Reg Withers

The Right Honourable Reg Withers
Vice-President of the Executive Council Minister for Finance
In office 22 December 1975 – 7 August 1978
Preceded by	Gordon Bryant
Succeeded by	Eric Robinson
Special Minister of State Minister for the Capital Territory
In office 11 November 1975 – 22 December 1975
Preceded by	Gordon Bryant
Succeeded by	Eric Robinson
Leader of the Government in the Senate
In office 11 November 1975 – 7 August 1978
Preceded by	Ken Wriedt
Succeeded by	John Carrick
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
In office 20 December 1972 – 11 November 1975
Preceded by	Lionel Murphy
Succeeded by	Ken Wriedt
Senator for Western Australia
In office 1 July 1968 – 6 June 1987
Succeeded by	John Panizza
In office 17 February 1966 – 25 November 1966
Preceded by	Sir Shane Paltridge
Succeeded by	Laurie Wilkinson
Lord Mayor of Perth
In office 1991–1994
Preceded by	Chas Hopkins
Succeeded by	Peter Nattrass
Personal details
Born	Reginald Greive Withers (1924-10-26)26 October 1924 Bunbury, Western Australia
Died	15 November 2014(2014-11-15) (aged 90) Perth, Western Australia
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Alma mater	University of Western Australia
Profession	Solicitor, barrister
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Royal Australian Navy
Years of service	1942–1946
Unit	HMAS Leeuwin

Reginald Greive Withers (26 October 1924 – 15 November 2014) was a long-serving member of the Australian Senate, a government minister, and Lord Mayor of Perth.

Early life

Withers was born in Bunbury, Western Australia. Withers was the son of Frederick Withers, a former Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. Withers was educated at Perth Technical College. Withers served in the Royal Australian Navy from 1942 until 1946 before returning to Australia to study law at the University of Western Australia under the ex-servicemen's scheme. While at university, Withers opposed what he saw as the authoritarian stance of the Chifley Labor government and joined the Liberal Party of Australia.

Career

Withers in 1991 as Lord Mayor of Perth

Returning to Bunbury to practise law, first as a solicitor and, from 1953, a barrister, Withers was elected to Bunbury Municipal Council and began to involve himself in Liberal Party affairs, serving at various times as Liberal Party State President and Vice-President and Federal Vice-President.

Withers entered the Senate on 17 February 1966 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Sir Shane Paltridge, but lost his seat at the special Senate election later that year, before being re-elected in 1967, returning to the Senate in 1968.

Described as having a "jovial manner and perpetual grin", Withers quickly gained a reputation as the Liberal numbers man and served as Senate Government Whip from 1969–71. After the defeat of the McMahon government in 1972, Withers became Opposition Leader in the Senate, where he retained a thin majority and acted to block much of the Whitlam Government's legislation. Withers was widely known as "The Toecutter" for his alleged approach to enforcing party loyalty and his role in the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis.

After the dismissal of the Whitlam government on 11 November 1975, Withers was appointed to Malcolm Fraser's first (caretaker) ministry, becoming Vice-President of the Executive Council as well as briefly holding the portfolios of Special Minister of State, Capital Territory, Media, and Tourism and Recreation during the period leading up to the December election. After the election, Withers became Minister for Administrative Services, and continued as Vice-President of the Executive Council until 7 August 1978. He was dismissed by Fraser in the wake of the findings of a Royal Commission into aspects of a redistribution of certain federal electorates in Queensland. The royal commission found that Withers had exercised his ministerial influence in an inappropriate way. At the time he commented about Fraser that "When the man who's carried the biggest knife in this country for the last ten years starts giving you a lecture about propriety, integrity and the need to resign, then he's either making a sick joke or playing you for a mug".

Later career

Withers was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1977. He retired from federal politics at the 1987 double dissolution, and was subsequently elected Lord Mayor of Perth, in which role he served from 1991 until the council's dissolution in 1994. He was also a monarchist delegate to the 1998 Constitutional Convention.

Having served as President of the WA Liberal Party from 1961 to 1965, Withers made an unsuccessful attempt to return to this position in 1995 when he challenged incumbent and future state Liberal leader David Honey.

Death

Withers died in Perth, Western Australia, on 15 November 2014, aged 90.