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The Honourable
Wal Fife
The Honourable Wal Fife
Manager of Opposition Business
	In office; 14 August 1987 – 23 May 1992
Leader	John Howard; Andrew Peacock; John Hewson
Preceded by	John Spender
Succeeded by	Warwick Smith
Minister for Aviation
	In office; 7 May 1982 – 11 March 1983
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Charles Jones
Succeeded by	Kim Beazley
Minister for Education
	In office; 8 December 1979 – 7 May 1982
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	John Carrick
Succeeded by	Peter Baume
Minister for Consumer Affairs
	In office; 17 July 1977 – 8 December 1979
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	John Howard
Succeeded by	Victor Garland
Member of the Australian Parliament; for Farrer (1975-1984) & Hume (1984-1993)
	In office; 13 December 1975 – 8 February 1993
Preceded by	David Fairbairn (Farrer); Stephen Lusher (Hume)
Succeeded by	Tim Fischer (Farrer); John Sharp (Hume)
Premier
NSW Minister 1965–⁠1975
Minister for Transport; Minister for Highways
	In office; 3 January 1975 – 10 October 1975
Premier	Tom Lewis
Preceded by	Milton Morris (Transport); Charles Cutler (Highways)
Succeeded by	Max Ruddock
Minister for Mines
	In office; 22 June 1967 – 3 January 1975
Premier	Robert Askin
Preceded by	Tom Lewis
Succeeded by	George Freudenstein
Minister for Power
	In office; 19 June 1972 – 3 January 1975
Premier	Robert Askin
Succeeded by	George Freudenstein
Assistant Treasurer
	In office; 19 June 1972 – 3 January 1975
Premier	Robert Askin
Preceded by	George Freudenstein
Succeeded by	Max Ruddock
Minister for Conservation
	In office; 19 June 1972 – 3 January 1975
Premier	Robert Askin
Preceded by	Jack Beale
Succeeded by	George Freudenstein
Assistant Minister for Education
	In office; 13 May 1965 – 27 June 1967
Minister	Charles Cutler
Premier	Robert Askin
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly; for Wagga Wagga
	In office; 14 December 1957 – 15 October 1975
Preceded by	Edgar Graham
Succeeded by	Joe Schipp
Personal details
Born	Wallace Clyde Fife; 2 October 1929; Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Died	16 November 2017 (aged 88); Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party
Spouse	Marcia Hargreaves Stanley
Children	Two daughters; two sons.
Occupation	Businessman

Wallace Clyde Fife (2 October 1929 – 16 November 2017) was an Australian politician and minister in the New South Wales Government and Federal Government.

Early life

Fife was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, and was educated at Wagga Wagga Public School, Wagga Wagga and Canberra Grammar School. In 1948 he started working in the federal secretariat of the Liberal Party and in 1949 he joined his family business, Fifes Produce Pty Ltd, in Wagga Wagga. He married Marcia Hargreaves Stanley in May 1952 and they had two daughters and two sons.^[2]

Political career

Fife was elected as the member for Wagga Wagga in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1957. He was Minister for Mines from June 1967 to January 1975, Minister for Conservation from March 1971 to June 1972, Minister for Power from June 1972 to January 1975 and Minister for Transport and Minister for Highways from January 1975 until his retirement from the New South Wales Parliament in October 1975.^[2] Under his ministership many rural railway stations were closed.^{[citation needed]} The member for the federal seat of Farrer David Fairbairn had announced his resignation and Fife was pre-selected as the Liberal candidate for the next federal election.^[3]^[4]

Fife was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the member for Farrer at the election on 13 December 1975. He was Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs from July 1977 to December 1979, Minister for Education from December 1979 to May 1982 and Minister for Aviation from May 1982 until the defeat of the Fraser government at the March 1983 election. Following an electoral distribution that moved Wagga Wagga into the Division of Hume, he stood for and won that seat at the 1984 election. His role in Opposition included a stint as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives between May 1989 and April 1990, since Liberal deputy leader Fred Chaney was still a Senator.

Fife retired from parliament prior to the 1993 election.^[5] His departure came as a result of seat redistribution from which the National Party benefited and Fife was resentful to Liberal Leader John Hewson for not saving his career. Fife and others came to see Hewson's leadership as ineffective and Fife's departure was seen as evidence of Hewson not having much influence in the Liberal Party.^[6]

Honours

Honorary Doctor of Letters (HonDLitt) from Charles Sturt University.^[2]
Centenary Medal (1 January 2001), "For service to Australian society through the Commonwealth and state parliaments and government".^[7]

Notes

^ Lindbeck, Jody (16 November 2017). "Former minister Wal Fife has died". The Daily Advertiser.
^ ^a ^b ^c "The Hon. Wallace Clyde Fife (1929–2017)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
^ "Minister for pre-selection". The Canberra Times. 13 August 1975. p. 3. Retrieved 10 October 2021 – via Trove.
^ "Endorsed". The Canberra Times. 11 September 1975. p. 3. Retrieved 10 October 2021 – via Trove.
^ "Biography for Fife, the Hon. Wallace Clyde". ParlInfo Web. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
^ Abjorensen, Norman (28 February 1995). "Dazzling Meteor that Disappeared". The Canberra Times. p. 9. Retrieved 5 December 2024 – via Trove.
^ "Centenary Medal entry for The Hon Wallace Clyde Fife". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 28 November 2019.

Parliament of New South Wales
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Eddie Graham	Member for Wagga Wagga 1957–1975	Succeeded by Joe Schipp
Political offices
Vacant Title last held by Jack FitzGerald	Assistant Minister for Education 1965–1967	Vacant Title next held by Bob Debus
Preceded by Tom Lewis	Minister for Mines 1967 – 1975	Succeeded by George Freudenstein as Minister for Mines Minister for Energy
New title	Minister for Power 1972 – 1975
Preceded by Jack Beale	Minister for Conservation 1971–1972	Succeeded by George Freudenstein
Preceded by George Freudenstein	Assistant Treasurer 1972–1975	Succeeded by Max Ruddock
Preceded by Milton Morris	Minister for Transport 1975
Preceded by Charles Cutler	Minister for Highways 1975
Parliament of Australia
Australian House of Representatives
Preceded by David Fairbairn	Member for Farrer 1975–1984	Succeeded by Tim Fischer
Preceded by Stephen Lusher	Member for Hume 1984–1993	Succeeded by John Sharp
Political offices
Preceded by John Howard	Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs 1977–1979	Succeeded by Victor Garland
Preceded by John Carrick	Minister for Education 1979–1982	Succeeded by Peter Baume
Preceded by Charles Jones	Minister for Aviation 1982–1983	Succeeded by Kim Beazley