform and attempts to end the depression The latter half of 1967 saw the beginnings of a slight recovery with unemployment dipping and industrial capacity steadying The 1967 68 budget ran into deficit allocating funds to energise the economic engine whilst Dunstan lambasted the Federal Government for neglecting the South Australian economy demanding it take a degree of responsibility for its ills 56 Elections 1968 1970 EditIn preparation for the 1968 election Labor campaigned heavily around its leader and this resonated with voters in surveys conducted in parts of the metropolitan area 84 of respondents declared their approval of Dunstan 57 In a presidential style election campaign Hall and Dunstan journeyed across the state advocating their platforms and the major issues were the leaders the Playmander and the economy 58 Television saw its first major use in the election and Dunstan an astute public speaker successfully mastered it 59 With his upbeat style Dunstan also made an impact in the print media which had long been a bastion of the LCL 58 Despite winning a 52 majority of the primary vote and 54 of the two party preferred count 58 Labor lost two seats resulting in a hung parliament the LCL and Labor each had 19 seats Had 21 votes in the rural seat of Murray gone the other way Labor would have retained power The balance of power rested with the chamber s lone independent Tom Stott who was offered the speakership by the LCL in return for his support on the Assembly floor 58 Stott a conservative agreed to support the LCL 4 58 60 61 The South Australian House of Assembly The Assembly s composition was radically altered after changes were made to electoral legislation abolishing the electoral malapportionment of the Playmander 4 There was a degree of speculation in the press that Dunstan would call for a new election because of the adverse outcome However Dunstan realised the futility of such a move and instead sought to humiliate the LCL into bringing an end to malapportionment Although Stott s decision to support the LCL ended any realistic chance of Dunstan remaining premier Dunstan did not immediately resign his commission intending to force Hall and the LCL to demonstrate that they had support on the floor of the Assembly when it reconvened He used the six weeks before the start of the new legislature to draw attention to malapportionment 58 Protests were held on 15 March in Light Square There Dunstan spoke to a crowd of more than ten thousand We need to show that the people of SA feel that at last the watershed has been reached in this and that they will not continue to put up with a system which is as undemocratic as the present one in SA 62 On 16 April the first day of the new House s sitting Dunstan lost a confidence vote With it now clear that the LCL had control of the House Dunstan tendered his resignation to Governor Edric Bastyan 63 64 Hall was then sworn in as premier However the six weeks of protesting had brought nationwide criticism of the unfairness of the electoral system and put more pressure on the LCL to relent to reforms it has been seen as one of the most important political events of its time 63 With the end of Playford s tenure the LCL had brought younger more progressive members into its ranks The Hall Government continued many of the social reforms the Walsh Dunstan governments had initiated most of these at the instigation of Hall or his Attorney General Robin Millhouse Abortion was partially legalised 65 and planning for the Festival Centre began 66 The conservative and rural factions of the League notably in the Legislative Council dominated by the landed gentry were bitterly opposed to some reforms and more than once Hall was forced to rely on Labor support to see bills passed The LCL began to break apart what had once been a united party was now factionalised into four distinct groups across the political spectrum 63 67 The economy of South Australia began to pick up under Hall returning to full employment 68 During the term in opposition Des Corcoran became Dunstan s deputy and the pair worked together well despite any rift that may have been caused by the struggle to succeed Walsh 63 Hall was embarrassed that the LCL was in a position to win government despite having clearly lost the first preference vote and was committed to a fairer electoral system Soon after taking office he enacted a complete overhaul of the electoral system While they fell short of one vote one value as Labor and Dunstan had demanded they were still significant Under the Playmander the lower house had 39 seats 13 in Adelaide and 26 in the country Hall s reforms expanded the lower house to 47 seats 28 in Adelaide and 19 in the country While there was still a slight rural weighting since Adelaide accounted for two thirds of the state s population with Adelaide now electing a majority of the legislature historical results made a Labor win at the next election likely 69 The capital had been SA Labor s power base for three decades Even at the height of Playford s power in the 1950s the LCL won almost no seats in the capital outside of the wealthy eastern crescent and around Holdfast Bay This was a major reason why Playford s LCL never held more than 23 seats two more than needed to govern Under the circumstances conventional wisdom was that Hall undertook electoral reform knowing he was effectively handing the premiership to Dunstan at the next election Stott withdrew support in 1970 over the Chowilla Dam a dispute over the location of a dam on the Murray River 70 and South Australia went to the polls 70 The dam controversy was not much of an election issue and attempts by the Democratic Labor Party to portray Dunstan as a communist over his opposition to ongoing Australian support for South Vietnam had little effect 70 The LCL campaigned heavily on Hall while Dunstan promised sweeping social reform artistic transformation and more community services He said We ll set a new standard of social advancement that the whole of Australia will envy We believe South Australia can set the pace It can happen here We can do it 71 Dunstan won the 1970 South Australian state election easily taking 27 seats compared with the LCL s 20 72 Although the share of the votes had been similar to 1968 the dilution of the Playmander had changed the share of the seats As Labor had attained a majority of the popular vote for a long period and because malapportionment had been largely ended the political scientists Neal Blewett and Dean Jaensch said A Dunstan decade seems assured 73 Dunstan decade Edit Dunstan with Des Corcoran in April 1971 Dunstan wasted no time in organising his new ministry He served as his own Treasurer and took several other portfolios for himself 4 Deputy Premier Des Corcoran took on most infrastructure portfolios Marine and Harbours and Public Works Corcoran became the face of the Dunstan ministry in its relationship with the Labor