Bertram Stevens (politician) - Political Career

Political Career

In 1927 he entered the Legislative Assembly, as member for the Sydney suburban electoral district of Croydon. During the Nationalist Party Premiership of Sir Thomas Bavin, Stevens served first as Assistant Treasurer, and from 1929 as Treasurer. Not long after the Great Depression ended Bavin's administration in 1930, Stevens became Deputy Leader of the Opposition. In 1932 the Nationalist Party was absorbed into the United Australia Party, and Stevens became that party's state parliamentary leader. In May 1932 the Governor Sir Philip Game dismissed the Lang government, which was in dispute with Australia's federal government of James Scullin, and appointed Stevens as Premier. Stevens immediately called a new state election which his party won in a landslide. His major reform was the replacement of the appointed Legislative Council, by a Council elected by the whole parliament to terms equivalent to four Assembly terms, that is up to 12 years; this was passed by referendum in 1933. He reduced the protections for mortgagors and tenants that had been introduced by Lang. The UAP won again in 1935 and 1938. For most of Stevens's seven-year Premiership, one of the longest in New South Wales history—it continued until the eve of World War II—he was his own Treasurer.

Stevens had been in conflict with the deputy leader of the UAP, Eric Spooner since 1936 for not running a balanced budget and, Spooner resigned from cabinet in July 1939 and on 1 August, moved a no confidence motion against him, succeeding by two votes. Stevens resigned and Alexander Mair took over as Premier. Stevens was interested in entering federal parliament, and despite Robert Menzies's discouragement, resigned his Assembly seat and ran for the Labor-dominated seat of Lang in 1940, but was beaten.