Wallace Clyde Fife (2 October 1929 – 16 November 2017) was an Australian politician and minister in the New South Wales Government and Federal Government.
Early life
Fife was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, and was educated at Wagga Wagga Public School, Wagga Wagga and Canberra Grammar School. In 1948 he started working in the federal secretariat of the Liberal Party and in 1949 he joined his family business, Fifes Produce Pty Ltd, in Wagga Wagga. He married Marcia Hargreaves Stanley in May 1952 and they had two daughters and two sons.[2]
Political career
Fife was elected as the member for Wagga Wagga in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1957. He was Minister for Mines from June 1967 to January 1975, Minister for Conservation from March 1971 to June 1972, Minister for Power from June 1972 to January 1975 and Minister for Transport and Minister for Highways from January 1975 until his retirement from the New South Wales Parliament in October 1975.[2] Under his ministership many rural railway stations were closed.[citation needed] The member for the federal seat of Farrer David Fairbairn had announced his resignation and Fife was pre-selected as the Liberal candidate for the next federal election.[3][4]
Fife was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the member for Farrer at the election on 13 December 1975. He was Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs from July 1977 to December 1979, Minister for Education from December 1979 to May 1982 and Minister for Aviation from May 1982 until the defeat of the Fraser government at the March 1983 election. Following an electoral distribution that moved Wagga Wagga into the Division of Hume, he stood for and won that seat at the 1984 election. His role in Opposition included a stint as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives between May 1989 and April 1990, since Liberal deputy leader Fred Chaney was still a Senator.
Fife retired from parliament prior to the 1993 election.[5] His departure came as a result of seat redistribution from which the National Party benefited and Fife was resentful to Liberal Leader John Hewson for not saving his career. Fife and others came to see Hewson's leadership as ineffective and Fife's departure was seen as evidence of Hewson not having much influence in the Liberal Party.[6]
Honours
- Honorary Doctor of Letters (HonDLitt) from Charles Sturt University.[2]
- Centenary Medal (1 January 2001), "For service to Australian society through the Commonwealth and state parliaments and government".[7]
Notes
- ^ Lindbeck, Jody (16 November 2017). "Former minister Wal Fife has died". The Daily Advertiser.
- ^ a b c "The Hon. Wallace Clyde Fife (1929–2017)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ "Minister for pre-selection". The Canberra Times. 13 August 1975. p. 3. Retrieved 10 October 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ "Endorsed". The Canberra Times. 11 September 1975. p. 3. Retrieved 10 October 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ "Biography for Fife, the Hon. Wallace Clyde". ParlInfo Web. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ Abjorensen, Norman (28 February 1995). "Dazzling Meteor that Disappeared". The Canberra Times. p. 9. Retrieved 5 December 2024 – via Trove.
- ^ "Centenary Medal entry for The Hon Wallace Clyde Fife". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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