Bob Halverson

Robert George Halverson, OBE (22 October 1937 – 9 February 2016) was an Australian politician, air force officer and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1998, representing the Liberal Party. He was Speaker of the House from 1996 to 1998, and subsequently served as Ambassador to Ireland from 1998 to 2003.

The Honourable Bob Halverson OBE
22nd Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
In office 30 April 1996 – 3 March 1998
Preceded by	Stephen Martin
Succeeded by	Ian Sinclair
Member of the Australian Parliament for Casey
In office 1 December 1984 – 31 August 1998
Preceded by	Peter Steedman
Succeeded by	Michael Wooldridge
Personal details
Born	(1937-10-22)22 October 1937 Springvale, Victoria, Australia
Died	9 February 2016(2016-02-09) (aged 78) Holbrook, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Occupation	RAAF officer
Military service
Branch/service	Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service	1956–1981
Rank	Group Captain
Awards	Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Early life

Halverson was born in Melbourne. At the age of 16, as an air force cadet, he was one of four Air Training Corps members chosen to fly to England and meet Sir Winston Churchill.[1] Halverson served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from 1956 to 1981, attaining the rank of group captain. He was seconded to the British Royal Air Force's RAF Support Command for a period, for which he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1978.[2]

Politics

Halverson was elected to federal parliament at the 1984 federal election, winning the Division of Casey for the Liberal Party.[3] He attracted attention in 1989 when he referred to government MP Elizabeth Harvey as "baby" during question time in the House of Representatives. He refused Harvey's call for an apology, stating that it was a gender-neutral term and was not sexist.[4] In 1990, Halverson was appointed Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives under the new party leader John Hewson.[3] He was stripped of the position when his relationship with Hewson broke down after the 1993 election defeat,[5] but regained it in May 1994 when Alexander Downer became leader. He subsequently assumed the title Chief Opposition Whip.[3]

After the Coalition's victory at the 1996 federal election, Halverson was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. He resigned the position in March 1998 as the Howard government became frustrated at his impartiality in enforcing discipline on both Government and opposition MPs and allowing supplementary questioning of ministers when answers were evasive.[3][6] He usually wore the Speaker's traditional gown, but without the wig.

Later life

Halverson retired from politics at the 1998 election and was appointed the Australian Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See, which he remained until 2003 when he was succeeded by John Herron.[7] He died of cancer in 2016.[8]

References

1. "Off to meet Sir Winston". The Melbourne Herald. 1 July 1954.
2. "An OBE for RAF service". The Canberra Times. 25 January 1978.
3. "Biography for HALVERSON, the Hon. Robert George, OBE". Australian Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
4. "MP cries 'baby', MP writes 'sexist'". The Canberra Times. 29 November 1989.
5. "A burly Bob refuses to baulk in battle, and wins". The Canberra Times. 2 September 1993.
6. "Speaker of the House should not be a party's political pawn". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 November 2013.
7. Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
8. "Ex-federal speaker Bob Halverson dies". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 11 February 2016.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Stephen Martin	Speaker of the House of Representatives 1996–1998	Succeeded by Ian Sinclair
Preceded by Peter Steedman	Member for Casey 1984–1998	Succeeded by Michael Wooldridge
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Edward Stevens	Australian Ambassador to the Holy See and Australian Ambassador to Ireland 1998–2003	Succeeded by John Herron