Geoff Pearsall

Geoffrey Alan "Geoff" Pearsall (born 15 September 1946) is a former Australian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he served as a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1969 until 1988 and as Leader of the Opposition (1979–1981). Robin Gray succeeded him in the latter role.

The Honourable Geoff Pearsall
Deputy Premier of Tasmania
In office 15 June 1984 – 1 November 1988
Premier	Robin Gray
Preceded by	Max Bingham
Succeeded by	Ray Groom
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Franklin
In office 10 May 1969 – 1 November 1988
Personal details
Born	(1946-09-15) 15 September 1946 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Political party	Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Heidee Pearsall

Biography

Pearsall was born in Hobart, Tasmania, to Thomas Pearsall, who had been one of the seven members for Division of Franklin from 1950 to 1966, and served one term as a Federal MP for the same electorate in the House of Representatives. Pearsall's grandfather, Benjamin Pearsall, had also held a Franklin seat for two non-contiguous terms during the Great Depression.[1]

At the 1969 election, Pearsall stood for and won a Franklin seat, which he was to hold for the following 19 years. He failed by one vote in August 1978 to take the deputy leadership from Ray Bonney. After Max Bingham stepped down as Leader of the Opposition following the July 1979 election, which had seen a swing to the incumbent Labor Party in Premier Doug Lowe's first election as leader, Pearsall was elected unopposed as leader on 7 August, with Robin Gray as deputy leader.[2]

The first part of his term was consumed by the electoral crisis which led to the Denison state by-election in 1980.[3] He had an otherwise uneventful term before unexpectedly resigning as party leader for "personal reasons" on 10 November 1981—it was later revealed that powerful conservative elements within the Liberal Party had forced him to resign, after his personal life and breakup of his marriage led to concerns about his image.[4] His deputy, Robin Gray, was elected unopposed, and went on to become premier at the 1982 election. After the election, Pearsall became Minister for Tourism, National Parks and Recreational Lands, Environment and Licensing. Following Bingham's retirement from parliament, Pearsall became Deputy Premier, losing the two environment portfolios but picking up Police and Emergency Services, Road Safety and Gaming.

He resigned from parliament on 1 November 1988, announcing that he was moving to the Gold Coast to manage a tourist resort with his private secretary and long-time friend, Peter Sullivan.[4] Pearsall was accorded the title "The Honourable" for life on 20 April 1989.[1]

References

1. Parliament of Tasmania (2005). "The Parliament of Tasmania from 1856: Pearsall, Geoffrey Alan". Retrieved 1 May 2009.
2. "Australian Political Chronicle: July–December 1979". Australian Journal of Politics and History. 26 (1): 116–119. April 1980. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1980.tb00524.x. ISSN 0004-9522.
3. AJPH 26(1), pp.119–122.
4. "Deja vu in gossip-rife Tasmania". The Canberra Times. 63 (19, 407). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 November 1988. p. 8. Retrieved 17 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.

Political offices
Preceded by Max Bingham	Leader of the Opposition 1979–1981	Succeeded by Robin Gray
	Deputy Premier of Tasmania 1984–1988	Succeeded by Ray Groom