Jump to content

Morris Iemma: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Line 20: Line 20:
|}}
|}}


'''Morris Iemma''' (pronounced Yemma) (born [[21 July]] [[1961]]), is an [[Australia]]n politician who was the [[Premiers of New South Wales|Premier of New South Wales]] from [[3 August]] [[2005]] until his resignation on [[5 September]] [[2008]].
'''Morris Iemma''' (pronounced Yemma) (born [[21 July]] [[1961]]), is an [[Australia]]n politician who was the [[Premiers of New South Wales|Premier of New South Wales]] from [[3 August]] [[2005]] until his ousting on [[5 September]] [[2008]].


== Background ==
== Background ==

Revision as of 01:19, 6 September 2008

Morris Iemma
40th Premier of New South Wales
In office
3 August 2005 – 5 September 2008
DeputyJohn Watkins
Preceded byBob Carr
Succeeded byNathan Rees
ConstituencyLakemba
Personal details
Born (1961-07-21) 21 July 1961 (age 63)
Sydney, New South Wales
Political partyAustralian Labor Party
SpouseSantina Raiti
ProfessionUnion official and adviser

Morris Iemma (pronounced Yemma) (born 21 July 1961), is an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 3 August 2005 until his ousting on 5 September 2008.

Background

Iemma was born in Sydney, the only child of Giuseppe and Maria Iemma, migrants from Martone, Calabria, Italy. Maria Iemma worked in the clothing trade, and Giuseppe Iemma, a Communist[1][2] supporter in Italy, worked as a machine labourer. Morris joined the Australian Labor Party when he was 16. He was educated at state schools in Sydney, including the now-closed Narwee Boys' High School, and has an economics degree from the University of Sydney and a law degree from the University of Technology, Sydney.

In 1997 Iemma married Santina Raiti, with whom he has four young children.

Iemma is a member of the dominant right-wing faction of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party. From 1984 to 1986 he was an official with the Commonwealth Bank Employees Union. He then worked as an adviser to Senator Graham Richardson who held the environment and social security portfolios in the Bob Hawke and Paul Keating federal governments.

Parliamentary career

In 1991 Iemma was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the seat of Hurstville, defeating a sitting Liberal member, with the slogan "A local who listens". When the seat of Hurstville was abolished in 1999, he won a tough pre-selection battle for the safe seat of Lakemba, which included part of the old seat of Hurstville. Iemma has held Lakemba ever since.

Iemma was Minister for Public Works and Services and Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship (1999-2003), and as Minister for Sport and Recreation (2001-2003), and was Minister for Health (2003-2005). His tenure as Health Minister was generally free of major controversy, although he has said of the Health portfolio: "it is one of the biggest and most difficult jobs in government".

Premier

Morris Iemma gives a speech at Liverpool Hospital on 2 February 2006

When Bob Carr announced his intention to retire as New South Wales Premier on 3 August 2005, Iemma immediately announced his candidacy to succeed him as leader of the NSW Labor Party and thus as Premier. Police Minister Carl Scully was also a candidate, but on 29 July he withdrew. Iemma was the only candidate when the Labor Caucus met on 2 August to elect a new leader. He was formally appointed by Professor Marie Bashir, the Governor of New South Wales, on 3 August.

Iemma immediately faced a number of resignations. Deputy Premier and Treasurer Andrew Refshauge, and senior minister Craig Knowles, once considered a potential leader himself, both declared they would leave politics. Iemma took the Treasury portfolio for himself. Among his first policy moves as new Premier, Iemma announced the immediate repealing of the vendor tax (a tax on investment property) that was introduced by the Carr government in 2003.

Opinion polls in August showed that Labor under Iemma's leadership was maintaining the lead over the Liberal opposition it had enjoyed under Carr, despite Iemma's relatively low profile. His short-term position was improved by the sudden resignation of Liberal leader John Brogden. This was seen in the results of the by-elections on 17 September caused by the resignation from Parliament of Carr, Refshauge and Knowles.

Labor retained all three seats - Maroubra (Carr's seat) very easily, Macquarie Fields (Knowles's seat) comfortably, despite a substantial swing to the Liberals, and Marrickville (Refshauge's seat) despite a strong challenge from the Australian Greens. In Marrickville, where the Labor candidate was Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt (switching from the Legislative Council), the Labor primary vote increased in the absence of a Liberal Party candidate. [citation needed]

Despite its relatively short term in office, the Iemma Government has faced significant service delivery problems in transport, health care and future water supplies. Sydney newspapers have consistently asserted that his government is more interested in "spin" than policy development.[3] Other embarrassments beset his premiership. For example, in February 2006, while awaiting the start of a COAG media conference in Canberra, while chatting to Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and not realising cameras were operating, Iemma was recorded as saying "Today? This fuckwit who's the new CEO of the Cross City Tunnel has ... been saying what controversy? There is no controversy."[4] Nevertheless, in the months leading up to his first election as Labor leader, he maintained a comfortable lead in various opinion polls and was re-elected in the March 2007 election.[5] Labor was returned with 52 seats compared to 35 for the Coalition.

On 15 July, after several failures on the NSW rail system, Iemma claimed that the government was at war with rail unions.[6]

In November, 2007 the Iemma government lifted the ban on genetically modified canola production and started the process of privatising the state's electricity system.

On 3 May 2008 the New South Wales ALP's State Conference rejected the Iemma government's plans to privatise the state's electricity system by 702 to 107 votes.[7]

Resignation

On 5 September 2008, Iemma announced his resignation as Premier after losing support of caucus over his removal of Treasurer Michael Costa.[8] Iemma was replaced by Nathan Rees.[9]

Later that day, Iemma also announced his resignation as the Member for Lakemba and will leave politics entirely.[10]

References

  1. ^ Marr, David (March 17 2007). "Suburban son rises". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2007-03-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Totaro, Paola (April 21 2003). "Out of the shadows". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-05-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Failure to shoot straight derails Iemma". nineMSN.
  4. ^ "Anger good, swearing bad: Iemma". The Age. 2006-02-11.
  5. ^ "Iemma 'hopeful' of victory". Sydney Morning Herald. 2007-03-24.
  6. ^ "Rail unions under pressure". The Daily Telegraph.
  7. ^ "NSW electricity privatisation bid rejected". ABC News Online. 2008-05-03.
  8. ^ "NSW Premier Morris Iemma resigns". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-09-05. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Nathan Rees confirmed as new NSW Premier". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-09-05. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Iemma leaves politics". ABC News. 2008-09-05.
Political offices
Preceded by Premier of New South Wales
2005 – 2008 		Succeeded by


Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Morris_Iemma&oldid=236565820"