38 Facts About Herbert Payne

Herbert James Mockford Payne was an Australian politician.

Herbert Payne served as a Senator for Tasmania from 1920 to 1938 and as a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1903 to 1920.

Herbert Payne was first elected to parliament at the 1903 state election and was known for his fiscal conservatism.

Herbert Payne served as state treasurer and minister for agriculture and railways from 1912 to 1914.

Herbert Payne was elected to the Senate at the 1919 federal election, representing the Nationalist Party.

Herbert Payne won re-election twice, joining the United Australia Party in 1931, but was defeated in 1937.

Herbert Payne is primarily remembered for his role in the introduction of compulsory voting for federal elections, which became law in 1924 through his private senator's bill.

Herbert Payne was born on 17 August 1866 in Hobart, Tasmania, the son of Hannah and Henry Herbert Payne; his father worked as a gardener.

Herbert Payne was a Freemason and a member of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows, holding the rank of pro-grandmaster.

Herbert Payne was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 1903 state election, running in the seat of Burnie.

Herbert Payne received the endorsement of the Reform League, an organisation advocating reduced government spending which he had helped to establish in 1902.

Herbert Payne subsequently supported the government of William Propsting until its collapse in 1904.

Herbert Payne was re-elected in 1906 and in the same year was appointed to the state government's Royal Commission into Wages and Wage Earners.

Herbert Payne submitted a minority report criticising the labour movement and publicly accused the other two commissioners of misrepresenting the evidence presented to them.

In 1907 Herbert Payne supported the efforts of Premier John Evans to ban public servants from political campaigning, citing schoolteacher Joseph Lyons' public support of the Australian Labor Party.

In 1909 Herbert Payne assisted in the creation of the Liberal League, winning re-election in the new multi-member seat of Darwin at that year's state election.

Herbert Payne served as chairman of committees until 1912, when he joined Albert Solomon's new government as treasurer, minister for agriculture and minister for railways.

Herbert Payne served as a minister until the government was defeated on a no-confidence motion in April 1914.

Herbert Payne was elected to the Senate as a Nationalist at the 1919 federal election, to a six-year term beginning on 1 July 1920.

Herbert Payne's election was challenged by a fellow Nationalist, Edward Mulcahy, who had been elected to fill a short-term casual vacancy of less than one year.

Herbert Payne was re-elected to further six-year terms at the 1925 and 1931 elections, joining the new United Australia Party upon its creation in early 1931.

Herbert Payne was defeated for re-election in 1937, concluding his term on 30 June 1938 at the age of 71.

Herbert Payne emerged as a prominent critic of the Scullin government's policy of high tariffs.

Herbert Payne stated his support for a "sane protective policy" and according to Roe "upheld nineteenth-century ideas as to world-ranging free trade being the best guarantor of peace and prosperity".

Herbert Payne took an interest in international affairs, visiting Europe, North America and Japan while in office and helping establish a local branch of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Herbert Payne served on the Joint Standing Committee on Public Works and acted as chairman of committees.

Herbert Payne was an unsuccessful candidate for President of the Senate in 1935.

Over his political career Herbert Payne took a keen interest in electoral issues.

Herbert Payne is primarily remembered as the author of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1924, which established compulsory voting for federal elections.

Herbert Payne introduced the legislation as a private senator's bill; it was only the third such bill from either house of parliament to become law.

Herbert Payne stated that compulsory voting was necessary to counteract "apathy and indolence", but in his second reading speech hoped that it would bring "a wonderful improvement in the political knowledge of the people" and lead to a higher quality legislature.

Outside of compulsory voting, Herbert Payne advocated proportional representation for Senate elections and for drawing boundaries so communities were not divided between two House of Representatives electorates.

Herbert Payne supported the creation of "native representative councils" in the Territory of New Guinea.

Herbert Payne served on the Joint Select Committee on Commonwealth Electoral Law and Procedure in 1926.

In 1934 Herbert Payne suggested that circular ballots be used to reduce the donkey vote; his suggestion has been cited as a predecessor of the Robson Rotation system that was adopted in Tasmania in 1979 to address the same issue.

Herbert Payne married Margaret Stones on 18 January 1888 in Ulverstone.

Herbert Payne was widowed in 1936 and remarried on 30 March 1938 to Constance Rogers.

Herbert Payne died at the Sacred Heart Private Hospital in Coburg on 26 February 1944, aged 77.