Kim Hames

Kim Desmond Hames (born 24 March 1953) is an Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001 and from 2005 to 2017. He served as a minister in the governments of Richard Court and Colin Barnett, and was deputy premier to Barnett from 2008 to 2016. Hames retired from parliament at the 2017 state election.[1]

The Honourable Dr Kim Hames JP
Hames in October 2012
Deputy Premier of Western Australia
In office 23 September 2008 – 16 February 2016
Premier	Colin Barnett
Preceded by	Eric Ripper
Succeeded by	Liza Harvey
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia
In office 26 February 2005 – 30 January 2017
Preceded by	Arthur Marshall
Succeeded by	Zak Kirkup
Constituency	Dawesville
In office 6 February 1993 – 14 December 1996
Preceded by	Keith Wilson
Succeeded by	None (abolished)
Constituency	Dianella
In office 14 December 1996 – 10 February 2001
Preceded by	None (new seat)
Succeeded by	Bob Kucera
Constituency	Yokine
Personal details
Born	Kim Desmond Hames 24 March 1953 Subiaco, Western Australia
Political party	Liberal
Alma mater	University of Western Australia

Early life

Hames was born in Perth to Eunice (née Jackson) and Reginald Hames. He attended Guildford Grammar School before going on to the University of Western Australia to study medicine. After graduation, he worked as a general practitioner, which had also been his father's profession. Hames was elected to the Bayswater City Council in 1985, and served as a councillor until his election to parliament in 1993.[2]

Politics

Hames first stood for parliament at the 1987 by-election for the seat of Morley-Swan, but was defeated by the Labor candidate, Frank Donovan. At the 1989 state election, he contested the seat of Perth, but lost by a narrow margin to Labor's Ian Alexander. Hames was successful in his third attempt to enter parliament, winning the seat of Dianella from Labor's Keith Wilson at the 1993 election. He transferred to the new seat of Yokine at the 1996 election, after Dianella was abolished in a redistribution.[3] Hames was elevated to the ministry in January 1997, becoming Minister for Housing, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and Minister for Water Resources in the government of Richard Court.[4] During his time as minister responsible for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, he was involved in the repatriation from England of the head of Yagan, a 19th-century Noongar warrior.[5] Hames remained in the ministry until the 2001 state election, when he was defeated in his own seat by Labor's Bob Kucera. The Court government was also defeated.[4]

At the 2005 state election, Hames was re-elected to parliament as the member for the seat of Dawesville (taking in the southern suburbs of Mandurah). He replaced the retiring Liberal member, Arthur Marshall.[6] Hames was included in the shadow cabinet immediately after the election, and went on to serve under four leaders of the opposition (Matt Birney, Paul Omodei, Troy Buswell, and Colin Barnett).[4] He was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party in January 2008, when Buswell became leader, and retained the deputy leadership when Buswell was replaced by Barnett later in the year.[7] The Liberal Party formed government after the 2008 state election, with Hames becoming Deputy Premier, Minister for Health, and Minister for Indigenous Affairs (for a second time)[lower-alpha 1] in the new ministry. In December 2010, he was also appointed Minister for Tourism.[4] However, Hames resigned as tourism minister in July 2013, after being accused of abusing an accommodation entitlement.[8] Later in the year, in December 2013, he replaced Terry Redman as Minister for Training and Workforce Development. He eventually reclaimed his previous tourism portfolio in a December 2014 reshuffle, with Liza Harvey taking on the training portfolio.[4]

In December 2015, Hames announced his intention to resign as deputy leader of the Liberal Party (and thus also as deputy premier) with effect from February 2016.[9] Liza Harvey was elected unopposed as his successor.[10] Hames's term of seven years and almost five months as deputy premier is the most by any member of the Liberal Party, and he was the first Liberal since Cyril Rushton in 1983 to hold the position.[lower-alpha 2][11] He remained in cabinet until a reshuffle in March 2016.[4] Hames retired from parliament at the 2017 state election, with Zak Kirkup succeeding him as member for Dawesville.[12]

Notes

1. The position now known as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs was known as Minister for Indigenous Affairs between 2001 and 2013.
2. In the government of Richard Court, the only Liberal government between 1983 and 2008, the position of deputy premier was held by Hendy Cowan, a member of the National Party.

References

1. Jessica Strutt, "Kim Hames 'not fussed' about move to backbench ahead of retirement at next WA election", ABC News, 10 November 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
2. Kim Desmond Hames – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
3. 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.
4. Hon. Dr Kim Desmond Hames MLA MBBS, JP – Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
5. "Minister to join delegation to retrieve Yagan's head from Britain", Media Statements, Government of Western Australia, 20 August 1997. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
6. Dawesville, Western Australia Election 2005, ABC News. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
7. "Trevor Sprigg dead at 61", ABC News, 17 January 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
8. Dan Emerson, "Hames resigns Tourism over allowance", The West Australian, 22 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
9. Strutt, Jessica. "Health Minister Kim Hames to resign as Deputy Premier of WA in February", ABC News, 10 December 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
10. "Liza Harvey replaces Kim Hames as WA's new deputy leader", WAtoday, 15 February 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
11. Deputy Premiers of Western Australia, Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
12. Taylor, Belle. "Zak Kirkup, the new Liberal MP who wants to be Premier". Perth Now. Retrieved 22 November 2020.