Bevan Lawrence

Bevan Ernest Lawrence, a retired Western Australian barrister and political campaigner, is the older brother of Carmen Lawrence, a former premier of Western Australia. In the 1980s he was a convenor of two notable lobby groups that influenced the course of government at federal and state levels.

Education and profession

Lawrence attended Aquinas College and studied law at the University of Western Australia, graduating in 1966. He commenced practising in 1968, specialising in insurance law.

Political activism

In 1987, he was a spokesperson for People Against the Australia Card, a lobby group he founded with Professor Martyn Webb, which organised a public rally of over 40,000 people through the centre of Perth in September 1987 in a synchronised national protest that led to abandonment of the relevant legislation by the Hawke Government. The issue had been a trigger for the 1987 double-dissolution election.^[1]

People for Fair and Open Government (PFOG) was established by Lawrence in 1989^[2] shortly after the re-election of a Labor state government led by Peter Dowding earlier that year. Group members included Paddy O'Brien,^[3] who was a celebrated public figure of the group.^[4]

The group was formed after earlier Labor governments, led by Brian Burke, had made improper deals with business groups, a situation commonly referred to as WA Inc. By early 1990 Carmen Lawrence had replaced Dowding as premier^[5] and the terms of reference for an inquiry into the dealings were delivered to her by PFOG in mid-1990; a Royal Commission of Inquiry was announced in November the same year.^[6]

The public stances by the brother and sister over issues created a trail of news stories about them.^[7][8]

In 1991 Lawrence published what he regarded as a conservative itemisation of the government's actual losses. The total he estimated as A$877 million.^[9]:p389

Lawrence also wrote reviews of books about corruption and government at the time, in other Australian states such as Queensland.^[10]

Lawrence was regularly mentioned in federal politicians' comments about the Royal Commission, as well as political overviews of the era.^[11][12][13]

As a long term resident of Nedlands he has been instrumental in supporting sport in his area as well as being a councillor of the City of Nedlands.^[14][15] He also kept up public arguments with the status quo well into the late stages of his career.^[16]

References

1. Nolan, Tanya (9 June 2003). "Constitutional and electoral experts concerned over proposed Senate reforms". The World Today. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
2. "Lawyers will try to defeat WA Government". The Canberra Times. 21 October 1989. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
3. Lawrence, Bevan (2002), "Paddy's vision and the campaign to expose and combat WA Inc", Power and Freedom in Modern Politics: 89–104,231,243–248, ISBN 978-1-876268-79-4
4. Moon, Jeremy; Stone, Bruce, 1953- (2002), Power and freedom in modern politics, University of Western Australia Press, ISBN 978-1-876268-79-4
5. "Dowding returns for showdown WA Premier begins battle to save his job". The Canberra Times. 64, (20,026). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 9 February 1990. p. 2. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.—noting the article cites Bevan Lawrence as leads an anti-government lobby group
6. Lawrence, Bevan. "W.A. Inc.: Why Didn't We Hear The Alarm Bells?". Samuel Griffith Society. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
7. Thompson, Glenda (1990-06-12), "Feud in the west: Lawrence v Lawrence", Bulletin (Sydney) (12 June 1990): 98–101, ISSN 1440-7485
8. "Siblings wrestle WA constitution". The Canberra Times. 64, (20,113). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 May 1990. p. 4. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
9. O'Brien P. and Webb M. The Executive State--WA Inc & The Constitution, Constitutional Press (Perth) 1991. ISBN 0-646-04875-9;
10. Lawrence, Bevan (1991-06-01), "Corruption and Reform: The Fitzgerald Vision", University of Western Australia Law Review, University of Western Australia (Australia), 21 (n1): 201–204, ISSN 0042-0328 of the book Queensland. Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct; Prasser, Scott (ed.); Prasser, Scott, 1954-; Nethercote, J. R. (John Raymond); Wear, Rae, 1950- (1990), Corruption and reform : the Fitzgerald vision, University of Queensland Press, ISBN 978-0-7022-2234-4
11. The Lawrence Government: Perspective by David Black at john.curtin.edu.au
12. Western Australia. Royal Commission into Commercial Activities of Government and Other Matters; Wilson, Roland Darling, Sir; Kennedy, G. A; Brinsden, Peter Frederick; Government of Western Australia (1992), Report of the Royal Commission into Commercial Activities of Government and other Matters, Government Printer, retrieved 30 October 2016
13. Stone, Bruce (1993), "Accountability reform in Australia: the WA Inc Royal Commission in context", Australian Quarterly, 65 (2): 17–30, ISSN 0005-0091
14. Bevan protecting his turf Western Suburbs Weekly at Pressreader, 17 November 2015
15. Bevan Lawrence—a sense of belonging through sport at City of Nedlands website
16. Sunday Trade Is a Health Hazard at The West Australian, 9 August 2011