page_title: Kim Beazley
section_title: Career in government
hierarchical_section_title: Kim Beazley / Political career / Career in government
caption_attribution_description: Gunner's Mate First Class V.W. Allen (far left) explains operations inside the No. 1 gun turret aboard the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB 63) to Rear Admiral (RADM) D.J. Martin, Royal Australian Navy (left center); Kim Beazley, Australian Minister of Defence, (right center); and Vice Admiral (VADM) M.W. Hudson, Royal Australian Navy (far right). The ship is on a port visit during a cruise around the world. Location: SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA (AUS)
context_page_description: Kim Christian Beazley, AC is an Australian former politician serving as the 33rd and current Governor of Western Australia. He was previously Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition and Ambassador to the United States.
  Beazley was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, the son of politician Kim Beazley senior. He studied at the University of Western Australia and Balliol College, Oxford, attending the latter as a Rhodes Scholar. After a period as a lecturer at Murdoch University, Beazley was elected to parliament at the 1980 federal election, winning the Division of Swan for the Labor Party. He was added to the ministry when the party won the 1983 election, and served continuously through to the party's defeat in 1996. His longest-held portfolio during that time was Minister for Defence. In 1995, Beazley was elected deputy leader of the Labor Party in place of Brian Howe, thus becoming deputy prime minister.
  After Labor lost power in 1996, Beazley was elected unopposed as party leader in place of Paul Keating. He led Labor to the 1998 election, recording a positive swing but falling well short of victory.
context_section_description: Beazley became a protege of Bob Hawke, Labor leader from 1983, and in that year he was appointed Minister for Aviation in Hawke's first ministry. He was Minister for Defence, with a seat in Cabinet, 1984–90. In this role he was responsible for establishing the Royal Australian Navy's submarine program, which was beset with some technical problems and cost over-runs. Beazley has had a lifelong interest in military matters; his consequent enthusiasm for this portfolio, and particularly for military hardware, earned him the nickname "Bomber Beazley".
  Beazley was then Minister for Transport and Communications (1990–91), Finance (1991), Employment, Education and Training (1991–93), and Finance again (1993–96). He supported Hawke in his leadership battles with Paul Keating in 1991, but retained his position when Keating deposed Hawke and became Prime Minister in December 1991. Beazley was Deputy Prime Minister 1995–96.
  Beazley's hold on Swan grew increasingly tenuous over the years. He saw his majority more than halved in 1990, and was nearly defeated in 1993. With Labor sinking in the polls during the run-up to the 1996 election, Beazley shifted to Brand, a slightly more secure seat south of Perth.
caption: Beazley (middle) in 1986
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