Great Moments in Politics

"Worst Premier ever?"
Tasmania
November, 1981

Spare a thought for Harry Holgate, possibly the most useless State leader in the history of this great country. Launching a coup to unseat Tasmanian Premier Doug Lowe must have seemed like a great idea at the time - Holgate was a fervent pro-dam MP (something to do with the union s who told him that turning the whole island into one would be a good idea) but the Premier wasn't so keen on them.
Unsurprisingly the union heavyweights pulled the right strings and his challenge was successful. On November 11, 1981 he was sworn in as the new State Premier. The only thing he'd failed to consider was that if the man he had shafted jumped ship the Parliament became hung, and when Lowe devotee MP Mary Willey joined him in exile the ALP no longer had the numbers in the house.

In a mad attempt to avoid a no-confidence motion he kept the Parliament from sitting for as long as he could possibly manage. After seven weeks it started to look quite ridiculous and he was forced to front up, where the motion was immediately moved and passed.

His Parliamentary career as Premier had lasted one day.

Labor were gutted at the May State Election and the Liberal Government of Robin Gray took office. Harry's term of office lasted from 11 November 1981 to 26 May 1982 - a total of 156 days, and he was lucky to get that. Holgate remained in Parliament until 1992 and passed away on March 16, 1997.

Harold Norman Holgate - we salute you.