Alan Carpenter
Alan Carpenter | |
|---|---|
%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22middle%22%20fill%3D%22%2354595d%22%20font-size%3D%2216%22%20font-family%3D%22sans-serif%22%3EPhotograph%20of%20Carpenter%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) Carpenter delivering a speech at Kings Park in 2006 | |
| 28th Premier of Western Australia | |
| In office 25 January 2006 – 23 September 2008 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Ken Michael |
| Deputy | Eric Ripper |
| Preceded by | Geoff Gallop |
| Succeeded by | Colin Barnett |
| Leader of the Western Australian Labor Party | |
| In office 24 January 2006 – 16 September 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Geoff Gallop |
| Succeeded by | Eric Ripper |
| Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for Willagee | |
| In office 14 December 1996 – 2 October 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Peter Tinley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alan John Carpenter 4 January 1957 |
| Party | Labor |
| Children | 4 |
| Profession | Journalist, politician |
Alan John Carpenter (born 4 January 1957) is an Australian former politician and journalist who was the premier of Western Australia from 25 January 2006 to 23 September 2008. A member of the Labor Party, he served in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2009 and was a minister in the Gallop government from 2001 to 2006.
Carpenter was born and raised in Albany, Western Australia. After studying political science at the University of Western Australia, Carpenter worked as a journalist for the Albany Advertiser, TVW, and ABC News, becoming the host of the local edition of The 7.30 Report in 1992. In the 1996 state election, Carpenter was elected to the seat of Willagee in Perth's south. In 1997, Labor leader Geoff Gallop appointed Carpenter to the shadow ministry, and following Labor's victory in the 2001 state election, Carpenter was appointed to the cabinet of Western Australia, with the portfolios of education, sport and recreation, and Indigenous affairs. Following another Labor victory in the 2005 state election, Carpenter held the portfolios of state development and energy.
In January 2006, Gallop unexpectedly resigned as Premier and Labor leader, and Carpenter succeeded him. His period as premier was marked by cabinet turmoil; three ministers resigned due to their links with disgraced former premier Brian Burke, who was now a lobbyist. His major achievement was the introduction of a domestic gas reservation policy, which required that 15 percent of gas from major LNG gas projects be reserved for the domestic market. He was generally popular throughout his time as Premier. In August 2008, he called an early election for 6 September to capitalise on the Liberal Party having just replaced their leader Troy Buswell with Colin Barnett. His popularity declined during the campaign, and the election resulted in a hung parliament, with Labor two seats short of a majority. The Liberal Party was able to gain the support of the National Party and three independents to form government, and so Barnett succeeded Carpenter as premier. Carpenter resigned from parliament in 2009, and he has since worked as an executive for Wesfarmers from 2009 to 2018.