SA Premier - 1970-79
Don Dunstan was one of Australia’s most charismatic, courageous and visionary politicians; a dedicated reformer with a deep commitment to social justice, a true friend to the Aboriginal people and those newly arrived in Australia, and with a lifelong passion for the arts and education. He took positive steps to enhance the status of women.
Most of his reforms have withstood the test of time and many have been strengthened with time. Many of his reforms in sex discrimination, Aboriginal land rights and consumer protection were the first of their kind in Australia.
He was a leading campaigner for immigration reform and was instrumental in the elimination of the White Australia Policy. He was instrumental in social welfare and child protection reforms, consumer protection, Aboriginal land rights, urban planning, heritage protection, anti-discrimination laws, abolition of capital punishment, environment protection and censorship.
The Ruthven Mansions in Pulteney Street avoided demolition by the intervention and influence of Dunstan, but remained vacant and continued to deteriorate. The Council Assessment Panel (CAPC) considered a proposal by the State Public Buildings Department to demolish Ruthven Mansions at its May 1978 meeting.
The CAPC refused to support the demolition and sought further assistance from Dunstan so that the Mansions could be restored to residential use. Dunstan agreed and later a developer (with Chappel as the architect) restored the building as part of a larger development. The residential apartments sold without difficulty. The CAPC also influenced the ACC to extend its residential rate rebate to all city properties as it considered there was no justification for the bias against landlords and tenants compared to owner-occupiers.