Dean Brown
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Dean Brown |
Dean Craig Brown was the
Liberal Premier of South Australia between
December 14,
1993 and
November 28,
1996.
Dean Brown's political career was marked by his rivalry with
John Olsen, the two representing the moderate and conservative wings of the South Australian Liberal Party respectively. He was first elected to Parliament in the seat of
Davenport on
10 March 1973, and joined the
Liberal Movement faction of the party. He served in the ministry of the government of
David Tonkin from 1979 to 1982. In 1982, after the electoral defeat and retirement of David Tonkin, Olsen defeated Brown for the State Liberal Party leadership. For the 1985 election, an electoral redistribution left both Brown and
Stan Evans vying for Liberal preselection for the safe Liberal seat of Davenport. Brown won preselection, but Evans stood as an Independent Liberal and won the seat.
Dean Brown returned to politics in 1992. The Labor government of
John Bannon was embarrassed by the losses of the
State Bank of South Australia, but the existing Liberal leader (
Dale Baker) was failing to capitalise. In an extraordinary situation, the moderate and conservative wings of the Liberal party each convinced a sitting member to give up his safe seat (
Ted Chapman giving up
Finniss for Brown,
Roger Goldsworthy giving up
Kavel for Olsen), allowing both Brown and Olsen to re-enter parliament at by-elections on the same day, and contest the Liberal leadership. In the ensuing ballot, Brown narrowly defeated Olsen.
Brown then led the Liberal party to a landslide electoral win at the
1993 South Australian election, becoming premier. But in 1996, Olsen successfully challenged for the leadership.
After Olsen resigned as premier in 2001, Brown became deputy leader to
Rob Kerin. In 2005 he announced that he would leave politics at the 2006 election, and resigned the deputy leadership.
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SA Parliament member Dean Brown*
SA Parliament past premier Dean Brown
