Arthur Tonkin (politician)

The Honourable Arthur Tonkin
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia
In office 20 February 1971 – 30 March 1974
Preceded by	Doug Cash
Succeeded by	None (seat abolished)
Constituency	Mirrabooka
In office 30 March 1974 – 19 February 1983
Preceded by	None (new seat)
Succeeded by	None (seat abolished)
Constituency	Morley
In office 19 February 1983 – 18 March 1987
Preceded by	None (new seat)
Succeeded by	Frank Donovan
Constituency	Morley-Swan
Personal details
Born	21 January 1930 Kelmscott, Western Australia, Australia
Political party	Liberal
Alma mater	University of Western Australia

Arthur Raymond Tonkin (born 21 January 1930) is a former Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1971 to 1987. He was a minister in the government of Brian Burke.

Tonkin was born in Perth to Florence May (née Cole) and Norman Sedrick Tonkin. He studied at the University of Western Australia and Claremont Teachers College, and subsequently worked as a teacher (both in the metropolitan area and in the country).^[1] A member of the State School Teachers Union, Tonkin was elected to parliament at the 1971 state election, winning the seat of Mirrabooka from the Liberal Party's Doug Cash. His seat was abolished at the 1974 election, and he successfully transferred to the new seat of Morley.^[2] Tonkin was elevated to shadow cabinet after the 1977 election, and would serve under three leaders of the opposition (Colin Jamieson, Ron Davies, and Brian Burke).^[1]

At a redistribution prior to the 1983 state election, Tonkin's seat was abolished and replaced with the new seat of Morley-Swan.^[1] After the election, which Labor won, he was made Minister for Water Resources, Minister for Consumer Affairs, and Minister for Parliamentary and Electoral Reform, as well as Leader of the House.^[1] He lost the consumer affairs portfolio to Peter Dowding in December 1983, having presented "too hardline an image" in his dealings with business.^[3] In a reshuffle after the 1986 election, Tonkin lost the electoral reform portfolio to Mal Bryce, but replaced Jeff Carr as Minister for Police and Emergency Services. However, he resigned from the ministry less than three months later, and resigned from parliament altogether in March 1987.^[1]

References

1. Arthur Raymond Tonkin – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
2. Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.
3. Gallop, Geoff (June 1984). "Australian Political Chronicle: July-December 1983". Australian Journal of Politics and History. 30 (2): 274. ISSN 0004-9522.