caucus with his ability to use his strong manner to settle disputes 74 Bert Shard became Health Minister overseeing the construction and planning of new major public hospitals the Flinders Medical Centre and Modbury Hospital 75 Hugh Hudson took on the Education portfolio an important role in a government that was determined to bring about profound change to the South Australian education system 76 Geoff Virgo the new Transport Minister was to deal with the Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study MATS plans 77 Len King was made Attorney General and Aboriginal Affairs Minister despite being a new member of parliament 73 Dunstan formed a strong circle of loyal ministers around him in a style radically different from his predecessors 75 78 Soon after the election Dunstan travelled to Canberra for the annual Premiers Conference as the sole Labor premier His Government on a mandate to dramatically increase funding in key areas sought to appropriate further finances from the Federal Government This brought Dunstan into conflict with Prime Minister John Gorton and federal funding to SA was not increased An appeal was made to the Federal Grants Commission and Dunstan was awarded more than he had hoped for In addition to the money received from the Grants Commission funds were diverted from water storage schemes in the Adelaide Hills over the advice of engineers and cash reserves were withdrawn from the two government owned banks The monies were subsequently used to finance health education and arts schemes 79 On the death in office of Governor Sir James Harrison in 1971 Dunstan finally had the opportunity to put forward a nominee for governor of his own choosing to HM Queen Elizabeth II and by extension the British Foreign Office 80 which still technically oversaw the appointment process of Australian state governors until the Australia Act 1986 Sir Mark Oliphant a physicist who had worked on the Manhattan Project 81 82 83 Dunstan had never been happy that governors were usually British ex servicemen and it was a personal goal of his to see an active and notable South Australian take on the role Sir Mark Oliphant was uneventfully sworn in 84 Although the post is mostly ceremonial with the exception of constitutional responsibilities Oliphant brought energy to the role and he used his stature to decry damage to the environment caused by deforestation excessive open cut mining and pollution 85 Oliphant s tenure was successful and held in high regard although he did come into conflict with the premier at times as both men were outspoken and strong willed 82 The Adelaide Festival Centre A 620 seat theatre in the complex is named the Dunstan Playhouse in his honour In 1972 the first major developments in regard to the state s population growth occurred Adelaide s population was set to increase to 1 3 million 86 87 and the MATS plan and water storage schemes were in planning to accommodate this These were summarily rejected by the Dunstan Government which planned to build a new city 83 kilometres from Adelaide near Murray Bridge The city to be known as Monarto was to be built on farmland to the west of the existing town Dunstan was very much against allowing Adelaide s suburbs to further sprawl and thus Monarto was a major focus of his government 86 He argued that the new South Eastern Freeway would allow a drive of only 45 minutes from Adelaide that the city was not far from current industry and that water could be readily supplied from the River Murray 88 The government hoped Adelaide would not sprawl into the Mount Lofty Ranges to the east and that the bureaucracy would be dispersed from the capital In contrast public servants feared being forced into the rural settlement Critics of whom there were many derided the project as Dunstan s Versailles in the bush 89 Environmental activists aired fears of the effects of Monarto on the River Murray which was already suffering from pollution and salinity problems Later on it was noticed that there was hard bedrock underneath the ground raising drainage problems 89 From 1970 to 1973 much legislation passed through the South Australian Parliament Workers saw increases in welfare 73 90 drinking laws were further liberalised an Ombudsman was created 73 censorship was liberalised 91 seat belts were made mandatory 82 the education system was overhauled 92 and the public service was gradually increased doubling in size during the Dunstan era 93 Adelaide s water supply was fluoridated in 1971 and the age of majority was lowered from 21 to 18 82 A Commissioner of Consumer Affairs was created a demerit point system was introduced to penalise poor driving practices in an attempt to cut the road toll and compensation for workers was improved 73 Police autonomy and powers were restricted following a rally in opposition to the Vietnam War which was broken up by police although Dunstan had wanted the demonstrators to be able to close off the street A royal commission was called into the police commissioner s disregard for Dunstan s orders and resulted in legislation giving the government more control over the police the commissioner then retired 94 The dress code for the Parliament was relaxed during this period the suit and tie was no longer seen as obligatory 4 and Dunstan himself caused media frenzy when he arrived at Parliament House in 1972 wearing pink shorts that ended above his knees After his departure from public life he admitted that his sartorial statement may have gone beyond the limits 2 Nevertheless his fashion sense resulted in his being voted the sexiest political leader in Australia by Woman s Day in 1975 6 and the image of Dunstan in the shorts remains iconic 2 Mark Oliphant the first Governor of South Australia to be appointed on Dunstan s recommendation Having played a part in Labor s abandonment of the White Australia Policy at national level Dunstan was also prominent in promoting multiculturalism He was well known for his attendance at and patronage of Cornish Italian and Greek Australian cultural festivals and his appreciation of Asian art and sought to build on cultural respect to create trade links with Asia 95 Dunstan s involvement in such cultural exchanges was also credited with generating strong support for Labor from ethnic and non Anglo Saxon immigrant communities 95 although it was viewed with suspicion by some in the Anglo Saxon establishment 96 Dunstan himself later recalled When I proposed the establishment of a Cornish Festival in Australia s Little Cornwall people of Cornish descent came flocking 97 Having been vocal in criticising Playford for sacrificing heritage to the march of development Dunstan was prominent in protecting historic buildings from being bulldozed for high rise office blocks In 1972 the government intervened to purchase and thereby save Edmund Wright House on King William Street from being replaced with a skyscraper In 1975 the Customs