Jay Wilson Weatherill (born 3 April 1964) is an Australian diplomat and former politician who was the 45th premier of South Australia, serving from 21 October 2011 until 19 March 2018. Weatherill represented the House of Assembly seat of Cheltenham as a member of the South Australian Labor Party from the 2002 election to 17 December 2018, when he retired from politics. He currently serves as the High Commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom.
Labor was in government from 2002, with Weatherill leading the Labor government since a 2011 leadership change from Mike Rann. During 2013 it became the longest-serving state Labor government in South Australian history, and in addition went on to win a fourth four-year term at the 2014 election. The 16-year state Labor government lost power at the 2018 election. On 18 March, the day after the election, Weatherill announced his decision to step down as Labor leader, but intended to remain in Parliament on the back-bench. Peter Malinauskas succeeded Weatherill as Labor leader on 9 April. Weatherill announced his intention to retire from Parliament on 6 December 2018.
Early life Born in the western suburbs of Adelaide, he is the son of English-born former South Australian politician George Weatherill.
Weatherill completed his secondary education at Henley High School. He later studied at the University of Adelaide, graduating with degrees in law and economics.
Between 1987 and 1990, he worked for the Australian Workers' Union. In the early 1990s, he worked at the law firm Duncan Hannon with Patrick Conlon and Isobel Redmond. With fellow Adelaide lawyer Stephen Lieschke, he established industrial law firm Lieschke & Weatherill in 1995 where he practised law until his election to the House of Assembly seat of Cheltenham at the 2002 election when his party won government.
Weatherill unsuccessfully contested the 1997 Australian Constitutional Convention election, running as an ungrouped candidate under the "Bill of Rights for Australia" label.
Political career Weatherill defeated the incumbent Labor member Murray De Laine for Labor preselection in the electorate of Cheltenham at the 2002 election and went on to retain the seat for Labor. Weatherill is from the Labor Left faction. Upon election he immediately entered the cabinet of the Rann government as Minister for Local Government, Government Enterprise, Urban Development and Planning, and Administrative Services. Later, Weatherill would hold portfolios such as Housing (2004–2008), Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation (2006–2010), Early Childhood and Development (2008–2011), Environment and Conservation (2008–2010) and Education (2010–2011).
Following the 2010 election, Weatherill as a cabinet minister in the Rann government, unsuccessfully challenged Kevin Foley for the position of Deputy Premier. Weatherill said the election day backlash against Labor made it evident that a fresh approach was needed; however he lost along factional lines.
Premier
In late July 2011, a majority of Labor MPs aligned with both the left and right factions agreed to support Weatherill as the next leader, and Rann was informed of the right faction's decision. In early August 2011 Weatherill's attempts at contacting Rann on his trade mission to India had been met with silence, leaving the party leadership in limbo until Rann's return to Australia. Weatherill said he was not prepared to challenge Rann for the leadership and supported an agreed transition. Rann agreed to step down as Labor leader, and Caucus subsequently endorsed Weatherill as his successor. Weatherill was then sworn in as the 45th Premier of South Australia on 21 October 2011.
First term
In 2011/2012, Weatherill and then Environment Minister Paul Caica brought together irrigators, business, River Murray communities and South Australians more generally to fight for a better deal for the River and South Australia. The result was an additional commitment of 450 gigalitres of environmental water under the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
The 2012–2013 budget was Weatherill's first, with Jack Snelling as treasurer, and came with deep cuts aiming to achieve major savings. Some of this was through suspension of major works programs such as the electrification of the Gawler and Outer Harbor railway lines, and redevelopments of Modbury Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Notably, the AAA credit rating achieved under the Rann government was lost, downgraded to AA+ in October, a move foreshadowed by Snelling. Other actions during Weatherill's first 12 months included a deal to increase shopping hours on public holidays, supported by SDA secretary Peter Malinauskas and Business SA chief executive Peter Vaughan, and Weatherill's support for a Greens-initiated gay marriage bill following the announcement of Tasmania's planned changes.
The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) was opened by Jay Weatherill in 2013, a building often referred to as "the cheese grater" due to its exterior design. It is a health and medical research institute housing more than 700 researchers, and was the first stage of a new health and bio-medical precinct on North Terrace in Adelaide.
Weatherill allowed a conscience vote for the Greens' 2013 South Australian Gay Marriage bill in August 2012. However, the bill was frustrated by Labor's conservative Catholic right, as well as a lack of support by then Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and faced constitutional issues as expressed by the SA Liberal Party. The bill ultimately failed the lower house in July 2013 following Weatherill's planned conscience vote.
August 2012, in the aftermath of the GFC, BHP announced that the $20 billion Olympic Dam mine expansion would not go ahead, citing 'subdued commodity prices and higher capital costs'. However, the mine remains operational, employing 2500 people.
