The Honourable
Wal Fife
Manager of Opposition Business
In office
14 August 1987 – 23 May 1992
Preceded byJohn Spender
Succeeded byWarwick Smith
Minister for Aviation
In office
7 May 1982 – 11 March 1983
Preceded byCharles Jones
Succeeded byKim Beazley
Minister for Education
In office
8 December 1979 – 7 May 1982
Preceded byJohn Carrick
Succeeded byPeter Baume
Minister for Consumer Affairs
In office
17 July 1977 – 8 December 1979
Preceded byJohn Howard
Succeeded byVictor Garland
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Farrer (1975-1984) & Hume (1984-1993)
In office
13 December 1975 – 8 February 1993
Preceded byDavid Fairbairn (Farrer)
Stephen Lusher (Hume)
Succeeded byTim Fischer (Farrer)
John Sharp (Hume)
Minister for Mines & Transport
In office
22 June 1967 – 10 October 1975
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for Wagga Wagga
In office
14 December 1957 – 15 October 1975
Preceded byEdgar Graham
Succeeded byJoe Schipp
Personal details
Born
Wallace Clyde Fife

(1929-10-02)2 October 1929
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Died16 November 2017(2017-11-16) (aged 88)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory[1]
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal Party
SpouseMarcia Hargreaves Stanley
ChildrenTwo daughters; two sons.
OccupationBusinessman

Wallace Clyde Fife (2 October 1929 – 16 November 2017) was an Australian politician and minister in the New South Wales Government and Federal Government.

Early life

Fife was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, and was educated at Wagga Wagga Public School, Wagga Wagga and Canberra Grammar School. In 1948 he started working in the federal secretariat of the Liberal Party and in 1949 he joined his family business, Fifes Produce Pty Ltd, in Wagga Wagga. He married Marcia Hargreaves Stanley in May 1952 and they had two daughters and two sons.[2]

Political career

Fife was elected as the member for Wagga Wagga in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1957. He was Minister for Mines from June 1967 to January 1975, Minister for Conservation from March 1971 to June 1972, Minister for Power from June 1972 to January 1975 and Minister for Transport and Minister for Highways from January 1975 until his retirement from the New South Wales Parliament in October 1975.[2] The member for the federal seat of Farrer David Fairbairn had announced his resignation and Fife was pre-selected as the Liberal candidate for the next federal election.[3][4]

Fife was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the member for Farrer at the election on 13 December 1975. He was Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs from July 1977 to December 1979, Minister for Education from December 1979 to May 1982 and Minister for Aviation from May 1982 until the defeat of the Fraser government at the March 1983 election. Following an electoral distribution that moved Wagga Wagga into the Division of Hume, he stood for and won that seat at the 1984 election. His role in Opposition included a stint as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives between May 1989 and April 1990, since Liberal deputy leader Fred Chaney was still a Senator. He retired from parliament prior to the 1993 election.[5]

Honours

Notes

  1. ^ Lindbeck, Jody (16 November 2017). "Former minister Wal Fife has died". The Daily Advertiser.
  2. ^ a b c "The Hon. Wallace Clyde Fife (1929–2017)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Minister for pre-selection". The Canberra Times. 13 August 1975. p. 3. Retrieved 10 October 2021 – via Trove.
  4. ^ "Endorsed". The Canberra Times. 11 September 1975. p. 3. Retrieved 10 October 2021 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "Biography for Fife, the Hon. Wallace Clyde". ParlInfo Web. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Centenary Medal entry for The Hon Wallace Clyde Fife". It's an Honour, Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 28 November 2019.

 

Parliament of New South Wales Political offices VacantTitle last held byJack FitzGerald Assistant Minister for Education 1965–1967 VacantTitle next held byBob Debus Preceded byTom Lewis Minister for Mines 1967 – 1975 Succeeded byGeorge Freudensteinas Minister for MinesMinister for Energy New title Minister for Power 1972 – 1975 Preceded byJack Beale Minister for Conservation 1971–1972 Succeeded byGeorge Freudenstein Preceded byGeorge Freudenstein Assistant Treasurer 1972–1975 Succeeded byMax Ruddock Preceded byMilton Morris Minister for Transport 1975 Preceded byCharles Cutler Minister for Highways 1975 New South Wales Legislative Assembly Preceded byEddie Graham Member for Wagga Wagga 1957–1975 Succeeded byJoe Schipp Parliament of Australia Political offices Preceded byJohn Howard Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs 1977–1979 Succeeded byVictor Garland Preceded byJohn Carrick Minister for Education 1979–1982 Succeeded byPeter Baume Preceded byCharles Jones Minister for Aviation 1982–1983 Succeeded byKim Beazley Australian House of Representatives Preceded byDavid Fairbairn Member for Farrer 1975–1984 Succeeded byTim Fischer Preceded byStephen Lusher Member for Hume 1984–1993 Succeeded byJohn Sharp
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