House at Semaphore was purchased to save it from demolition 98 His support of heritage preservation overlapped with his promotion of gourmet dining when his personal efforts helped to save the historic Ayers House on North Terrace having it converted into a restaurant to avoid demolition 99 In contrast there were also some controversial developments Part of the rocky Hallett Cove on Gulf St Vincent in Adelaide s southern suburbs was developed for housing as were vineyards in Morphettville Tea Tree Gully Modbury and Reynella 98 This attracted criticism as Dunstan was prominent in promoting South Australian viticulture and enotourism 85 In pursuit of economic links with the nations of South East Asia Dunstan came into contact with the leaders of the Malaysian state of Penang in 1973 Striking a note with Chong Eu Lim the Chief Minister Dunstan set about organising cultural and economic engagement between the two states Penang Week was held in Adelaide in July and in return South Australia Week was held in Penang s capital George Town 100 In the same year the Adelaide Festival Centre was opened Australia s first multifunction performing arts complex 101 Over a six year period government funding for the arts was increased by a factor of seven and in 1978 the South Australian Film Corporation commenced work During Dunstan s time in charge acclaimed films such as Breaker Morant Picnic at Hanging Rock and Storm Boy were made in the state 102 Dunstan s support of the arts and fine dining was credited by commentators with attracting artists craftspeople and writers into the state 103 helping to change its atmosphere The Legislative Council the upper house of Parliament was due to its limited electoral roll overwhelmingly non Labor 104 Unlike the Lower House its members were elected only by voters who met certain property and wealth requirements 105 Combined with the remains of the Playmander malapportionment 106 it was difficult for the Labor Party to achieve the representation it wished The Legislative Council either watered down or outright rejected a considerable amount of Labor legislation 73 bills to legalise homosexuality abolish corporal and capital punishment and allow gambling and casinos were rejected 73 107 A referendum had indicated support for Friday night shopping but Labor legislation was blocked in the upper house by the LCL 94 Dunstan meeting with Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in Canberra in 1973 Dunstan called an election for March 1973 hoping to gain a mandate to seek changes to the council 108 The LCL were badly disunited the more liberal wing of the party under Hall joined Dunstan in wanting to introduce universal suffrage for the upper house while the more conservative members of the LCL did not The conservatives then decided to limit Hall s powers resulting in his resignation and creation of the breakaway Liberal Movement LM which overtly branded itself as a semi autonomous component within the LCL 109 Labor capitalised on the opposition divisions to secure an easy victory They campaigned under the slogan South Australia s Doing Well with Labor while the LCL was hampered by infighting many LCL candidates were claiming different leaders in their electoral material depending on their factional allegiance 110 The Labor Party won with 51 5 of the primary vote and secured a second consecutive majority government with 26 seats It was only the second time a Labor government in South Australia had been re elected for a second term the first being the early Thomas Price Labor government It would be the first five year incumbent Labor government however 111 They also gained two more seats in the Legislative Council to have six of the twenty members 112 Labor entered the new term with momentum when a fortnight after the election the LCL purged LM members from its ranks forcing them to either quit the LM or leave the LCL and join the LM as a distinct party 112 Dunstan saw reform of the Legislative Council as an important goal and later a prime achievement of his Government Labor as a matter of party policy wanted to see the Legislative Council abolished 113 Dunstan seeing this as unfeasible in his term set about to reform it instead Two bills were prepared for Legislative Council reform one to lower the voting age to 18 and introduce universal suffrage and another to make councillors elected from a single statewide electorate under a system of proportional representation The LCL initially blocked both bills stating that it would accept them only if modifications were made to the second one Changes were conceded unlike the House of Assembly voting would not be compulsory and the preference system was to be slightly altered Once the amendments were made the legislation was passed 114 During his second term Dunstan started efforts to build a petrochemical complex at Redcliff near Port Augusta Negotiations were held with several multinational companies but nothing eventuated 112 Legislation was passed to create a Land Commission and introduce urban land price controls 115 However a bill to create a right to privacy was defeated in the upper house after protests from journalists as was legislation to mandate refunds to consumers for returning beverage containers and therefore promote recycling 115 In 1975 Dunstan declared Australia s first legal nude bathing reserve 116 Dunstan far left distances his government from the Commonwealth Dunstan to dump Whitlam a cartoon by Stewart McCrae Prior to the 1975 federal and state elections Australia and South Australia in particular had been hit by a series of economic problems The 1973 oil crisis had massively increased the cost of living domestic industry began to erode due to a lack of cost competitiveness and government funds were waning In response the Dunstan Government sold loss making railways to the Commonwealth and brought in new taxes to allow wage rises The changes had unexpected consequences inflation already high increased markedly and workers were still displeased with wages The LCL now known as the Liberal Party had rebuilt after internal schism and had modernised to make themselves more appealing to the public 115 Having called an early election Dunstan appealed to the electorate and pushed blame onto the Whitlam Government for South Australia s problems In a television address just days before the election he said My Government is being smeared and it hurts They want you to think we are to blame for Canberra s mistakes The vote on Saturday is not for Canberra not for Australia but for South Australia 117 Labor remained the largest party in Parliament but lost the two party preferred vote at 49 2 and saw its numbers decrease from 26 to 23 The LCL held 20 seats the Liberal Movement two the Country Party one and the last remaining with an independent the nominally Labor Mayor of Port Pirie Ted Connelly Dunstan appealed to Connelly and offered him the role of Speaker 