10 Facts About Ken Wriedt

Kenneth Shaw Wriedt was an Australian politician and leader of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party.

Ken Wriedt was elected as an Australian Labor Party Senator for Tasmania at the 1967 Senate election.

On 14 October 1975, Rex Connor was obliged to resign as Minister for Minerals and Energy, as a result of the Loans Affair, and Ken Wriedt was appointed in his place.

Ken 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, Ken Wriedt won a seat in the Tasmanian House of Assembly representing Franklin.

Ken Wriedt was Leader of the Opposition from 1982 to 1986.

At the 1986 state election, Ken Wriedt was unable to defeat the incumbent Liberal government of Robin Gray; Labor actually suffered a small swing.

Ken Wriedt 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.

Ken Wriedt was a minister from 1989 to 1990 in the minority government led by Michael Field.

Ken Wriedt was the father of a subsequent Tasmanian House of Assembly member, Paula Wriedt.