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The Honourable
Ken Wriedt
The Honourable Ken Wriedt
Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania
	In office; 27 May 1982 – 19 February 1986
Preceded by	Robin Gray
Succeeded by	Neil Batt
Preceded by	In office; 29 June 1989 – October 1990
State Politics
Minister for Roads and Transport
	In office; 29 June 1989 – October 1990
Preceded by	Nick Evers
Succeeded by	Harry Holgate
Member for Franklin
	In office; 15 May 1982 – October 1990
Preceded by	Dick Adams
Succeeded by	Paul Lennon
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
	In office; 11 November 1975 – 28 September 1980
Preceded by	Reg Withers
Succeeded by	John Button
Leader of the Government in the Senate
	In office; 10 February 1975 – 11 November 1975
Preceded by	Lionel Murphy
Succeeded by	Reg Withers
Minister for Minerals and Energy
	In office; 14 October 1975 – 11 November 1975
Preceded by	Rex Connor
Succeeded by	Doug Anthony
Minister for Primary Industry & Agriculture
	In office; 19 December 1972 – 21 October 1975
Preceded by	Lance Barnard
Succeeded by	Rex Patterson
Senator for Tasmania
	In office; 1 July 1968 – 25 September 1980
Preceded by	Nick McKenna
Succeeded by	Jean Hearn
Personal details
Born	11 July 1927; Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
Died	18 October 2010 (aged 83); Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Political party	Labor
Children	Paula Wriedt
Occupation	Seaman

Kenneth Shaw Wriedt (11 July 1927^[1] – 18 October 2010^[2]) was an Australian politician and leader of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party.

Wriedt was born in Melbourne, of Danish ancestry. His early life included time spent as a seaman.^[3] He was elected as an Australian Labor Party Senator for Tasmania at the 1967 Senate election.

When the Whitlam government won office at the December 1972 election, Wriedt (associated with the ALP's right wing) became Minister for Primary Industry. In June 1974 his portfolio was renamed Agriculture. On 14 October 1975, Rex Connor was obliged to resign as Minister for Minerals and Energy, as a result of the Loans Affair, and Wriedt was appointed in his place. Nevertheless, he served less than a month before the Whitlam government was dismissed on 11 November.^[4] Wriedt remained in the Senate until his resignation in September 1980 to contest the House of Representatives seat of Denison at the 1980 federal election; he was defeated by sitting Liberal MP Michael Hodgman.

At the 1982 Tasmanian state election, Wriedt won a seat in the Tasmanian House of Assembly representing Franklin. He was Leader of the Opposition from 1982 to 1986. At the 1986 state election, Wriedt was unable to defeat the incumbent Liberal government of Robin Gray; Labor actually suffered a small swing. He resigned as leader after the election, the first state Labor leader in more than half a century to have never served as Premier of Tasmania. He was a minister from 1989 to 1990 in the minority government led by Michael Field. In October 1990 he retired from parliament. He was the father of a subsequent Tasmanian House of Assembly member, Paula Wriedt.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "Wriedt, Kenneth Shaw". Members of the Parliament of Tasmania. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
^ Tribute to Ken Wriedt, Premier of Tasmania, 18 October 2010
^ Former Labor leader dies, ABC News, 18 October 2010
^ Roe, Michael (2010). "WRIEDT, Kenneth Shaw (1927–2010) Senator for Tasmania, 1968–80". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 2 August 2022.

Political offices
Preceded by Ian Sinclair	Minister for Primary Industry (Agriculture) 1972–75	Succeeded by Rex Patterson
Preceded by Rex Connor	Minister for Minerals and Energy 1975	Succeeded by Doug Anthony
Preceded by Robin Gray	Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania 1982–86	Succeeded by Neil Batt
Party political offices
Preceded by Lionel Murphy	Leader of the Australian Labor Party in the Senate 1975–80	Succeeded by John Button
Preceded by Harry Holgate	Leader of the Labor Party in Tasmania 1982–86	Succeeded by Neil Batt