14 60 118 119 However the reforms to the Legislative Council s election bore fruit Of the 11 seats up for election Labor won six with 47 3 of the vote and the LM two allowing Labor a total of 10 seats This meant they could now with the help of the LM push through reforms opposed by the Liberals 120 Dunstan continued to try to push through further legislation he sought to expand on the Hall Government s electoral boundaries reform 121 to bring it closer to one vote one value The legislation sought to establish 47 electoral districts containing roughly equal numbers of voters with a 10 tolerance Redistributions were to be presided over by an independent boundaries commission The bill passed with the support of the breakaway LM in the upper house former Premier Steele Hall and his former Attorney General Robin Millhouse 122 123 One famous demonstration of Dunstan s charismatic style and media savvy came in January 1976 A psychic predicted that due to Dunstan and the state s social liberalisation which he saw as sinful 124 God would destroy Adelaide with a tsunami caused by an earthquake 124 This was publicised by the media prompting a not insignificant number of residents to sell their property and leave some businesses had clearance sales while many who decided to stay indulged in doomsday parties 124 Dunstan promised to stand on the seashore at Glenelg and wait for the imminent destruction He did so on 20 January the day of the predicted storm and nothing happened although he made newspaper headlines in the United Kingdom for his defiance 124 125 In 1976 the Dunstan Government stepped up its legislative efforts Some bills such as the one to remove the sodomy law and decriminalise male homosexuality had been initially blocked by the Legislative Council 115 However the bill to abolish capital punishment passed with ease and the homosexuality law reforms eventually passed in September 126 Rape law was properly codified and defined as a crime within marriage for the first time in Australia 127 Shopping hours previously the most restrictive in the nation became the most open 123 128 Following a royal commission Friday night shopping was introduced for the city and Thursday night shopping for the suburbs 123 The deposits on beverage containers was finally passed 123 The first signs of Monarto s eventual failure began to appear birth rates started dropping significantly immigration slowed and the economy was stagnant South Australia s robust population growth previously the highest per capita among the states came to an abrupt halt However state money continued to be poured into the Monarto project 14 despite the fact that the Whitlam government cut funding to 600 000 in 1975 while his Liberal successor Malcolm Fraser gave nothing at all the following year However by the time Monarto was eventually scrapped after Dunstan s departure no less than 20 million had been used to buy land plant trees and formulate development plans 89 and the failed project is often seen as Dunstan s greatest failure 129 In addition the federal government removed subsidies for shipbuilding at Whyalla forcing the operations to be scaled down 130 After Oliphant s term had expired Dunstan appointed the first Indigenous Australian Governor 2 Sir Douglas Nicholls a former football player and clergyman Following Nicholls resignation due to ill health in 1977 a second consecutive clergyman took the post Methodist Keith Seaman 123 However this appointment was not successful Seaman became involved in an unspecified scandal and made a statement admitting to a grave impropriety without elaborating further He did not resign and kept a low profile from then on 82 Dunstan also appointed Dame Roma Mitchell to become the nation s first female Supreme Court judge 131 Dunstan broke new ground in Australian politics with his policies on native title for Aboriginal people The North West Aboriginal Reserve NWAR covered more than 7 of the state s land and was inhabited by the Pitjantjatjara people In 1977 when the NWAR was about to be transferred to the Aboriginal Lands Trust a tribal delegation asked for the lands to be given to the traditional owners Dunstan agreed to an investigation and subsequently introduced the Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Bill 132 This bill proposed for a tribal body the Anangu Pitjantjatjaraku to take control of the NWAR and further lands after the claims were cleared by an independent tribunal It also proposed to allow the body to decide mining proposals on the land and receive royalties 132 This aroused discontent among mining interests but a bipartisan parliamentary committee endorsed the bill and it was tabled However Labor lost power before the bill was passed and although the new Liberal government said they would remove the mining restrictions mass public rallies forced them to relent and a bill similar to Dunstan s was passed 133 The legislation the bedrock of which was laid by Dunstan was the most reformist in Australia and in the 1980s more than 20 of the land was returned to its traditional owners 96 134 Dunstan called another snap election in September at the 1977 election he hoped to recover from the previous election the outcome of which had been affected by the dismissal of the Federal Labor Government As the remnants of the Playmander had been abolished conditions were more favourable for Labor and they wanted to end their reliance on the casting vote of the speaker The campaign proceeded smoothly and exploited the unpopularity of the federal Liberal government using the jingle Thank the Lord for South Australia 130 Labor won an absolute majority with 51 6 of the primary vote and 27 seats 60 130 Salisbury affair and departure from office Edit Since 1949 there had been a Special Branch within the South Australian Police for the purposes of surveillance and espionage Conceived in 1939 an intelligence branch to maintain surveillance of the large German Australian community during World War II 135 it had amassed information on tens of thousands of individuals and organisations 130 While such an operation troubled Dunstan and his government because of civil liberties concerns the branch s apparent party political bias was even more worrying In particular it held information files on Labor parliamentarians communists church leaders and trade unionists and so called pink files on gay community activists which dated from the time before homosexuality was decriminalised 136 Although only two Labor MPs from both federal and state parliaments did not have files the branch held significantly fewer files relating to Liberal Party figures 137 Dunstan had known of the existence of the branch since 1970 138 but said that he had been assured by the police commissioner that its files were not systematically focused on left wing political figures 137 139 However Peter Ward a journalist and former Dunstan staffer published a story about