Tom Tunnecliffe

Who was Tom Tunnecliffe?

Thomas Tunnecliffe was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the districts of West Melbourne, Eaglehawk and Collingwood for the Australian Labor Party.

In February 1932 Edmond Hogan, the Premier of Victoria and leader of the Labor Party, travelled to London to talk to the banks about Victoria's desperate economic plight during the Great Depression. While he was away Tunnecliffe was acting Premier, and he was much more willing than Hogan to reject the Premiers' Plan. As a result the Country Party withdrew its support from Hogan's minority government, and in April the government was defeated in a confidence vote.

Tunnecliffe, as acting leader, led the Labor campaign in the May 1932 state election, now completely rejecting the Premiers's Plan, which was the main issue at the election. The Labor Party Executive expelled everyone who had supported the Premier's Plan, including Hogan, although it did not run a candidate against him. Tunnecliffe was elected leader of the party. At the elections the United Australia Party won 31 seats to Labor's 16 and the reunited Country Party's 14.