# Doug Everingham

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Doug_Everingham
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Doug_Everingham.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Everingham
> Source revision: 1356677932
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

**Douglas Nixon Everingham** (25 June 1923 – 24 August 2017)[1] was an Australian politician who served as [Minister for Health](/source/Minister_for_Health_(Australia)) in the [Whitlam government](/source/Whitlam_government) from 1972 to 1975. He represented the [Labor Party](/source/Australian_Labor_Party) in the [House of Representatives](/source/Australian_House_of_Representatives) from 1967 to 1975 and 1977 to 1984. He is remembered for his pivotal role in the formation of the [Whitlam government](/source/Whitlam_government)'s [Medicare](/source/Medicare_(Australia)) program.

## Early life

Born in [Wauchope, New South Wales](/source/Wauchope,_New_South_Wales), Everingham was educated at [Fort Street High School](/source/Fort_Street_High_School)[2] and graduated with a [Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery](/source/Bachelor_of_Medicine_and_Surgery) from the [University of Sydney](/source/University_of_Sydney) in 1946 and worked in public and private hospitals and as a family doctor.[3] He spent time working in New South Wales psychiatric hospitals before relocating back to [Rockhampton, Queensland](/source/Rockhampton,_Queensland) where he had done his internship.[4]

## Politics

Everingham's first attempt at entering politics came in 1963 when he unsuccessfully ran as the [Australian Labor Party](/source/Australian_Labor_Party) candidate in the seat of [Dawson](/source/Division_of_Dawson) but was defeated by the [Country Party](/source/Australian_Country_Party_(1920))'s [George Shaw](/source/George_Shaw_(Queensland_politician)).[4]

Following the death of Member for Capricornia [George Gray](/source/George_Gray_(Queensland_politician,_born_1903)), Everingham nominated for pre-selection for the resulting [1967 by-election](/source/1967_Capricornia_by-election). Everingham won pre-selection, beating out local Rockhampton Labor identity Evan Schwarten (father of [Robert Schwarten](/source/Robert_Schwarten)) at a time when Labor leader [Gough Whitlam](/source/Gough_Whitlam) was seeking more tertiary-educated Labor MPs amongst the party's traditional working class members.[5]

Everingham went on to win the 1967 by-election beating his nearest rival, the [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia) candidate Frank Rudd, and was subsequently elected as Member for [Capricornia](/source/Division_of_Capricornia) serving on the opposition.[4] After Labor was returned to power at the [1972 federal election](/source/1972_Australian_federal_election), [Gough Whitlam](/source/Gough_Whitlam) appointed Everingham as [Minister for Health](/source/Minister_for_Health_and_Ageing_(Australia)).[4]

Everingham was one of many Queensland Labor MPs to lose their seats at the [1975 election](/source/1975_Australian_federal_election) held after the [dismissal of the Whitlam government](/source/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisis), defeated by the [National Country Party](/source/National_Country_Party)'s [Colin Carige](/source/Colin_Carige).[4] However, Everingham was re-elected when he was victorious against Carige at the [1977 federal election](/source/1977_Australian_federal_election). He remained the Member for Capricornia until his retirement at the [1984 election](/source/1984_Australian_federal_election).[6]

### Political views

Everingham was known for his fierce campaigning against cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and the sport of [boxing](/source/Boxing).[4] Local Rockhampton Labor identity, Barry Large (former Member for Capricornia Kirsten Livermore's long-serving political advisor), recalled that Everingham placed anti-smoking stickers on [cigarette vending machines](/source/Cigarette_vending_machine) throughout [Parliament House](/source/Old_Parliament_House,_Canberra) in Canberra due to his anti-tobacco stance.[5]

Everingham was a proponent of the proposed [SR1](/source/Spelling_Reform_1) set of spelling reforms, which resulted in him referring to his department the "Department of Helth"[7][8] and dubbed himself as "Minister for Helth".[9] This prompted Prime Minister Whitlam to send correspondence to Everingham beginning with "Dear Dug" and signed "Yurs Gof".[4][8][6]