the files 130 An inquiry was conducted into the Special Branch by Justice White of the Supreme Court of South Australia and the report was placed in Dunstan s hands on 21 December 1977 140 It said the dossiers did exist and that they were scandalously inaccurate irrelevant to security purposes and outrageously unfair to hundreds perhaps thousands of loyal and worthy citizens 137 The report also noted that the files overwhelmingly focused on left wing politicians and activists and that Dunstan had been misled by the Police Commissioner Harold Salisbury 137 After reviewing the findings Dunstan sacked Salisbury in January and threatened to make the report public 137 However controversy erupted regarding the inquiry and Dunstan s subsequent actions because Salisbury had a reputation as a man of integrity Ward claimed that Dunstan had known about the true contents of the files for several years A Royal Commission under Justice Mitchell 137 set up at the instigation of the Liberals investigated the matter It cleared the Dunstan Government of any error and did not find that it had known about the Special Branch s activities earlier 141 Dunstan had sacked Salisbury for misleading Parliament about the existence of the pink files 142 and many of the Special Branch files were burnt Salisbury retired to the United Kingdom with a 160 000 payout Stewart Cockburn wrote a book The Salisbury Affair about the debacle 143 144 There were initially no other major controversies for Dunstan although the economy remained poor and the Redcliff complex was still in limbo because an agreement with Dow was still to be finalised The financial difficulties forced a freeze on public sector expansion and hospital developments and there were claims of theft and mismanagement in the health system However the Liberal opposition was in a disorganised state and unpopular so they were not able to pressure Dunstan effectively 145 Towards the end of the year political and media scrutiny of Dunstan began to grow and he became uneasy in his dealings with the press Soon after the Salisbury dismissal he walked out of a stormy media conference after refusing to be drawn on the rumoured sacking of Seaman from the gubernatorial role 146 Increasing innuendo about Dunstan s private life and allegations of corruption and economic mismanagement were worsened by Dunstan s self righteous tendencies The premier angrily denied claims that he was using government funds to build an opulent residence in Malaysia as well as claims about his sexual lifestyle 147 He pre emptively called a press conference on one occasion to denounce what he called idiot rumours and he further claimed that reactionary forces and right wing journalists were engaged in a witchhunt against his decent and responsible government 147 Dunstan in 1979 announcing his sudden resignation in his pyjamas after collapsing and sleeping for forty hours It was broadcast live on television which was unheard of at the time in South Australia 148 Dunstan also faced difficulties on policy issues Factional cracks began to appear in the Labor Party and the discovery of uranium deposits near the northern outback town of Roxby Downs put the premier in a bind Mining the uranium promised to provide a valuable economic boost in difficult times but a government ban on its mining on safety grounds was still in force 145 Dunstan was opposed to uranium mining but was seen as lacking conviction by environmentalists and he was also being criticised by industrialists By May his approval rating had fallen to 57 down from 80 just two years earlier and unemployment was increasing 147 It was also widely anticipated that a book titled It s Grossly Improper would soon be released containing embarrassing allegations about Dunstan s private life 147 Together with Mike Rann his press secretary and speechwriter and later Premier who had worked with him in 1978 on a series of speeches on Aboriginal Land Rights industrial democracy and women s rights Dunstan made a uranium fact finding trip to Europe to study safe methods of generating nuclear power and of nuclear waste disposal 149 By the summer that followed Dunstan became extremely ill 150 When Parliament resumed he collapsed on the floor of the House and was forced to use a walking stick his doctor advised him that he required six months of rest to recover The Liberal Opposition seized on the state of affairs and charged that the Labor Party was as ailing as the man who led it In a stage managed press conference on 15 February 1979 Dunstan announced his retirement as premier from his room in Calvary Hospital clearly shaking and wearing a dressing gown 151 152 153 The book It s Grossly Improper by two Adelaide journalists Des Ryan and Mike McEwen was published later that year 154 Political scientist Andrew Parkin said one of Dunstan s main achievements was to debunk the notion that state governments and parliaments lacked the ability to make significant changes with profound impacts As evidence he cited Dunstan s sweeping social reforms and the fact that many other state governments followed South Australia s lead 155 Life after politics EditAfter Dunstan s resignation from Parliament deputy Des Corcoran took his place as party leader and Premier At the subsequent Norwood by election Dunstan s seat was retained by Labor Corcoran soon called the 1979 election which left the party with only 19 seats against the Liberals on 25 seats on an 8 4 percent two party swing against Labor 60 The Tonkin Liberal Government came to power and officially abandoned the Monarto project Dunstan took a trip to Europe after being released from hospital staying in Perugia for five months and pursuing Italian studies He subsequently returned home and lived quietly in Adelaide for three years without finding work that appealed to him such as that related to the shaping of public policy 156 During this time he became increasingly disillusioned with South Australian political affairs 157 A book by two Adelaide journalists It s Grossly Improper was released in November and sold out within a week It alleged inappropriate use of government funds and a homosexual affair with a restaurateur John Ceruto in return for political favours 158 There was initial fanfare and speculation as to the authenticity of its claims Dunstan dismissed the book as a farrago of lies in his 1981 memoirs entitled Felicia 159 From May 1980 160 to early 1981 he acted as editor for the magazine POL In 1982 he moved to the neighbouring state of Victoria and was appointed the Director of Tourism This sparked an outcry in South Australia due to the two states traditional rivalry For his part Dunstan said he had yearned to be given a role in shaping and building the future of his native state but that he had been snubbed for three years He said that public figures in South Australia had told him his high profile and ability to overshadow others could have caused a