Thomas Price (South Australian politician)

Thomas Price
Premier of South Australia
In office
26 July 1905 – 31 May 1909
MonarchEdward VII
GovernorSir George Le Hunte
Sir Day Bosanquet
Preceded byRichard Butler
Succeeded byArchibald Peake
Leader of the Opposition in South Australia
In office
15 July 1904 – 26 July 1905
Preceded byJohn Darling
Succeeded byRichard Butler
Leader of the United Labor Party
In office
12 December 1899 – 31 May 1909
Preceded byLee Batchelor
Succeeded byJohn Verran
Member of the South Australian
House of Assembly
In office
21 April 1887 – 31 May 1909
Preceded byJosiah Symon
Succeeded byGeorge Dankel
ConstituencySturt (1887–1902)
Torrens (1902–1909)
Personal details
Born
Thomas Price

(1852-01-19)19 January 1852
Brymbo, Wales, United Kingdom
Died31 May 1909(1909-05-31) (aged 57)
Mount Lofty, South Australia
Political partyUnited Labor Party

Thomas Price (19 January 1852 – 31 May 1909) served as the South Australian United Labor Party's first Premier of South Australia. He formed a minority government at the 1905 election and was re-elected with increased representation at the 1906 election, serving in the premiership until his death in 1909.[1] It was the world's first stable Labor government. Shortly afterwards, John Verran led Labor to form the state's first of many majority governments at the 1910 election.

Achievements of the Price government included free state secondary schools, the formation of wages boards and a minimum wage, establishing the Municipal Tramways Trust through nationalisation, the costly administration of the Northern Territory was surrendered to the Federal government, and reform (though limited) of the upper house. The government also attained successive budget surpluses and reduced the accumulated public debt.

  1. ^ "Mr Tom Price". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 23 August 2022.