Former
Speakers

Thomas Tunnecliffe
1869-1948
Speaker: 1937-1940
Legislative Assembly: 1903-1904, 1907-1920, 1921-1947

Thomas Tunnecliffe was born at Ascot, and in 1886 settled in North Melbourne where he worked as a bootmaker. He became involved in the union movement and the Australian Natives' Association, helped found the Victorian Socialist Party and the journal Tocsin, and wrote numerous articles and pamphlets. In 1903 he won West Melbourne for the Labor Party, but the seat was abolished in 1904. He returned to parliament as the member for Eaglehawk in 1907. He held the seat until 1920, when he was defeated by Albert Dunstan who was later to become Premier.

During his parliamentary career Tunnecliffe continued his trade union involvement and his literary work; he was secretary of the Victorian Public Service Association from 1920 to 1924 and edited the Victorian Public Service journal in 1920-24 and Stead's Review in 1925-27. He was not out of parliament long after his defeat at Eaglehawk: in 1921 he won the Legislative Assembly seat of Collingwood.

During his earlier periods in the Legislative Assembly, Tunnecliffe's only position had been as a member of the Committee of Public Accounts, but in his third term he became chief secretary in 1924 and 1929-32, minister of railways and electrical undertakings in 1927-28, and acting premier in 1932. While he was acting premier, in the absence overseas of Premier Hogan, the Labor Party was defeated in the general election largely as a result of the divisive effects of the Premiers Plan, which set out measures to counter the effects of the depression.

Tunnecliffe became leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and leader of the opposition after the election, retaining the former position until 1935 and the latter until 1937.

He was elected Speaker in 1937 and held the post until 1940. He resigned from the Legislative Assembly in 1947 and died at Clifton Hill in 1948.

He had been married twice, to Bertha Bishop in 1907 and to Bertha Louise Gross in 1912, and had two children by his second wife.