Don Taylor (Australian politician)

Alexander Donald "Don" Taylor AM (born 24 January 1928) is a former Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1968 to 1984, representing the seat of Cockburn. He served as Deputy Premier of Western Australia from 1973 to 1974, under John Tonkin.

Taylor was born in Kalgoorlie, but raised in Perth, attending Perth Modern School. He was a state-level basketball player in his youth. Taylor studied teaching at the University of Western Australia and Claremont Teachers College, and worked as a schoolteacher from 1959 to 1962, before gaining a job as a rural education officer with the Junior Farmers' Council.^[1] A member of the Labor Party from 1956, he was elected to parliament at the 1968 state election, replacing the retiring Henry Curran as the member for Cockburn.^[2] Taylor increased his majority at the 1971 election, which saw the election of a Labor government, and was subsequently made Minister for Housing and Minister for Labour in the Tonkin ministry.^[1]

Following a ministerial reshuffle in October 1971, Taylor's titles were Minister for Labour, Minister for Prices Control, and Minister for Tourism. He was additionally made Minister for Immigration in February 1973.^[1] In May 1973, Herb Graham stepped down as deputy leader of the Labor Party, with Taylor being elected as his replacement and consequently being appointed deputy premier. He served as deputy premier until Labor's defeat at the 1974 election, a term of less than a year (the shortest term of any Deputy Premier of Western Australia).^[3] After the election, Taylor was replaced as deputy Labor leader by Colin Jamieson. He remained in the shadow ministry until 1980, serving under three leaders of the opposition (John Tonkin, Colin Jamieson, and Ron Davies). Taylor retired from parliament in August 1984, and subsequently headed several state government agencies. From 1986 to 1990, he served as Administrator of Christmas Island, an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean.^[1]

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