Kevin Lyons
Kevin Lyons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd Deputy Premier of Tasmania | |
| In office 26 May 1969 – 14 March 1972 | |
| Premier | Angus Bethune |
| Preceded by | Roy Fagan |
| Succeeded by | Merv Everett |
| 18th Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly | |
| In office 29 October 1956 – 1 June 1959 | |
| Preceded by | Horace Strutt |
| Succeeded by | Charley Aylett |
| Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Braddon (Darwin until 1956) | |
| In office 21 August 1948 – 22 April 1972 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kevin Orchard Lyons 7 February 1923 Liberal Party (1948–1966) Independent (1966–1969) |
| Relations | Joseph Lyons (father) Enid Lyons (mother) Brendan Lyons (brother) Kevin Lyons Jr. (son) |
Kevin Orchard Lyons (7 February 1923 – 24 May 2000) was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly representing the seat of Darwin (later renamed Braddon).
Biography
Early life
Born in 1923 in Hobart, he was the son of Joseph Lyons (who would go on to become Premier of Tasmania and later Prime Minister of Australia) and Enid Lyons (who would become the first woman elected to the Australian House of Representatives), and brother of Tasmanian politician Brendan Lyons.
Political career
Lyons was elected to the House of Assembly for the
On 7 September 1966, Lyons resigned from the Liberal Party after a dispute arose over preselection for the upcoming election. He sat as an independent until 1969, when he pulled together the remains of the
Death
Lyons died in Melbourne on 24 May 2000. A condolence motion was read in the House the next day.[1]
His son Kevin Lyons Jr. was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2018.[4]
Role in gambling in Tasmania
In his book, Losing Streak, published in 2017, historian James Boyce alleges that Lyons accepted the position of Deputy Premier in order to ensure his vote on the establishment of the casino at Wrest Point.[5]
He then quit parliament, triggering a new election, which was won by the Liberal Party. After quitting he was offered a huge amount ($250,000 in today's money) by Federal Hotels and British Tobacco as an advance for a book that was never written. He also set up a public relations company, even though he had no experience in it, and his first and primary client was Federal Hotels.[5] In Federal Hotels' case, the motive is suggested to have been the protection of its casino monopoly in Tasmania.[6]
The outcome of the election that was triggered in 1972 ultimately led to the creation of the second casino in Launceston, and the introduction of poker machines into the casinos, and then the spreading of pokies into pubs and clubs. It also had a hand in handing the monopoly of these machines to the Federal Group.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Lyons, Kevin Orchard". Members of the Parliament of Tasmania. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ On This Day: A Tasmanian Political Almanac, Parliament of Tasmania.
- ^ Pearce, Garney: Bethune Memorial, Stateline (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 27 August 2004.
- ^ "Appointment - Kevin Lyons QC". Victorian Bar. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Tasmania got gamed". The Monthly. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ Markham, Francis; Kinder, Barbara; Young, Martin (5 April 2017). "Pokies, politics and profits: How Federal Hotels monopolised Tasmania's one-armed bandits". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ISBN 9781863959100.