Doug is a family man and he and his wife Desley have three children and two grandchildren.
Doug joined the Labor Party in 1970 motivated by a strong belief in the need for workers to unite in their own interests.
The eldest son of a tailor, Doug has four brothers and three sisters. He was born in Hobart and educated at St Virgil’s College and the Universities of Tasmania and New South Wales.
On leaving school he started work as a Clerk at the Postmaster General’s Department while continuing to study part-time, then full-time. He obtained a First Class Honours Degree in Economics at the University of Tasmania. In his Honours year he taught Economics at Sacred Heart College, New Town (where he had previously attended primary school).
Economics took Doug to Canberra where he worked with the Department’s of Treasury and Trade; he continued teaching Economics by giving Tutorials at the Advanced Education College.
Leaving the Public Service, Doug acted on his interest in looking after working class people and joined the Shop Assistants Union. He worked in Canberra, Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong looking after country workers. Doug always kept up his ALP membership.
He met and married Desley in Wollongong.
Union work rekindled an interest in the law and with Desley’s help Doug finished his Law Degree in three years after returning to Tasmania in 1980. He taught Commercial Law part-time at both the Hobart Technical College and the University of Tasmania until 1985. After working for Legal Aid he set up his own legal firm in 1986 and practised in all Courts until elected to Parliament.
Doug was first elected to the Legislative Council seat of Hobart in 1994 and re elected in 2000 and 2006 with increased support. In 2006 he received 67% of the vote on a two party preferred basis.
As Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council since 2006 he is a Member of Cabinet and serves on Cabinet sub committees. He is responsible for the passage of Government legislation across the range of Ministerial portfolios through the predominately independent Legislative Council.
Doug was Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council between 1998 and 2006, before assuming the Cabinet post of Leader.
During that time he served as Chair of the Subordinate Legislation Committee and the Standing Committee on Environment, Resources and Development leading inquiries into the use of compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel. Doug is convinced that natural gas is the pathway to hydrogen as the ultimate vehicle fuel, and he maintains a keen interest in this technology.
Reflecting his wide range of interests he was a Member of the Legislative Council Select Committee on Correctional Services and Sentencing in Tasmania and the Legislative Council Select Committee on Rock Lobster.
Between 2002-2006 Doug chaired the Tasmanian Road Safety Council, presiding over the reduction in residential speed limits from 60 km to 50 km per hour.
Since returning to Tasmania in 1980 Doug has lived in the centre of his electorate in Mount Stuart.
Doug supports and is active across a large number of community groups, charities, sporting groups and schools.
Doug is determined to work for the continuation of stable majority Government in Tasmania. He believes that Tasmania has a great future under a Government lead by Premier David Bartlett.
Legislative Council
Parliament House
Murray Street
Hobart 7000
Ph 6233 3069
Fax 6223 6131
doug.parkinson@parlliament.tas.gov.au
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