Charles Kingston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20th Premier of South Australia | |
| In office 16 June 1893 – 1 December 1899 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | Earl of Kintore Sir Thomas Buxton |
| Preceded by | John Downer |
| Succeeded by | Vaiben Louis Solomon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Cameron Kingston 22 October 1850[1] Adelaide, South Australia |
| Died | 11 May 1908 (aged 57)[1] Adelaide, South Australia |
| Political party | Liberal Protectionist |
| Spouse | Lucy May McCarthy |
| Parent(s) | George Strickland Kingston and Ludovina Catherina De Silva Kingston (née Cameron) |
Charles Cameron Kingston PC (22 October 1850 – 11 May 1908)[1] was an Australian politician. From 1893 to 1899 he was a radical liberal Premier of South Australia, occupying this office with the support of Labor, which in the House of Assembly was led by John McPherson from 1893, and by Lee Batchelor upon McPherson's death in 1897.
Kingston won the 1893, 1896 and 1899 colonial elections against the conservatives. During his time as Premier, Kingston was responsible for such measures as electoral reform including the first law to give votes to women in Australia (and second in the world only to New Zealand), a legitimation Act, the first conciliation and arbitration act in Australia, establishment of a state bank, a high protective tariff, regulation of factories, a progressive system of land, and income taxation,[1] a public works program, and more extensive workers' compensation.[2]
A leading advocate of federation, Kingston contributed extensively at a practical level to bringing it about. Elected to the House of Representatives with the most votes amongst the seven candidates in the single statewide Division of South Australia at the 1901 national election, he aligned himself with the Protectionist Party, going on to represent the Division of Adelaide at the election two years later.
He was also one of the main proponents of what was later termed the White Australia policy, arguing strongly against Chinese immigration. In his capacity as representative of South Australia — in 1888 he attended a conference in Sydney that proposed changes in the migration laws of the time.[1]
- ^ a b c d e Playford, John (1983). "Kingston, Charles Cameron (1850–1908)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ^ Ross McMullin, The Light on the Hill: The Australian Labor Party 1891–1991.