Agent TypePersonActivities & OccupationsPoliticiansPolitical activistsGenderMaleHistoryBrian Leslie Howe, AO (born 23 January 1936) is a former Australian politician. He was Deputy Prime Minister in the Labor government of Paul Keating from 1991 to 1995.
Howe was born in Melbourne. He spent his early childhood in the suburb of Malvern and was educated at Melbourne High School and the University of Melbourne. He later studied theology in Chicago (1967-69) and then returned to Australia. He served as a minister with the Methodist Church and the Uniting Church in various parts of Victoria.
Howe was elected to the House of Representatives in 1977 representing the northern Melbourne metropolitan electoral Division of Batman. He defeated the incumbent Horace Garrick for Labor preselection in a hard-fought contest. A member of the Socialist Left faction of the Labor Party, he was Minister for Defence Support in the government of Bob Hawke from 1983. In 1984 he became Minister for Social Security and carried out various radical reforms to Australia's welfare system. After the 1990 election Howe was appointed to the post of Minister for Community Services and Health. When Paul Keating resigned from Cabinet in 1991, Howe succeeded him as Deputy Prime Minister. He became Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services in the Keating government in December 1991, dropping the health part of the portfolio in 1993.
In June 1995 he resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and was succeeded by Kim Beazley. He did not stand for re-election at the 1996 election.
Ref: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Howe_(politician), accessed 14/5/2012Search records of this agent
