Dick Hamer : the liberal Liberal

AUSTRALIANA - POLITICS - BIOGRAPHY -He was the reforming leader who made Victoria a leader in social equality, the arts, and the environment. He and his government built the underground rail loop, decriminalised homosexuality, abolished capital punishment, and outlawed sexual discrimination in the workplace. Hamer and his team ended the demolition of the inner suburbs, preserved the best of the state's buildings and landscapes, and set aside large areas of diverse ecosystems as national parks. They gave Melbourne key infrastructure such as the West Gate Bridge and the Thomson Dam, extended the city's tramlines for the first time in half a century, and built art galleries, libraries, and theatres all over the state. Yet Dick Hamer was a Liberal: a Toorak boy educated at Victoria's best schools, who served for years under the conservative Sir Henry Bolte before taking the reins himself and making the Liberal Party a spearhead of reform from 1972 to 1981. Hamer was a different kind of politician. He was intelligent, fair-minded, courteous, and hard-working, and governed with the long-term interests of his people in mind. He never tried to manufacture issues or direct debates for short-term political gain. Victorians recognised this, and elected him three times in a row as their premier, the last Liberal premier in Australia to have achieved this feat. He stands as the exemplar of important qualities in the Liberal tradition. Dick Hamer: the liberal Liberal is the first biography to be written of this remarkable man, who so embodied a quality now lacking in our public life: integrity. xiv, 505 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 21 cm #090325 Hamer, Rupert Sir, 1916-2004 Liberal Party of Australia. Victorian Division Premiers -- Victoria -- Biography Politicians -- Victoria -- Biography Victoria -- Politics and government -- 1976-1990 Australian Elizabeth's Bookshops have been one of Australia's premier independent book dealers since 1973. Elizabeth's family-owned business operates four branches in Perth CBD, Fremantle (WA), and Newtown (NSW). All orders are dispatched within 24 hours from our Fremantle Warehouse. All items can be viewed at Elizabeth's Bookshop Warehouse, 23 Queen Victoria Street\, Fremantle WA.…