Pat Hills

Patrick Darcy Hills AO (31 December 1917 – 22 April 1992) was a New South Wales politician. He served in various high offices across the state most notably the Deputy Premier of New South Wales, Leader of the Opposition and as the Lord Mayor of Sydney.

For the American football coach, see Pat Hill.

The Honourable Pat Hills AO
6th Deputy Premier of New South Wales
In office 30 April 1964 – 13 May 1965
Premier	Jack Renshaw
Preceded by	Jack Renshaw
Succeeded by	Charles Cutler
22nd Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales Elections: 1971, 1973
In office 2 December 1968 – 17 November 1973
Deputy	Syd Einfeld
Preceded by	Jack Renshaw
Succeeded by	Neville Wran
68th Lord Mayor of Sydney
In office 9 December 1952 – 30 November 1956
Deputy	Frank Green Kevin Dwyer Anthony Doherty
Preceded by	Ernest Charles O'Dea
Succeeded by	Harry Jensen
Alderman of the Sydney City Council
In office 4 December 1948 – 4 December 1953
Constituency	Flinders Ward
In office 5 December 1953 – 30 November 1956
Constituency	City Ward
Personal details
Born	Patrick Darcy Hills (1917-12-31)31 December 1917 Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia
Died	22 April 1992(1992-04-22) (aged 74) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Resting place	Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens
Political party	Labor
Spouse(s)	Stella Steele Hills

Early life

Hills was born in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills. He was educated at Marist Brothers High School, Darlinghurst and was apprenticed as an electrical engineer.[1]

He was an alderman on Sydney City Council from 1948 to 1956 and Lord Mayor of Sydney from 1953 to 1956.[2]

Political career

Hills was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Phillip in 1954, representing the Labor Party; he held the seat till its abolition in 1981. Then, until 1988, he served as member for Elizabeth.

He was Minister for Local Government in the cabinet of Premier Robert Heffron (1959-1964), and Deputy Premier under Heffron's successor Jack Renshaw. Following Renshaw's departure from the Labor leadership, Hills was the State Opposition Leader from 1968 to 1973; at the 1971 and 1973 state elections he was narrowly defeated by the Liberal Premier, Sir Robert Askin.

During his long Parliamentary service of 34 years, Hills served terms as Deputy Premier and as Minister in a number of portfolios including Local Government, Highways, Mines, Energy, Industrial Relations, Technology, Roads and Employment. In opposition he served as Deputy Leader for three years and Leader for five years. His many notable initiatives and achievements as a Minister include the Sydney to Newcastle Highway, the construction of the Gladesville Bridge and establishment of the State Planning Authority now known as the NSW Department of Planning. One of his major achievements was the building of the Eraring and Bayswater power stations. He has been accused of sabotaging the 1948 Cumberland County Plan for Sydney, "flogging the green belt out the back door before the ink was dry".[3]

Later life and career

He served as a member of the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sports Ground Trust from July 1961 to December 1989, and was Chairman of the Trust during its significant expansion period from 1977 to 1989. Until John Robertson's resignation in 2014, Hills was the only New South Wales Labor Leader not to have been premier since World War II.

Hills died in Sydney and was cremated with his ashes interred at Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens.

Honours

Hills was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 1988 Australia Day Honours.[4]

The suburb of Hillsdale, New South Wales is named after Hills.

References

1. "The Hon. Patrick Darcy Hills (1917-1992)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
2. "Patrick Darcy Hills". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
3. http://www.smh.com.au/comment/a-real-city-needs-more-than-just-tying-up-loose-ends-20141217-128zdi.html
4. "HILLS, Patrick Darcy - Officer of the Order of Australia". It's an Honour database. Australian Government. 26 January 1988. Retrieved 10 April 2018. For service to the New South Wales Parliament and to local government.

Government offices
Preceded by William Parker Henson	Chairman of the Sydney County Council 1952 – 1954	Succeeded by Harry Jensen
Civic offices
Preceded by Ernest Charles O'Dea	Lord Mayor of Sydney 1952 – 1956	Succeeded by Harry Jensen
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Tom Shannon	Member for Phillip 1954 – 1981	District abolished
New district	Member for Elizabeth 1981 – 1988	District abolished
Political offices
Preceded by Jack Renshaw	Minister for Local Government 1959 – 1965	Succeeded by Pat Morton
	Minister for Highways 1959 – 1965
Preceded by Jack Renshaw	Deputy Premier of New South Wales 1964 – 1965	Succeeded by Charles Cutler
Preceded by Jack Renshaw	Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales 1968 – 1973	Succeeded by Neville Wran
Preceded by George Freudenstein	Minister for Mines 1976 – 1978	Succeeded by Ron Mulock as Minister for Mineral Resources and Development
	Minister for Energy 1976 – 1981	Succeeded by Paul Landa
Preceded by Paul Landa	Minister for Industrial Relations 1976 – 1988	Succeeded by John Fahey as Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment
New title	Minister for Technology 1978 – 1980	Succeeded by Ron Mulock
Preceded by Ron Mulock	Minister for Technology 1981 – 1984	Succeeded by George Paciullo
Preceded by George Paciullo	Minister for Roads 1984	Succeeded by Laurie Brereton
Preceded by Bob Debus	Minister for Employment 1986 – 1988	Succeeded by John Fahey as Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment
Party political offices
Preceded by Jack Renshaw	Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party (NSW Branch) 1964 – 1968	Succeeded by Syd Einfeld
Preceded by Jack Renshaw	Leader of the Australian Labor Party (NSW Branch) 1968 – 1973	Succeeded by Neville Wran