In the late 1960s, Everingham attracted attention for his support of government-funded [sterilisation](/source/Sterilization_(medicine)) as a form of population control.[10] In 1969 he made controversial comments advocating for sterilisation to be employed on [Aboriginal Australians](/source/Aboriginal_Australians) living in [Woorabinda, Queensland](/source/Woorabinda,_Queensland), which had one of the highest infant death rates in Australia. Everingham rejected claims that his comments were racially discriminatory and stated that he supported "making sterilisation free for culturally deprived people, as it is freely available to rich people".[11] Indigenous rights activist [Faith Bandler](/source/Faith_Bandler) stated that Everingham's comments had been taken out of context.[10]

## Later life

Everingham was the coordinator of the World Election Commission in the [World Government of World Citizens](/source/World_Government_of_World_Citizens). He was appointed by the World Coordinator [Garry Davis](/source/Garry_Davis).[12]

At the time of his death in late August 2017, Everingham was one of four remaining original [Whitlam government](/source/Whitlam_government) ministers.[4]

His death prompted a number of tributes including from long-serving state Labor MP Robert Schwarten who described Everingham as the "father of [Medicare](/source/Medicare_(Australia))" due to his campaign for Australia to have a universal health care system. Schwarten described Everingham as being "instrumental" in establishing Medicare which was originally known as Medibank.[5]

## Personal life

Everingham was married twice, his two wives having pre-deceased him. Everingham had two daughters, Jo-Anne and Sue; and two sons, Stephen and Rick.[5]

Everingham's son Stephen was killed at the age of 22 in a car accident in June 1973. Stephen's 19-year-old passenger was also killed in the accident. The car collided head-on with a truck on the [Warrego Highway](/source/Warrego_Highway) near [Laidley](/source/Laidley,_Queensland) west of [Brisbane](/source/Brisbane), while Stephen and his passenger were returning to the [Queensland Agricultural College](/source/Queensland_Agricultural_College) at [Lawes](/source/Lawes,_Queensland) where they were both students.[13]

At the time of his death, Doug Everingham had seven grandchildren, one great-grandchild, two step-grandchildren, and three step-grandchildren.[5]

## References

1. Dibben, Kay [Former Whitlam Government Health Minister Doug Everingham Dead at 94](http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/former-whitlam-government-health-minister-doug-everingham-dead-at-94/news-story/578a48e130897180846484390f953722), *The Courier-Mail*, 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017

1. Senate Hansard, 4 September 2017

1. ["Doug N. Everingham's WDDM home page"](http://www.world-wide-democracy.net/Wiki/DoEveringham). Worldwide Direct Democracy Movement. Retrieved 12 January 2008.

1. [Whitlam health minister Everingham dies](http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/08/29/11/35/whitlam-health-minister-dies-at-94), [AAP](/source/Australian_Associated_Press), published on [9news.com.au](/source/9news.com.au) 29 August 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.

1. ['Father of Medicare': Tributes for respected CQ politician](https://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/mentor-and-legend-tributes-for-respected-cq-politi/3218730), *[The Morning Bulletin](/source/The_Morning_Bulletin)*, 31 August 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.

1. ['Dug' decides to give it away...](http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127221793), *[The Canberra Times](/source/The_Canberra_Times)*, 25 August 1984. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 1 September 2017.

1. Sampson, Geoffrey (1990). *Writing Systems*. Stanford University Press. p. 197.

1. Landry, Michelle (5 September 2017). ["Everingham, Hon. Douglas Nixon 'Doug'"](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/genpdf/chamber/hansardr/a469c2d4-6f59-48c5-9ba3-f051f56409dd/0226/hansard_frag.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf) (PDF). *[Australian House of Representatives](/source/Australian_House_of_Representatives) [Hansard](/source/Hansard)*. [Parliament of Australia](/source/Parliament_of_Australia). Retrieved 18 July 2023.

1. ["The Case for SR1 and Nothing Else."](https://web.archive.org/web/20101231123334/http://www.englishspellingsociety.org/journals/j9/sr1.php). Archived from [the original](http://www.englishspellingsociety.org/journals/j9/sr1.php) on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2011.

1. ["Dr Everingham explains his sterilisation policy"](https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107081443). *The Canberra Times*. 4 March 1969.

1. ["Doctors to compete in new health scheme"](https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110626762). *The Canberra Times*. 23 December 1972.

1. ["commissions - World Government of World Citizens"](http://worldservice.org/commissions.html?s=3#dn)

1. [Minister's son killed in collision](http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110716066), *[The Canberra Times](/source/The_Canberra_Times)*, 25 June 1973. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 1 September 2017.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Doug Everingham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Everingham) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Everingham?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.