loss of face to them and thus his departure would be seen favourably by them while Victoria s offer gave him an opportunity to be constructive 161 Dunstan was appointed to the Victorian Economic Development Corporation on 12 July 1983 resigning on 23 June 1986 162 Dunstan stayed in the Director of Tourism role until 1986 when he returned to Adelaide after falling out with the government of John Cain 4 His retirement from these positions followed the provocative publication of a photograph of him with Monsignor Porcamadonna member of the gay community Order of Perpetual Indulgence taken after he had launched a collection of coming out stories by gay historian Gary Wotherspoon 142 He was the national president of the Freedom from Hunger Campaign 1982 87 president of the Movement for Democracy in Fiji from 1987 2 and national chairman of Community Aid Abroad 1992 93 Dunstan was an adjunct professor at the University of Adelaide from 1997 to 1999 and portrayed himself in the 1989 Australian independent film Against the Innocent In his retirement Dunstan continued to be a passionate critic of economic rationalism 163 164 neoliberalism and privatisation particularly of South Australia s water gas and electricity supplies During the 1990s he wrote essays for the Adelaide Review magazine strongly criticising the Federal Labor Governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating the Federal Liberal Government of John Howard and the State Liberal Governments of Dean Brown and John Olsen He remained an advocate for multiculturalism and cultural diversity often writing about the dangers of racism 165 A year before his death the ailing Dunstan decried Labor s economic rationalism in front of 5 000 at the Gough Whitlam Lecture 2 Regardless of the acclaim in which he was held during his decade in power Dunstan was largely overlooked for honours after leaving office and largely ignored by the state s elite He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in June 1979 166 but no national parks or gardens were named after him 167 The Dunstan Playhouse was later named to honour his contribution to the performing arts 168 Personal life Edit Dunstan is strongly associated with the suburb of Norwood A memorial in his honour is embedded in the footpath outside the Norwood Town Hall pictured Whilst living in Norwood and studying at university Dunstan met his first wife Gretel Elsasser whose Jewish family had fled Nazi Germany to Australia They married in 1949 and moved to Fiji 4 They returned to Adelaide in 1951 and settled in George Street Norwood with their young daughter Bronwen The family was forced to live in squalor for a number of years while Dunstan established his legal practice during this time they took in boarders as a source of extra income 4 12 Gretel later gave birth to two sons Andrew and Paul 2 In 1972 Dunstan separated from his wife and moved into a small flat in Kent Town adjacent to Norwood The family home was sold as two of the children were already studying in university In 1974 the couple were finally divorced Dunstan notes this period as being initially a very bleak and lonely time for him 4 169 In absence of his family he made new friends and acquaintances Friends living nearby would come to his apartment for conversation and good food cooking was Dunstan s hobby Dunstan bought another house in 1974 partially financed from a then unpublished cookbook In 1976 Don Dunstan s Cookbook was published the first cookbook released by a serving Australian leader 170 More generally Dunstan promoted a revolution in fine dining in the state 99 Encouraged by Dunstan s enthusiasm for multiculturalism many new restaurants were opened by proprietors and the diversity of cuisine increased He also promoted the viticulture industry through his patronage of wine festivals 91 In 1973 Adele Koh a Malaysian journalist formerly living in Singapore was appointed to work for Dunstan She had been expelled by the Singaporean Government of Lee Kuan Yew for criticising its policies The newspaper she had been working for the Singapore Herald was shut down by the government and she then moved to Australia 2 4 The two began a relationship in 1974 and married in 1976 in a small ceremony at Dunstan s residence 171 Dunstan was much older than Adele who was in her 30s 2 4 She was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in May 1978 and died in October after Dunstan had cared for her at her bedside for months Her death seriously affected him and his own health began to suffer 172 Although Dunstan never publicly commented on his sexuality it has been said that he lived as a sexually liberated bisexual man 173 In 1986 he met his future partner Stephen Cheng a post graduate science student then in his twenties 174 Together they opened a restaurant called Don s Table in 1994 4 He lived with Cheng in their Norwood home for the rest of his life Cheng nursed Dunstan through lung cancer until his death and Dunstan bequeathed their home to Cheng for life 174 Death EditIn 1993 Dunstan was diagnosed with an aggressive throat cancer and then an inoperable lung cancer which led to his death on 6 February 1999 Dunstan was not a smoker but was long exposed to passive smoking 175 A public memorial service was held on 9 February at the Adelaide Festival Centre as a tribute to Dunstan s love of the arts In attendance were former Labor Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley Premier John Olsen and State Opposition Leader Mike Rann Thousands more gathered outside the centre in Elder Park along the banks of the River Torrens 176 State flags were flown at half mast and the memorial service was televised live Legacy EditA theatre in the Festival Centre was renamed the Dunstan Playhouse 177 The Electoral Commission of South Australia s 2012 redistribution included renaming the seat of Norwood to Dunstan which came into existence as of the 2014 election 178 179 In 2014 a biography Don Dunstan Intimacy amp Liberty by Dino Hodge written with the co operation of Dunstan s family and former lovers was published 173 In 1988 Dunstan donated a collection of files pertaining to his political professional and personal life photographs press clippings speeches and press releases audiovisual material books from his library some items of clothing and other memorabilia to Flinders University Library where it can be viewed and accessed for research purposes see External links Don Dunstan Foundation Edit The Don Dunstan Foundation was established by Dunstan at the University of Adelaide in 1999 shortly before his death to push for progressive change and to honour Dunstan s memory 9 180 Dunstan had spent his last months helping to lay the platform for its establishment 9 At the inauguration of the body Dunstan had said What we need is a concentration on the kind of agenda which I followed and I hope that my death will be useful in this 9 The Foundation aims to