He wasn’t premier for long, but Tony Rundle made a mark on Tasmania.
Born Anthony Maxwell Rundle in Scottsdale in March 1939, he was a real estate agent and television journalist before being elected to parliament for the seat of Braddon in 1986.
A decade on, at the 1996 election, there was a swing against the Liberals and they failed to win enough seats to govern in their own right.
Labor leader Michael Field had refused to govern in minority and the then-Liberal premier Ray Groom stood down, staying true to his vow not to strike a deal with the Greens.
Mr Rundle took on the job, forming a minority Liberal government, with the Greens sitting on the crossbenches.
It was to be a different approach to power-sharing than had previously been seen in the state, more informal and cooperative.
But politics was to be put on the backburner.
Push for tighter gun control after Port Arthur
Just weeks after Mr Rundle was sworn in as premier, the country was shaken by the Port Arthur mass shooting.
Thirty-five people were killed at Port Arthur — and Mr Rundle’s leadership was immediately tested.
Tasmania had previously resisted tighter gun control.
But with then-prime minister John Howard, Mr Rundle’s government led the push for tighter gun laws and was instrumental in securing the 1996 National Firearms Agreement.
“We’ve had a dreadful massacre in Tasmania, I think everyone is still in shock, and if that doesn’t precipitate an outcome today that makes Australia safer for its citizens, you would wonder if we’ll ever reach that stage,” Mr Rundle said at a Canberra meeting of state and territory ministers to discuss firearm reforms in May 1996.
The Rundle government was supported by Labor and Greens on gun reform.
Reflecting in 2001, Mr Rundle said the Port Arthur tragedy had been the most difficult time of his career.
Homosexual activity was finally decriminalised in Tasmania in 1997, after Mr Rundle granted the Liberals a free vote, and under his leadership in 1997, Tasmania became the first state to make a public apology to the Stolen Generations.
In front of a packed public gallery, Mr Rundle read his motion:
“That this parliament, on behalf of all Tasmanians, expresses its deep and sincere regrets at the hurt and distress caused by past policies under which Aboriginal children were removed from their families and homes, apologises to the Aboriginal people for those past actions and reaffirms its support for reconciliation between all Australians.”
Angering the Green movement, Mr Rundle signed the 20-year Regional Forest Agreement in 1997, which facilitated the logging of native forests on public land and removed limits on woodchipping, but protected 400,000 hectares.
Protests were heated.
“It is a win for industry, it is a win for those people standing down there at the entrance although as this stage they don’t realise it,” Mr Rundle said at the time.
Later, Mr Rundle listed the forest agreement as his greatest achievement.
“When you think that the Greens were there and could’ve brought us down at any time, what I’m most pleased about is that we didn’t sell out or dud the Tasmanian forest industry in order to simply survive as a government,” he said.
“We took an enormous risk, we could’ve been defeated on the floor of the house on that issue because we simply put through legislation that we believed was in the interests of the forest industry and Tasmania.”
Reformist agenda
As premier, Mr Rundle adopted a reformist agenda.
His Directions Statement was a blueprint for economic reform, proposing a partial sale of the Hydro-Electric Commission, a referendum on the size of parliament, and a raft of other initiatives, including council amalgamations, increased information technology access for schools and a review of the TAFE system.
The Basslink cable was one of his initiatives, but didn’t come to fruition until the next government.
His referendum on the size of parliament didn’t get up, so instead Mr Rundle adopted Labor’s model — overseeing the downsizing of parliament in 1998.
The rationale was that the state was over-governed, but the move also put pressure on the Greens’ seats.
An early election was called, but reducing the state’s pool of politicians wasn’t enough to win Mr Rundle’s government another term.
The Liberals’ push to sell the state-owned hydro-electricity company was seen as key factor in its loss at the August 1998 election.
Mr Rundle stayed on as opposition leader for a year, then moved to the backbench before retiring in 2002.
He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010, recognised for leading law reform policy, most significantly gun law reform, and for the legalising of homosexual activity in the state.
‘A leader of conviction’
In a statement, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff described Mr Rundle as “intelligent, kind and considered”.
“A remarkable man, leaving a positive legacy,” he said of Mr Rundle.
“Tony became premier at a time of change all around the world; he understood the extent of the changes and the need for Tasmania to change too.
“I well recall Tony being a tower of strength and compassion as he led Tasmanians through the shock, grief and trauma of the tragedy at Port Arthur. In unity with [then] prime minister John Howard, he drove critical gun law reform that all Australians benefit from today.
“Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with Caroline, Helen and Jane.”
No state funeral, by request
Close friend and cabinet colleague Ray Groom paid tribute to Mr Rundle.
“It’s a very sad moment for me and for our colleagues to lose Tony,” Mr Groom said.
“He was a very respected colleague and respected premier of Tasmania, someone who was very hard working, very compassionate.”
Mr Groom said Mr Rundle did not want a state funeral.
“He wants a small gathering of family and friends and didn’t want all the fuss that is involved with a state funeral,” he said.
“That’s the nature of Tony.”
Mr Groom reflected on Mr Rundle overseeing a minority government with the Greens.
“He had the right personality and the right approach to work in minority government with all sides of politics,” he said.
He said Mr Rundle showed great leadership and courage during the Port Arthur tragedy and pushed on with gun law reform despite the backlash.
“There was a committee he brought together, which had Labor members, Green members, and, of course, Liberal members, who had to work through all of those issues and all aspects of that tragedy,” he said.
“He showed great compassion and sensitivity and leadership.
“John Howard led at the national level, and Tony led here at the state level and together in a partnership they achieved significant reform of our gun laws and that was replicated all around the country which was a wonderful step to take.”
Mr Groom said after politics Mr Rundle and his wife Caroline spent some years in Queensland before returning to Tasmania and settling in Devonport.
