Peter Thomas, a former South Australian senator and federal politician who died at the age of 90 on Tuesday, was a well-known and influential figure in Australian politics.
But Mr Thomas’ most famous role was as the “father” of the “Fair Work Commission” and as the prime minister of South Australia from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.
Mr Thomas had been a politician in South Australia for many years, and was the state’s deputy prime minister between 1993 and 1995.
In 1992, Mr Thomas became the first senator to be elected to the House of Representatives in South Australian history.
He was also the first Indigenous member of parliament.
After being elected to parliament, Mr Tombs political career began to take off in the 1990s, when he was elected to a federal parliamentary seat, the seat of the state of South Australian.
During that time he became an important voice for many South Australians.
“Peter Thomas was the most important voice in South Australians history, and it was very, very important to me, to get the people of South Africa out of apartheid and to give them a better future,” Mr Thomas told ABC Radio Adelaide in 1992.
His role in politics also saw him take on many high profile political issues, including his role in the 1992 South Australian election, and his support for the Australian Workers’ Union.
When he was forced to resign from parliament in 1997 due to the coronavirus pandemic, MrThomas was widely criticised for his handling of the pandemic.
Many saw his resignation as an attempt to hide his personal problems, and as an effort to deflect blame for the pandemics pandemic from South Africa to Australia.
The death of Mr Thomas was announced on Wednesday morning by the State Government, and will be announced by the Federal Government in the coming days.
Topics:community-and-society,race-relations,health,australia
