John Bannon

John Bannon
John Bannon
Born	John Charles Bannon; 7 May 1943 (age 83); Bendigo, Australia
Died	13 December 2015 (aged 72)
Occupation(s)	Statesman, scholar, academic
Years active	1977–1993 (politics)
Known for	39th Premier of South Australia

John Charles Bannon (7 May 1943 – 13 December 2015) was an Australian statesman and scholar who held the position of the 39th Premier of South Australia. He steered the South Australian division of the Australian Labor Party from opposition into government following the 1982 election.

His administration achieved a stronger mandate in the 1985 election but was relegated to a minority government status after the 1989 election. By 1992, Bannon had become both Labor’s longest-serving Premier and South Australia’s second longest-serving head of government. His leadership concluded amid the fallout from the State Bank collapse, leading to his resignation as Premier and his exit from parliament in the wake of the 1993 electoral defeat. Outside his political career, Bannon was also a respected academic and held the position of Head at St Mark's College.

Early life

Born in Bendigo, Bannon was the son of Charles Bannon, an acclaimed artist. He attended East Adelaide Primary School and later St Peter's College in Adelaide, where his father served as an art instructor. In 1961, he was awarded the prestigious Tennyson Medal. He pursued Arts and Law degrees at the University of Adelaide, during which time he co-edited the student publication On Dit in 1964. His leadership roles included serving as president of the Adelaide University Student Representative Council (1966–67), Adelaide University Union (1969–71), and also leading the National Union of Australian University Students (1968). Following his studies, he provided advisory services to several governments, including that of Whitlam.

Political career

Bannon secured election to the seat of Ross Smith in the South Australian House of Assembly at the 1977 election, joining cabinet within a year thereafter. Upon Premier Don Dunstan’s resignation and Labor’s defeat in 1979, Bannon assumed leadership of the party. Despite internal factional disputes, he leveraged economic difficulties under the Tonkin Liberal government to lead Labor back into power during the 1982 election, achieving a 5.9 percent two-party swing and a slim one-seat majority.

His administration prioritized economic growth, overseeing significant projects such as developing the Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine, expanding submarine building and defense industries, establishing the Hyatt and Adelaide Casino complex, transforming part of Adelaide railway station into the Adelaide Convention Centre, and constructing the O-Bahn Busway between 1983 and 1989, including its extension to Tea Tree Gully. The government also succeeded in bringing the Australian Grand Prix to Adelaide and sold land designated under the Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study (MATS) plan. The introduction of poker machines occurred during this period—a policy decision that Bannon later expressed regret over. Additionally, his government pursued urban renewal efforts alongside initiatives aimed at protecting local vegetation.

By 1983–84, economic conditions had improved markedly, facilitating Bannon’s re-election at the 1985 election with a 2.2 percent two-party swing and an enhanced four-seat majority. However, economic downturns returned during the late-1980s recession. At the 1989 election, Labor received 48 percent of the two-party vote—a decline of 5.2 percent—resulting in a hung parliament with both major parties holding 22 seats each. Labor formed a minority government supported by two independents, Martyn Evans and Norm Peterson; Peterson assumed the role of Speaker.

In response to this outcome, electoral reforms were introduced requiring that parties winning over half of the statewide two-party vote must secure a majority of seats through strategic boundary redistributions prior to each election—an approach unique to South Australia. This reform preserved single-member districts in place of multi-member electorates. Bannon was only the second Labor Premier after Dunstan (in 1977) to be re-elected for a third term in South Australia. In April 1988, he was elected Federal President of the Labor Party, a position he held until June 1991.

State Bank and resignation

The board of the State Bank of South Australia and managing director Tim Marcus Clark were found to have made poor lending choices. As the bank's proprietor, the government had guaranteed loans totaling $3 billion. Despite this, Bannon continued as Premier through three separate investigations, with the final two clearing him of intentional misconduct. When he stepped down, he declared he would not seek re-election for his Ross Smith seat. His successor, Lynn Arnold, was unable to avoid a significant defeat in the 1993 election, where Labor garnered only 39.1% of the two-party vote, suffering an 8.9% swing against it and holding just 10 out of 47 seats. Although Ross Smith was retained, it experienced a primary vote swing of 16% and nearly an 11% two-party preferred swing away from Labor.

Later life

In 1994, Bannon was appointed as a director by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He dedicated himself to researching South Australian history at Flinders University, where he completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Australian political history and held a professorship. Additionally, he served as an adjunct professor at the University of Adelaide Law School and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the university in 2014. Between 2000 and 2007, he held the position of Master at St Mark's College in Adelaide. On Australia Day in 2007, he was honored as an Officer of the Order of Australia. In 2009, he published Supreme Federalist: The political life of Sir John Downer.

Personal life

Bannon's first marriage was to Supreme Court Justice Robyn Layton, with whom he had one daughter named Victoria. His second wife, Angela, is the mother of musician and television personality Dylan Lewis. His younger brother Nicholas passed away in Wilpena Pound in 1959.

A passionate runner, Bannon completed the Adelaide Marathon 28 times, achieving sub-three-hour finishes on eleven occasions. His personal best was a time of 2:44:34 during the 1983 Adelaide Marathon while serving as Premier.

Death

Bannon passed away from cancer on 13 December 2015 at the age of 72, remaining engaged in activities until shortly before his death. He was commemorated with a state funeral held on 21 December 2015.

References

Jaensch, Dean (1986). The Flinders History of South Australia: Political History. Wakefield Press. ISBN 0-949268-52-6.
Parkin, Andrew and Patience, Allan (1992). The Bannon Decade: The Politics of Restraint in South Australia. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-366-3.
"When the state's assets fell into a black hole." The Advertiser (Adelaide). 11–04–2006
Past Elections, Australian Broadcasting Corporation; accessed 17 January 2007

External links

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