represent and advocate for the values of its founder such as cultural diversity fair distribution of wealth human rights advocacy and Indigenous rights in Australia 180 Among other initiatives it runs a series of annual events such as a conference on homelessness the IPAA Don Dunstan Oration and the Lowitja O Donoghue Oration Hugo Lecture AdMental Southgate Oration and Human Rights Oration 181 On 3 June 2020 Jane Lomax Smith was announced as new chair of the organisation taking over from Lynn Arnold 182 who had held the position for 10 years and remains on the Board as Director and Patron as of June 2022 183 Don Dunstan Award Edit Further information Don Dunstan Award Since its commencement in 2003 the Adelaide Film Festival has presented The Don Dunstan Award in recognition of outstanding contribution by an individual to the Australian film industry Deemed by the Adelaide Film Festival s Board to have enriched Australian screen culture through their work its recipients include David Gulpilil Rolf de Heer and Scott Hicks After receiving the award in 2013 Hicks acknowledged Dunstan s vision for the creation of a film industry in South Australia as being instrumental to his professional development 184 References EditBlewett Neal Jaensch Dean 1971 Playford to Dunstan The Politics of Transition Griffin Press Limited ISBN 0 7015 1299 7 Cockburn Stewart 1991 Playford Benevolent Despot Axiom Publishing ISBN 0 9594164 4 7 Crocker Walter 1983 Sir Thomas Playford A Portrait Melbourne University Press ISBN 0 522 84250 X Cunningham Andrew 1981 Industrial Relations In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 163 178 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Dunstan Don 1981 Felicia The Political Memoirs of Don Dunstan Griffin Press Limited ISBN 0 333 33815 4 Hodge Dino 2014 Don Dunstan Intimacy amp Liberty a Political Biography Wakefield Press ISBN 978 1743052969 Horne Colin 1981 The Arts In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 205 220 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Hyams Bernard 1981 Education In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 70 90 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Jaensch Dean 1981 Electoral Reform In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 220 237 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Jaensch Dean 1986 A Chronology of Political Events and Statistics In Jaensch Dean ed The Flinders history of South Australia Political history Netley South Australia Wakefield Press pp 486 498 ISBN 0 949268 51 8 Jaensch Dean 1997 The Liberal Movement and the New LM In Warhurst John ed Keeping the Bastards Honest The Australian Democrats First Twenty Years St Leonards New South Wales Allen amp Unwin pp 37 48 ISBN 1 86448 420 9 Inglis K S 1961 The Stuart case Melbourne Melbourne University Press Mills Helen 1981 Equal Opportunity In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 115 126 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Parkin Andrew 1981 The Dunstan Governments a Political Synopsis In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 1 21 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Parkin Andrew Pugh Cedric 1981 Urban Policy and Metropolitan Adelaide In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 91 114 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Parkin Andrew 1986 Transition Innovation Consolidation Readjustment The Political History of South Australia Since 1965 In Jaensch Dean ed The Flinders history of South Australia Political history Netley South Australia Wakefield Press pp 292 338 ISBN 0 949268 51 8 Ryan Des 1979 It s Grossly Improper WENAN ISBN 0 9595162 0 4 Spoehr John 2000 Don Dunstan Politics and Passion Bookends Books ISBN 1 876725 18 4 Stokes Geoff Cox Richard 1981 The ALP and the Politics of Consensus In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 256 280 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Summers John 1986 Aborigines and Government in the Twentieth Century In Richard Eric ed The Flinders history of South Australia Social history Netley South Australia Wakefield Press pp 488 512 ISBN 0 949268 51 8 Warhurst Andrew 1981 The Public Service In Parkin Andrew Patience Allan eds The Dunstan decade social democracy at the state level Melbourne Longman Cheshire pp 179 204 ISBN 0 582 71466 4 Yeeles Richard 1978 Don Dunstan The first 25 years in Parliament Hill of Content Publishing ISBN 0 85572 099 9 Whitelock Derek 2000 Adelaide a sense of difference Kew Victoria Arcadia ISBN 1 875606 57 2 Woollacott Angela 2019 Don Dunstan the visionary politician who changed Australia Sydney Allen amp Unwin ISBN 978 1760631819 OCLC 1101565874 References Edit Donald Allan Dunstan AC QC Government of South Australia 2013 a b c d e f g h i j k l Milliken Robert 17 February 1999 Obituary Don Dunstan The Independent London Retrieved 26 May 2010 Whitelock p 137 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Donald Allan Dunstan 1926 1999 Flinders University Archived from the original on 22 January 2010 Retrieved 26 May 2010 a b c d Yeeles p 15 a b c d Cockburn p 312 Bridge Carl 2006 Cain Sir Jonathan Robert 1867 1938 Australian Dictionary of Biography Australian National University Yeeles p 16 a b c d Former South Australian Premier Donald Allan Dunstan ABC News Online Australian Broadcasting Corporation 6 February 1999 Archived from the original on 10 May 2009 Retrieved 26 May 2010 Yeeles p 63 a b c Yeeles p 17 a b Dunstan pp 25 32 a b Dunstan pp 35 36 a b c Crocker p 115 Norwood Electorate Profile Australian Broadcasting Corporation 21 April 2006 Retrieved 10 October 2010 See references at Results of the South Australian state election 1968 House of Assembly Dunstan p 47 a b c d Cockburn p 314 Cockburn pp 311 312 a b Cockburn p 292 Inglis pp 29 30 Cockburn pp 293 294 Crocker pp 81 82 Cockburn p 297 Cockburn pp 294 296 Cockburn p 299 Cockburn pp 299 300 Cockburn p 303 Cockburn pp 302 303 Cockburn p 305 Cockburn pp 301 304 307 Cockburn p 308 Cockburn pp 308 311 Yeeles pp 18 23 Dunstan p 74 Crocker p 121 Neumann Klaus 8 September 2004 Refugee Policies in an Electoral Campaign Australian Fabian Society Archived from the original on 21 August 2006 Retrieved 23 July 2006 A Multicultural Landscape National Parks and the Macedonian Experience Migration Heritage Centre Archived from the original on 19 August 2006 Retrieved 23 July 2006 Don Dunstan The end of White Australia Multicultural Australia Archived 21 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine a b Summers p 495 Summers p 496 Summers p 497 a b c d e f Parkin p 3 a b Parkin p 293 a b c Parkin p 294 Blewett and Jaensch pp 29 35 a b Parkin pp 294 295 Blewett and Jaensch p 37 a b c Parkin p 295 Blewett and Jaensch p 39 a b c Blewett and Jaensch p 36 Blewett and Jaensch pp 36 39 a b c Blewett and Jaensch p 46 Blewett and Jaensch pp 50 51 Blewett and Jaensch pp 47 53 Blewett and Jaensch pp 57 65 Blewett and