On 21 January 2013, Weatherill became Treasurer of South Australia and took other various portfolios following a cabinet reshuffle triggered by the resignation of two members of his ministry. The 2013–2014 budget saw revenue increase, in part due to the privatisation of SA Lotto to Tatts Group for $427 million, and of forests in the State's south-east to international company The Campbell Group for $670 million. However, Australia's surging dollar hit the manufacturing industry sector in SA, and growth in indicators such as retail sales and house prices fell. Despite this, the government included funding for the Gawler railway line up to Dry Creek, a number of measures supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, and promised a return to surplus by 2015–2016.
During the 2013 federal election, both Liberal and Labor promised that the next round of the country's submarines (12) would be built in South Australia, however after the election it appeared that the Liberal government had arranged to buy just eight submarines directly from Japan. Following an organised campaign by Jay Weatherill and Labor, the Advertiser newspaper, workers at the Australian Submarine Corporation and the South Australian public, a “competitive evaluation process” was announced by the Federal Government, with the final contract for a South Australian build awarded to French company DCNS with majority of the work to take place in Osborne, South Australia. Following the announcement, Jay Weatherill travelled to France to meet with DCNS and others in an attempt to maximise opportunities for South Australia. Weatherill also released the French Engagement Strategy, a plan to strengthen economic and business ties with France, also focusing on broader opportunities in areas such as education, tourism and the arts.
In December 2013 Holden announced it would withdraw production from Australia. At the time Holden directly employed 1,600 people in its Elizabeth plant in South Australia, with a total of 3,000 job losses predicted through the supply chain. While Liberal Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas claimed South Australia was “careering toward double digit unemployment” after the closure, strong support from the Weatherill Labor government ensured the small business sector grew above trend after the closure with unemployment at 6% in January 2017, three months after.
2014 election The 2014 State election resulted in a hung parliament with 23 seats for Labor, 22 for the Liberals, and the balance of power resting with the two independents, Bob Such and Geoff Brock. After Such went on medical leave for a brain tumour without indicating his support, political commentators indicated that Brock would likely back Labor by reason of 'political stability'. Brock did back Labor, giving Labor 24 seats and as a result Weatherill formed a minority government − giving Labor a total four terms in government.
Second term
Weatherill joined with Liberal premiers proclaiming he would lead a national campaign against the then federal Abbott government's 2014 federal budget. Former Liberal Leader Martin Hamilton-Smith then defected, becoming an independent and entered the Weatherill cabinet. Hieu Van Le was announced on 26 June 2014 as the next Governor of South Australia to replace Kevin Scarce. Following the death of Such, Labor won the 2014 Fisher by-election by nine votes from a 7.3 percent two-party swing in a hotly contested three-cornered contest. Weatherill nonetheless kept Brock and Hamilton-Smith in cabinet, giving the government a 26 to 21 parliamentary majority.
In 2015, Weatherill initiated the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission to investigate opportunities and risks associated with expanding the state's involvement in the nuclear fuel cycle. The commission was headed by former Governor Kevin Scarce and delivered its final report and recommendation to the Government of South Australia in May 2016. The Royal Commission report urged South Australia to pursue a waste storage facility, claiming South Australia has the "attributes and capabilities to manage and dispose of international used nuclear fuel safely". The report indicated that it was not commercially viable to generate nuclear power. Weatherill used the release of the report as an opportunity to undertake "one of the largest" deliberative democracy processes in Australia's history. Weatherill stated early that a nuclear waste facility would need both public and bipartisan support, with the former withdrawn by Liberal leader Steven Marshall.
In 2015 Jay Weatherill announced that the state government would hold an annual 'Simplify Day' to initiate the reduction and removal of unnecessary regulation and legislation. Over the first two Simplify Days (2016 and 2017), the government amended 101 acts and regulations and removed 22 acts altogether.
Jay Weatherill also set up Investment Attraction South Australia in 2015, attracting international companies including Technicolour, Boeing, Kaufland, Datacom and VeroGuard. In two years the agency had created over 9,000 jobs for South Australians.
In 2015, the Weatherill Government pledged significant funds towards a second building, to be known as the John Chalmers Centre for Transforming Healthcare or 'SAHMRI II', which would house Australia's first proton therapy unit.
In the 2015–16 Budget, Weatherill spruiked his government's plan to abolish stamp duties on business transactions and introduce the nation's lowest payroll tax rate.
In 2015, Weatherill invited the South Australian Law Reform Institute to review all legislation for discrimination against the LGBTIQ community resulting in a number of bills eventually being passed in the South Australian Parliament. These included laws to ensure equal access to IVF and surrogacy services for same sex couples, equal access to adoption, the establishment of a relationships register, the removal of discriminatory language throughout legislation, formal protections for intersex people, and changes to make amending a gender on a birth certificate easier.