Bob Halverson

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OBE
22nd Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
In office
30 April 1996 – 3 March 1998
Preceded byStephen Martin
Succeeded byIan Sinclair
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Casey
In office
1 December 1984 – 31 August 1998
Preceded byPeter Steedman
Succeeded byMichael Wooldridge
Personal details
Born(1937-10-22)22 October 1937
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Robert George Halverson,

Ambassador to Ireland
from 1998 to 2003.

Early life

Halverson was born on 22 October 1937 in Springvale, Victoria. He was the son of Elizabeth Gretta (née Ordner) and Herbert Martinius Halverson. His father worked as an electrician at a meatworks in Footscray. His paternal grandfather Bendik Halverson was a Norwegian sailor who arrived in Australia in the 1870s.[1]

Halverson was educated at Geelong Road Primary School and

Footscray Technical College.[1] 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.[2] He left school in 1953 and began an apprenticeship as an industrial chemist.[1]

Air force career

Halverson served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from 1956 to 1981, attaining the rank of group captain.[3] He enlisted as an airman, but was selected to join the Officer Cadet School where he topped his year. His first posting was to RAAF Base Townsville, where an explosion left him deaf in one ear and ended his ambitions to become a pilot. He was subsequently transferred back to Melbourne where he worked in supply and equipment.[1]

In 1966, Halverson moved to Washington, D.C., in connection with the RAAF's purchase of

Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1978.[3] Halverson retired from the RAAF in 1981.[1]

Politics

Halverson was elected to federal parliament at the

Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives under the new party leader John Hewson.[4] He was stripped of the position when his relationship with Hewson broke down after the 1993 election defeat,[6] but regained it in May 1994 when Alexander Downer became leader. He subsequently assumed the title Chief Opposition Whip.[4]

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.[4][7] He usually wore the Speaker's traditional gown, but without the wig.

Later life

Halverson retired from politics at the

Australian Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See, which he remained until 2003 when he was succeeded by John Herron.[8] He died of cancer in 2016.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Brett, Judith (2021). "Halverson, Robert George (Bob) (1937–2016)". Biographical Dictionary of the Australian House of Representatives.
  2. The Melbourne Herald
    . 1 July 1954.
  3. ^ a b "An OBE for RAF service". The Canberra Times. 25 January 1978.
  4. ^ a b c d "Biography for HALVERSON, the Hon. Robert George, OBE". Australian Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  5. ^ "MP cries 'baby', MP writes 'sexist'". The Canberra Times. 29 November 1989.
  6. ^ "A burly Bob refuses to baulk in battle, and wins". The Canberra Times. 2 September 1993.
  7. ^ "Speaker of the House should not be a party's political pawn". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 November 2013.
  8. ^ Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  9. ^ "Ex-federal speaker Bob Halverson dies". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Speaker of the House of Representatives
1996–1998 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for Casey
1984–1998 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Australian Ambassador to Ireland

1998–2003 		Succeeded by
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