David Fairbairn

Sir David Eric Fairbairn, (3 March 1917 – 1 June 1994) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1975. He held ministerial office as Minister for Air (1962–1964), National Development (1964–1969), Education and Science, and Defence (1971–1972).

Early life Fairbairn was born on 3 March 1917 in Claygate, Surrey, England. He was the son of Australian parents Marjorie Rosa (née Jowett) and Clive Prell Fairbairn. His father, a journalist from a prominent pastoral family, was serving with the Scots Guard at the time of his birth.

Fairbairn's parents returned to Australia in 1918 and he spent his early years at his father's grazing property at Woomargama, New South Wales. He received his early education from governesses, then attended Geelong Grammar School as a boarder from 1927 to 1934. He matriculated to Jesus College, Cambridge, previously attended by his father and grandfather, graduating Bachelor of Arts in 1938 and proceeding to Master of Arts by seniority in 1944. He rowed in the first eight of the Jesus College Boat Club and "just missed selection for the Cambridge first crew" in 1938.

In 1939, Fairbairn returned to Australia and assumed management of "Dunraven", the property at Woomargama. Over the following decades he "raised the carrying capacity from less than one sheep to more than four sheep per acre". His department was responsible for the Australian Atomic Energy Commission and he made the initial cabinet submissions for the Jervis Bay Nuclear Power Plant, which also anticipated the "retention of fissable material" for defence purposes. However, according to Ainsley Gotto and Ann Moyal his personal grasp of nuclear technology was limited and his cabinet colleague Bill Wentworth was more influential on the development of policy.

As national development minister, Fairbairn played a significant role in formulating government policy on iron ore mining in Western Australia, which had rapidly expanded after the lifting of the export embargo in 1960. Following a collapse in the iron ore price in 1965 he secured cabinet support to refuse approval for Hamersley Iron to sell iron ore pellets to Japan, "the first time that an Australian government had intervened to stop a commercial deal of such magnitude except for defence reasons". In 1966, the Holt government introduced "price guidelines" (effectively a price floor) for iron ore, but these were relaxed by Fairbairn the following year. The removal of price controls was said to have significantly increased production levels and allowed Hamersley to become one of the world's largest iron ore producers.

Leadership challenge and aftermath Fairbairn supported Gorton's election as party leader, but later became "disillusioned by the prime minister's maverick style".

Fairbairn became Minister for Education and Science in March 1971 in the McMahon Ministry and Minister for Defence from August 1971 to the government's defeat in 1972 election. He had announced his retirement in 1975 but the dismissal of the Whitlam Government meant that his retirement came earlier than expected at the subsequent 1975 election. Media reported that the posting "deeply perturbed" staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which came at a time when the department was being forced to reduce its overseas representation significantly.

Personal life In 1945, Fairbairn married Ruth Harrison . She had one daughter with her first husband, who had been killed in World War II. They had another two daughters together.

Honours Fairbairn was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944, and made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1977.