John Bannon

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = John Bannon
honorific-suffix = AO


imagesize =
small

caption =
order = 39th Premier of South Australia
Elections: 1982, 1985, 1989
office =
term_start = November 10 1982
term_end = September 4 1992
deputy =
predecessor = David Tonkin
successor = Lynn Arnold
constituency = Ross Smith
birth_date = birth date and age|1943|5|7|df=y
birth_place = Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
death_date =
death_place =
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
birthname = John Charles Bannon
nationality = Australian
party = Australian Labor Party

John Charles Bannon AO (born May 7, 1943) was the Labor Premier of South Australia between November 10, 1982 and September 4, 1992. Bannon was born in Bendigo, Victoria and completed degrees in Arts and Law at the University of Adelaide. While at university, he was co-editor of the student newspaper On Dit along with Ken Scott and Jacqui Dibden in 1964. In 1968, he was elected president of the Australian Union of Students. Following the completion of his studies, he was an advisor to various governments, including Gough Whitlam's ministry.

He was elected to Ross Smith in the South Australian House of Assembly at the 1977 and promoted to cabinet within a year. Following the resignation of Premier Don Dunstan and Labor's loss in the 1979 election, Bannon was elected to the Labor leadership. Despite factional struggles within the party, Bannon managed to return Labor to government in the 1982 election with a 5.9% swing, stressing the continuation of prudent budgetary measures that had begun under David Tonkin and emphasising the economic development of the state.

Bannon's consensual approach to government differed markedly from the Dunstan era. While then there had been a stream of social reform, Bannon's priorities were oriented elsewhere. He sold land reserved for freeways under the MATS plan, continued with the development of the Olympic Dam uranium mine, constructed South Australia's first casino and brought the Grand Prix to Adelaide.

The economic situation, moribund in the early 80s, rebounded, and Bannon's government was easily re-elected in 1985, achieving a mild 2% swing towards them from the Liberal opposition.

However, the economy experienced another downturn, and Bannon was stung in the 1989 election, gaining only 48.1% of the two-party-preferred vote and relying on the support of Labor independents to govern. Shortly thereafter, electoral legislation was passed that attempted to ensure that a party that won 50% of the two-party-preferred vote would gain office, through a compulsory strategic redrawing of electoral boundaries before each election.

Following relevations of budgetary irregularities in 1990, it was discovered that the government's State Bank had accumulated a $7 billion debt and the treasury had been underwriting deposits. Bannon's government was then forced to borrow $3.5 billion in order to protect the savings of South Australians in the midst of the bank's collapse. Bannon stepped down from the offices of Premier and Treasurer and announced that he would not contest his seat of Ross Smith in the coming election. Lynn Arnold replaced Bannon, but Labor suffered a 9.1% swing against them in 1993 and were left with only 10 seats in a house of 47.

After retiring from politics, the ABC offered a directorial position to Bannon in 1994 which he accepted. With an interest in South Australian history, he researches at Flinders University. He was Master of St Mark's College from 2000 to 2007. On Australia Day 2007, he was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia. [ [http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1133686&search_type=quick&showInd=true It's an Honour] - Officer of the Order of Australia]

Bannon is the stepfather of Australian television personality Dylan Lewis. [Citation | last =Zwar | first =Adam | title =Dylan Lewis's Dog Day Afternoon | newspaper =Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne), Sunday Magazine | pages =Z10 | year =2001 | date =27/05/2001]

References

*cite book|last=Jaensch |first=Dean |year=1986 |title=The Flinders History of South Australia: Political History |publisher=Wakefield Press |id=ISBN 0-9492-6852-5
* Parkin, Andrew and Patience, Allan (1992). "The Bannon Decade: The Politics of Restraint in South Australia". Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-366-3.
*When the state's assets fell into a black hole. The Advertiser (Adelaide). 11-04-2006
* [http://www.abc.net.au/elections/sa/2006/guide/pastelec.htm Past Elections, Australian Broadcasting Corporation.] Accessed January 17 2007
* [http://www2.parliament.sa.gov.au/static/pp/html/bannon.htm Past Premier: John Bannon. SA Parliament.] Accessed January 17 2007

Notes

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