Jaensch pp 65 66 a b c d e f Parkin p 4 Blewett and Jaensch pp 60 61 90 100 a b c d Past Elections House of Assembly Australian Broadcasting Corporation Blewett and Jaensch pp 171 172 Blewett and Jaensch pp 172 173 a b c d Parkin p 5 Blewett and Jaensch pp 173 177 Parkin pp 299 300 Horne pp 205 209 Blewett and Jaensch pp 193 196 Blewett and Jaensch p 189 Yeeles pp 42 43 a b c Parkin p 6 Parkin pp 6 7 Blewett and Jaensch pp 251 253 a b c d e f g Parkin p 7 Stokes and Cox p 274 a b Dunstan pp 172 173 Hyams pp 73 75 Parkin and Pugh pp 99 102 Crocker p 129 Dunstan pp 174 175 The hidden hand of her majesty The Sydney Morning Herald 10 February 2007 Retrieved 15 October 2020 AG Australia Act 1986 www legislation gov au a b c d e Whitelock p 143 Dunstan pp 186 187 Dunstan pp 152 153 a b Whitelock p 153 a b Urban Planning Atlas of South Australia Government of South Australia Archived from the original on 19 August 2006 Retrieved 25 July 2006 Parkin and Pugh p 105 Dunstan p 191 a b c Whitelock p 149 Cunningham pp 168 174 a b Whitelock p 145 Hyams pp 70 79 Warhurst pp 201 202 a b Parkin p 8 a b Whitelock p 150 a b Whitelock p 151 Payton Philip Making Moonta The Invention of Australia s Little Cornwall a b Whitelock p 152 a b Whitelock p 144 Dunstan p 243 1970s Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 12 October 2010 Whitelock pp 144 145 Whitelock p 146 Jaensch 1986 p 498 Jaensch 1997 p 38 Jaensch 1997 p 39 Parkin p 307 Jaensch 1981 pp 226 227 Parkin pp 8 9 Parkin p 9 Jaensch 1986 pp 496 498 a b c Parkin p 10 Jaensch 1981 p 225 226 Jaensch 1981 pp 225 230 a b c d Parkin p 11 Page on SA Memory Website Government of South Australia Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 7 March 2016 Dunstan p 259 Stokes and Cox p 267 Parkin pp 310 311 Parkin p 12 Jaensch 1981 pp 230 231 Jaensch 1981 pp 231 232 a b c d e Parkin p 13 a b c d Whitelock p 141 Adelaide tsunami prediction by clairvoyant John Nash proved wrong 40 years ago Australian Broadcasting Corporation 19 January 2016 Yeeles p 51 Mills p 122 Dunstan p 272 Whitelock pp 149 150 a b c d e Parkin p 14 THE HON DAME ROMA MITCHELL AC DBE CVO QC 1913 2000 National Portrait Gallery Australia a b Summers p 503 Summers pp 504 505 Summers pp 505 506 Cockburn p ix Gould Ian 16 November 2005 A Feast of diversity Sydney Star Observer Retrieved 19 September 2009 a b c d e f Parkin p 15 Cockburn pp 11 12 Dunstan pp 285 286 Cockburn p 17 Cockburn p xi a b Baird Barbara 2001 The Death of a Great Australian Journal of Australian Studies 25 71 73 86 doi 10 1080 14443050109387722 S2CID 141435368 Political surveillance and the South Australian Police Australian Institute of Criminology Accessed 26 July 2006 Archived 7 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine Parkin pp 14 15 a b Parkin p 16 Whitelock p 155 a b c d Whitelock p 156 Kelton Greg 31 October 2006 Pageant drama as Dunstan quits in his pyjamas The Advertiser Retrieved 10 October 2010 George Lewkowicz Don Dunstan Foundation Dunstan Oral History Project Cockburn p 112 Dunstan pp 313 314 Crocker p 116 Don Dunstan The Obituary A nation s valued voice of change The Advertiser 8 February 1999 It s grossly improper by Des Ryan and Mike McEwen Catalogue National Library Of Australia 1979 ISBN 978 0959516203 Retrieved 22 July 2020 Parkin p 20 Whitelock pp 156 157 Dunstan pp 319 320 Don Dunstan 1926 1999 Sex lies and that book Sunday Mail 7 February 1999 Dunstan p 320 Son of Betty brings out the stars Sydney Morning Herald 18 May 1980 p 53 Retrieved 5 January 2015 via Google News Whitelock pp 157 158 Report of Inquiry Victorian Economic Development Corporation PDF Parliament of Victoria Reports Parliament of Victoria Retrieved 15 November 2015 Mack Andrew June 2008 A Rocky Road to Democracy Don Dunstan and the Forces of Darkness Part 2 Australian Quarterly 80 3 9 39 JSTOR 20638552 Dunstan Don 21 April 1998 WHITLAM LECTURE PDF Spoehr John Don Dunstan Politics and Passion pp 17 18 It s an Honour Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 9 May 2013 Whitelock p 157 Premier Don Dunstan wears pink shorts to work at the South Australian parliament symbol of 1967 79 era AdelaideAZ Retrieved 29 January 2020 Dunstan p 205 Dunstan p 240 Dunstan p 218 Dunstan p 309 a b Debelle Penelope 8 May 2014 First biography since Don Dunstan s death reveals his double life drove him to resign The Advertiser Archived from the original on 11 May 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2016 a b Debelle Penelope 27 April 2013 Don Dunstan s former partner Steven Cheng wants his history acknowledged The Australian Retrieved 6 August 2016 Strawhan Peter REFLECTIONS ON DON DUNSTAN S CULTURAL AND CULINARY JOURNEY PDF Private service for Don Dunstan today AAP General News Australia 9 February 1999 Don Dunstan No more fitting memorial The Advertiser 12 February 1999 Dunstan could become a seat NineMSN 31 May 2012 Archived from the original on 12 July 2012 2012 Final Redistribution Order Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission Reports Electoral Commission SA Archived from the original PDF on 4 March 2015 Retrieved 3 July 2013 a b About the Foundation www dunstan org au Don Dunstan Foundation Retrieved 20 July 2010 Events Dunstan Foundation Don Dunstan Foundation Retrieved 1 June 2022 Dr Jane Lomax Smith AM appointed as new Chair of the Don Dunstan Foundation www dunstan org au Don Dunstan Foundation 3 June 2020 Retrieved 1 June 2022 The Hon Rev Dr Lynn Arnold AO Dunstan Foundation Don Dunstan Foundation Retrieved 2 June 2022 Andreyev Michaela 11 October 2013 Scott Hicks wins Don Dunstan Award 891 ABC Adelaide South Australia Archived from the original on 2 February 2014 External links Edit Dunstan Don Former members of the Parliament of South Australia Retrieved 19 August 2022 Don Dunstan Foundation Dunstan Collection Flinders University Library Don Dunstan ABC News ObituaryParliament of South AustraliaPreceded byRoy Moir Member for Norwood1953 1979 Succeeded byGreg CrafterPolitical officesPreceded byColin Rowe Attorney General of South Australia1965 1968 Succeeded byRobin MillhousePreceded byFrank Walsh Treasurer of South Australia1967 1968 Succeeded byGlen PearsonPremier of South Australia1967 1968 Succeeded bySteele HallPreceded bySteele Hall Leader of the Opposition of South Australia1968 1970Preceded bySteele Hall Premier of South Australia1970 1979 Succeeded byDes CorcoranTreasurer of South Australia1970 1979Preceded byLyell McEwin Father of the Parliament of South Australia1975 1979 Succeeded byRen DeGarisPreceded byLen King Attorney General of South Australia1975 Succeeded byPeter DuncanParty political officesPreceded byFrank Walsh Leader of the Australian Labor Party South Australian Branch 1967 1979 Succeeded byDes Corcoran Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Don Dunstan amp oldid 1128646043, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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