Geoffrey Ian Gallop, Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006, was born on 27 September 1951 in Geraldton, some 500 kilometres north of Perth. His father Douglas was a company secretary with Liberal-political leanings but his mother Eunice came from a family with trade union and Labor affiliations. Geoff Gallop enjoyed an idyllic childhood, fishing with his uncle and, like many young West Australians, playing cricket and football. He attended Beachlands Primary School and then Geraldton Senior High School where he participated actively in sport and served as a school prefect in his final year. His extended family held strong views on public service and contribution to the community and the young Geoff Gallop showed an early interest in politics as evidenced by his nickname 'The senator'.

Geoff Gallop excelled at University and achieved nine distinctions when he graduated with an economics degree at the University of Western Australia in 1971. In 1972 he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at St John's College, Oxford. Again he excelled and was awarded a Master of Arts from Oxford in 1974 and later a Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford in 1983.

In between these two periods at Oxford, Dr Gallop also completed a Master of Philosophy at Murdoch University in Perth. It was during his period at Oxford he forged a lifelong friendship with the man who would become the Prime Minister of Great Britain Tony Blair.

Curtin University Library. Geoff Gallop Collection.  Records of Geoff Gallop.  Geoff Gallop at BHP Billiton Ravensthorpe Nickel project, 2005. GG00020/106.

Geoff Gallop won a number of awards including the Graham McAndrew Memoiral Award at Kingswood College; the John Storey memorial Fund Prize in Economics and Commerce at the University of Western Australia; and the 1979 Gwilym Gibbon Prize Fellowship at Nuffield College.

Though initially a member of the University of WA Liberal Club, Geoff Gallop joined the Australian Labor Party in 1971, finding a natural home for his opposition to the Vietnam War and his support for the reform of Australian society. By 1972 he was President of the University of WA branch. He is also a long-time friend of Australian federal Australian Labor Party Leader Kim Beazley.

Geoff Gallop married Beverley Diane Jones in 1975 at Maylands and they have two sons, Thomas born in 1979 and Leo born in 1981.

Curtin University Library. Geoff Gallop Collection. Records of Geoff Gallop. Geoff and Beverley Gallop, ca. 2006. GG00020/109.

Before entering politics, Geoff Gallop was a temporary organizer with the Miscellaneous Workers' Union (WA), and worked as a part time tutor at Brunel University and St John's, Wadham, Brasenose and St Catherine's College, Oxford. By 1983 he had become a political radio commentator and had already begun to publish academic articles on various aspects of political theory. He lectured in social and political theory at both Murdoch University and the University of WA.

Between 1983 and 1986 Dr Gallop served on the Fremantle City Council. When the opportunity came to contest the safe Labor seat of Victoria Park  following the appointment by the Burke Government of former Opposition leader Ron Davies as Agent General in London, he moved his family to live in Victoria Park and was elected to the Legislative Assembly at a by election held on 7 June 1986. It is interesting to note that on the same day fellow Fremantle Councillor Norm Marlborough was elected to represent the ALP for Cockburn, the seat on which Dr Gallop had originally set his sights.

Curtin University Library. Geoff Gallop Collection. Records of Geoff Gallop. Geoff Gallop presenting an award [to?], 1990. GG00007/1/22

During his early years as a backbencher Dr Gallop served on Select Committees into the Midland Abattoir Land Sale and into Land Conservation and also had one year as a member and one year as chairman of the Public Accounts and Expenditure Review committee.

With the accession of Dr Carmen Lawrence as Australia’s first woman Premier in February 1990, Dr Gallop entered the ministry as Minister for Education, Minister for Parliamentary and Electoral Reform and Minister assisting the Treasurer. A year later he became Minister for Fuel and Energy and Microeconomic reform in lieu of the Education portfolio.

After Labor went into opposition in February 1993 Dr Gallop acquired a variety of shadow ministerial responsibilities - Resources and Energy and Parliamentary and Electoral reform from February 1993 to February 1994; Health, Public Sector Management and Accountability until October 1994 and then, as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Health, Accountability, Federal Affairs and Community Infrastructure (until March 1996), Aboriginal Affairs (from August 1996) and Sport and Recreation.

On 8 October 1996 he was elected Leader of the Opposition and in the run up to the election in December served as Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Federal Affairs, South West and Sport and Recreation. Between 1993 and 1996 he also served on the Joint Standing Committee on the Commission on Government for two years and on three select committees - on Ancient Shipwrecks, on Intervention into Child Birth and on Procedure.

Despite Labor’s heavy defeat in the 1996 election Dr Gallop retained the party leadership unchallenged over the next four years. For the first two and half years he also acted as Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Federal Affairs and Finance  and then from August 1999 looked after the portfolios of Federal Affairs, South West and Regional Development.

In the February 2001 election Dr Gallop led the ALP to victory and was sworn in as Premier on 16 February. In addition he held the portfolios of Minister for Public Sector Management, Federal Affairs, Science, and Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. After his government secured a second term at the February 2005 election his reallocated responsibilities included Public Sector Management, Water Resources and Federal Affairs until his sudden resignation as Premier and from the Parliament on 25 January 2006.

Among the many significant achievements of his Government, Dr Gallop cites saving old growth forests, improving the wellbeing of indigenous Australians and constructing the Mandurah Rail line as some of the things that give him most satisfaction. Dr Gallop is a strong supporter of the movement for an Australian republic and took a leading role in the push for a directly-elected president during the 1998 Constitutional Convention in Canberra.

On 16 January 2006 Dr Gallop announced his resignation from State Parliament in order to recover from depression.

In July 2006 Dr Gallop took up the position of Professor and Director of the Graduate School of Government at Sydney University.

Curtin University Library. Geoff Gallop Collection. Records of Geoff Gallop. Geoff Gallop at Sevenoaks Senior College, 2005. GG00020/95.

Over the years Dr Gallop served for the Board of Secondary Education as Chief Examiner and Chair of the Syllabus Committee for Politics; as a member of the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee; played cricket for University and Nedlands in the WACA competition and for Murdoch in the Suburban Turf Competition; was the No 1 ticket holder for Swan Districts in the WAFL; was a member of the Management Committee of the Victoria Park Senior Citizens Welfare Association and of the Board of the Association of the Blind. In February 2008 he became a member of the Board of the  National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission.

On 9 June 2008 Dr Gallop was awarded a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) for his distinguished service to the parliament of Western Australia, to the promotion of economic development and environmental sustainability and to the community through educational, health and social reform.

Curtin University Library. Geoff Gallop Collection. Records of Geoff Gallop. Geoff Gallop with Police Superintendent, 2005. GG00020/89.

A tribute to Geoff Gallop

To celebrate Dr Gallop's achievements as Labor Premier of WA, the ALP produced a booklet and DVD 'A tribute to Geoff Gallop' for his testimonial dinner in August 2006. View A tribute to Geoff Gallop.