20 Facts About Doug Everingham

Douglas Nixon Everingham was an Australian politician who served as Minister for Health in the Whitlam government from 1972 to 1975.

Doug Everingham represented the Labor Party in the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1975 and 1977 to 1984.

Doug Everingham is remembered for his pivotal role in the formation of the Whitlam government's Medicare program.

Doug Everingham spent time working in New South Wales psychiatric hospitals before relocating back to Rockhampton, Queensland where he had done his internship.

Doug Everingham won pre-selection, beating out local Rockhampton Labor identity Evan Schwarten at a time when Labor leader Gough Whitlam was seeking more tertiary-educated Labor MPs amongst the party's traditional working class members.

Doug Everingham went on to win the 1967 by-election beating his nearest rival, the Liberal candidate Frank Rudd, and was elected as Member for Capricornia serving on the opposition.

Doug Everingham was known for his fierce campaigning against cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and the sport of boxing.

Local Rockhampton Labor identity, Barry Large, recalled that Doug Everingham placed anti-smoking stickers on cigarette vending machines throughout Parliament House in Canberra due to his anti-tobacco stance.

Doug Everingham was a proponent of the proposed SR1 set of spelling reforms, which resulted in him referring to his department the "Department of Helth" and dubbed himself as "Minister for Helth".

Doug Everingham was one of many Queensland Labor MPs to lose their seats at the 1975 election held after the dismissal of the Whitlam government, defeated by the National Country Party's Colin Carige.

However, Doug Everingham was re-elected when he was victorious against Carige at the 1977 federal election.

Doug Everingham remained the Member for Capricornia until his retirement at the 1984 election.

Doug Everingham was the coordinator of the World Election Commission in the World Government of World Citizens.

Doug Everingham was appointed by the World Coordinator Garry Davis.

At the time of his death in late August 2017, Doug Everingham was one of four remaining original Whitlam government ministers.

Doug Everingham's death prompted a number of tributes including from long-serving state Labor MP Robert Schwarten who described Everingham as the "father of Medicare" due to his campaign for Australia to have a universal health care system.

Schwarten described Doug Everingham as being "instrumental" in establishing Medicare which was originally known as Medibank.

Doug Everingham was married twice, his two wives having pre-deceased him.

Doug Everingham had two daughters, Jo-Anne and Sue; and two sons, Stephen and Rick.

At the time of his death, Doug Everingham had seven grandchildren, one great-grandchild, two step-grandchildren, and three step-grandchildren.