Political Career
Perron entered politics in 1974, when he was elected as a member of the first Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, which replaced the partly elected Legislative Council. He represented the division of Stuart Park for the Country Liberal Party.
As self-government was not granted to the Northern Territory until 1978, the cabinet under Majority Leaders Goff Letts and Paul Everingham were known as Executive Members. Perron joined Letts' executive in December 1975 as Executive Member for Municipal and Consumer Affairs and Cabinet Member for Education and Planning from 1976 to 1977. After the 1977 election, Perron became Deputy Majority Leader under Everingham, also taking the Finance and Planning portfolio. From 1 July 1978, when self-government came into effect, Perron became Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer and Minister for Lands and Housing until 1980 when he took the Industrial Development and Community Development portfolios instead of Lands and Housing, although he regained that position in 1982.
In 1982, the size of the Assembly was increased from 19 to 25 seats, and Perron's electorate was abolished in the redistribution. In the 1983 election, Perron stood for election in the division of Fannie Bay, winning the seat from the incumbent Australian Labor Party candidate Pam O'Neil.
In December 1984, Chief Minister Ian Tuxworth took on Perron's role as Treasurer, with Perron taking the position of Attorney-General and Minister for Mines and Energy. Perron was Attorney-General when the discovery of a matinee jacket near Ayers Rock (Uluru) raised doubts about the conviction of Lindy Chamberlain for the alleged murder of her infant daughter Azaria. Perron announced Chamberlain's immediate release from prison, and the establishment of a Royal Commission into the convictions of Lindy and her husband Michael.
Perron became Chief Minister on 14 July 1988, after having rejected previous offers for the position. He also held the role of Treasurer, and was Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services from September 1989 until July 1994.
An advocate for voluntary euthanasia, Perron was instrumental in devising the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill which he introduced to Parliament on 22 February 1995. The bill was passed on 25 May, becoming the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 and was enacted into law on 1 July 1996. Perron resigned as Chief Minister and from the Legislative Assembly on the morning of the debate over the bill, maintaining that he did not want his position to influence the debate.
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