Thomas Richard Tate is an Australian politician and the current mayor of the City of Gold Coast. He was first elected on 28 April 2012, and re-elected on 19 March 2016 with 73% of the two-candidate-preferred vote.
The Gold Coast mayor is directly elected by residents and is the only councillor who doesn't represent a specific Gold Coast Council division; and is the principal representative of the City of Gold Coast and its policies. Gold Coast City has a budget of $1.2 billion annually, the second-highest of any municipal government in Australia, and is the second-largest local government area in Australia, employing a staff of over 3,500.
Personal life
Tate was born in 1959 in Vientiane, the capital Laos. His father, Warwick Tate, was an engineer, who met his Thai wife, Prapai, when building an airport for the Americans in Thailand. Another source says his father and mother were both working in Laos when they met. Tate jnr speaks three languages: English, Thai and Laotian.
Tate's parents separated when his father moved back to Sydney from Thailand in 1970, and Tate joined him a year later. Tate attended school at Scots College in Sydney where he was a drummer in the school's pipe band.
A civil engineer by profession, Tate graduated from the University of NSW in the early 1980s. He started his career in the construction industry, but moved into tourism and hospitality when he went to the Gold Coast from Sydney to manage his family's Queensland properties, including the Park Regis at Southport.
Tate has been married to his wife, Ruth, for 36 years, and they have four children. His father died on 19 January 2015 after a long illness, and his funeral service was held at the Scots College Chapel.
Business career
Tate worked across the world before joining his father's development company at the age of 35. In 1992, Tate Sr bought the Islander Resort Hotel in Surfers Paradise, where Tate managed the refitting of the building. In 1993, he took over management of the Islander and turned it into one of the city’s most successful resorts. Notably, during the Asian economic downturn in the late 1990s, he offered hotel rooms for $1.
Political career
Tate was elected mayor in 2012 as an independent, after the previous incumbent, Ron Clarke, resigned in February 2012, having announced his nomination as an independent candidate for the seat of Broadwater in the 2012 Queensland state election. Tate had two previous tilts at the mayoralty before his success, including as an endorsed Liberal candidate in 2008.
His re-election saw a significant increase in his primary vote, from 37% in 2012 to 64% in 2016. He is noted for his claim that he does not accept political donations and self-funds his campaigns.
In June 2015, Tate sold the Islander Hotel Resort in Surfers Paradise to Brisbane nightclub identity Louis Bickle, to avoid suggestions he had a conflict of interest.
References
External links
- City of Gold Coast profile of Tate. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
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