Editing Hal Colebatch (section)

===In government===
In July 1916, the Liberal and [[Country Party of Western Australia|Country]] parties cooperated to pass a [[vote of no confidence]] in the Scaddan Government.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|pp=59–60}} Labor had been left with a minority of seats in the Legislative Assembly following several resignations{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=56}} and the Country Party had drifted closer to the Liberal Party compared to when they were initially elected to parliament in 1914.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=58}} The Liberal Party's [[Frank Wilson (politician)|Frank Wilson]] became premier, and although he had only been in parliament for four years, Colebatch was an obvious choice to join [[Second Wilson Ministry (Western Australia)|the ministry]] and lead the government in the Legislative Council. By this time, Colebatch was looked at by some as the state's next John Forrest,{{efn|[[John Forrest]] had been the state's premier for 11 years, far longer than any of his successors. His departure from state politics for federal politics in 1901 led to a dearth in the state parliament's talent.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|pp=27–28}}}} and so he was appointed [[Minister for Education (Western Australia)|Minister for Education]] and [[Colonial Secretary of Western Australia|Colonial Secretary]]. Mitchell was also a member of the ministry, being appointed [[Minister for Railways (Western Australia)|Minister for Railways]] and [[Minister for Water (Western Australia)|Minister for Water Supply]].{{sfnm|Colebatch|2004|1p=51|Black|2021|2p=266|De Garis|1962|3p=60}}

The colonial secretary was responsible for numerous miscellaneous departments, including charities, public health, aborigines, public gardens, the state shipping service. Although the colonial secretary had to introduce many bills and answer many questions in parliament, it was not a role that allowed for high achievement to shine. On the other hand, the role of education minister allowed for this, and Colebatch found this to be his favourite portfolio. He later claimed that he was appointed education minister due to his advocacy for country high schools when Wilson was previously premier.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=61}}

Parliament was adjourned for seven weeks for [[ministerial by-election]]s to take place. Colebatch was subsequently elected unopposed.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=62}} Soon after parliament resumed, it was adjourned again for the [[1916 Australian conscription referendum]] campaign.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|pp=62–63}} Like most Liberal politicians, Colebatch supported [[Conscription in Australia|conscription]],{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=63}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article81720614 |title=Conscription: The Coming Referendum |newspaper=The Daily News |date=18 September 1916 |access-date=26 January 2023 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and his rhetoric grew more and more nationalistic as the campaign went on.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=63}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26995542 |title=Perth's Final Rally |newspaper=The West Australian |date=28 October 1916 |access-date=26 January 2023 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Western Australia ended up voting for conscription, whereas nationally, the majority voted against conscription.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=64}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Part 5 - Referendums and Plebiscites – Plebiscite results |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22handbook/newhandbook/2014-10-31/0050%22 |website=Parliament of Australia |access-date=26 January 2023}}</ref> Meanwhile, both of Colebatch's sons enlisted in the army and in 1917, they went to fight in France in [[World War I]]. Gordon was severely injured by a shell blast and suffered the effects of this for the rest of his life.{{sfnm|Colebatch|2004|1p=54|De Garis|1962|2p=64}} To help raise funds for soldiers and dependents in need, Colebatch was the chairman of the Western Australian War Patriotic Fund.{{sfnm|Colebatch|2004|1p=53|De Garis|1962|2p=75}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28169807 |title=War Patriotic Fund. Work Closing. The Executive's Report. |newspaper=The West Australian |date=29 May 1922 |access-date=26 January 2023 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The parliamentary session under the Wilson government only got underway in November 1916.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=64}} The government passed the Trading Concerns Act, which put all trading concerns on a commercial basis as well as preventing the establishment of trading concerns without the approval of parliament, preventing the government from using its executive power to do so like the Scaddan government often did.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=65}} The State Fish Supplies, which was one of Colebatch's responsibilities, was shut down due to not being commercially viable. On the other hand, the State Steamship Service proved viable and was not shut down.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=66}}

Colebatch was opposed to large-scale gambling and lotteries, particularly those run by the government, believing them to be a tax on the poor and stupid. He introduced a bill to outlaw [[bookmaking]] in 1916, but it was not passed by parliament.{{sfnm|Colebatch|2004|1p=53|De Garis|1962|2p=67}} A success that Colebatch had as colonial secretary was to convert [[Rottnest Island]] from a prison to a holiday resort. The island was made an [[A-class reserve]] in 1917 and Colebatch was appointed as the first president of the Rottnest Island Board of Control. Some prisoners were retained for the first few years as cheap labour, but by 1922, the last prisoners were removed from the island.{{sfnm|Colebatch|2004|1p=54|De Garis|1962|2pp=67–68}}

In May 1917, the Liberal Party was disbanded and turned into the [[Nationalist Party (Australia)|Nationalist Party]],{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=71}} and in June, the new party elected [[Henry Lefroy]] as its leader.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=72}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57985987 |title=Exit Wilson; Enter Lefroy |newspaper=Sunday Times |date=24 June 1917 |access-date=26 January 2023 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Wilson resigned as premier, and so Lefroy was appointed to the position.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=72}}<ref name="The West Australian 28 June 1917">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27303471 |title=State Politics |newspaper=The West Australian |date=28 June 1917 |access-date=26 January 2023 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Colebatch became the unofficial [[Deputy Premier of Western Australia|deputy premier]]{{efn|The position of [[Deputy Premier of Western Australia]] did not become official until 1955.<ref>{{cite web |title=Deputy Premiers of Western Australia |url=https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/intranet/libpages.nsf/WebFiles/Publications+ministers+-+Deputy+Premiers+2017+March+17/$FILE/Publications+ministers+-+Deputy+Premiers+2017+March+17.pdf |website=Parliament of Western Australia |access-date=26 January 2023 |date=20 March 2017}}</ref>}}{{sfnm|Colebatch|2004|1p=54|De Garis|1962|2p=73}} and kept his previous positions in the [[Lefroy Ministry|new ministry]].{{sfn|Colebatch|2004|p=54}}<ref name="The West Australian 28 June 1917"/> Despite this, Colebatch stated his distaste in the way that Wilson had been ousted and was disappointed that Mitchell was no longer in the ministry.{{sfnm|Colebatch|2004|1p=54|De Garis|1962|2p=73}}

The [[1917 Western Australian state election|1917 state election]] occurred soon after the [[Lefroy Ministry]] was appointed, and after that, parliament only resumed for a week before it was adjourned for the [[1917 Australian conscription referendum]] campaign.{{sfn|De Garis|1962|p=74}}

By 1917, Colebatch had established district high schools in Northam and [[Geraldton]]. He had also established scholarships to enable children from outside areas to attend them. Two more district high schools were created in [[Bunbury, Western Australia|Bunbury]] and [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]] that year.{{sfn|Colebatch|2004|p=55}} Establishing the first high schools outside Perth and the Goldfields had been the issue which had impelled him to enter politics.{{sfnm|Colebatch|2004|1p=63|De Garis|1962|2pp=18–19}} In 1918, Nationalist member [[John Stewart (Western Australian politician)|John Stewart]] resigned from the [[Electoral district of Claremont|seat of Claremont]] in the Legislative Assembly. It was offered to Colebatch that he resign from the Legislative Council to contest the [[1918 Claremont state by-election|resulting by-election]] so that he could one day become premier, however Colebatch decline the offer as he did not want to undermine confidence in the Lefroy Government.{{sfn|Colebatch|2004|p=55}}