Sir Thomas Bent: Victoria’s most corrupt politician, or champion of public progress?

Victorians should remember that no matter how dodgy some politicians seem, they could always be more bent. And one former premier could well have given all modern pollies a master class in underhand dealing.

Sir Thomas Bent in his heyday. Picture: Supplied

On Saturday the few Victorians who haven’t voted early will get their say in the worst state election in four years.

The spectre of extreme Islam, youth gangs and the festering Red Shirts scandal, which likely has some Labor MPs hoping bail laws won’t be tightened, might weigh on voters’ minds.

The Liberals, whose former party director is already in prison, are wishing ‘lobster’ and ‘mobster’ didn’t rhyme so neatly and hope that if they can’t stop home invasions, at least the TVs being nicked will be brand new.

On the face of it, it all seems bent.

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But Victorians should remember it could always be more bent. One former premier could well have given all modern pollies a master class in underhand dealing.

Sir Thomas Bent himself.

Premier Thomas Bent and Victorian parliament in the late 19th Century. During Bent’s premiership, when Federal Parliament sat in the building, the Victorian parliament was housed in the Royal Exhibition Building.

The 22nd premier of Victoria, in office from 1904 until 1909, he was, according to many, Bent by name and nature.

Accused of rising to power using illegal electoral tactics and twisting government policy to build his personal wealth, Bent was either Victoria’s most corrupt politician or a champion of public progress, or perhaps both.

DIRTY TRICKS

Born in Penrith, NSW, Bent moved to Melbourne as a boy, attended school in Fitzroy and later established himself as a market gardener in Brighton East.

That was when he began buying, selling and developing land; the beginning of a long interest in real estate which would help establish the Brighton and Bayside area.

Bentleigh was named after Sir Thomas Bent, former councillor and former Premier of Victoria.

Curator Elle Credlin of Bayside gallery which hosted an exhibit about the infamous former mayor and Premier Thomas Bent in 2015. Picture: Kris Reichl

Bent became a rate collector for the Brighton council in the early 1860s and was later elected to the Moorabbin Roads Board where his pattern of standing over colleagues began.

His entry to parliament came in 1871 with an unexpected victory in the Legislative Assembly seat of Brighton over George Higinbotham.

It was supposed Bent’s popularity in local community groups nudged him over the line, but several years later another explanation emerged.

It was discovered that during his time as a rate collector he had fiddled with records on who had paid rates when.

Bent’s meticulous meddling had apparently led to a swathe of votes being denied to those whose records were affected — delivering him a wrongful victory.

Naturally many at the Brighton council wanted a full and transparent inquiry but astonishingly Bent had become mayor.

The inquiry was buried and he stayed in public life, despite there being additional questions over voting in the mayoral election.

BENDING THE RAILS

Bent worked to secure public funding for land development and established private interests in property across Melbourne, especially in the Bayside area.

New electric tram tracks being laid in the early 20th Century; a legacy of Sir Thomas Bent’s time as transport minister.

New electric trams in Melbourne during Bent’s premiership.

When he was chairman of the railways standing committee, he developed railway lines that happened to pass properties he owned, considerably increasing their value.

In the 1880s he was voted out of parliament and survived the economic downturn in the 1890s to return to parliament in the new century.

When he was reappointed minister responsible for railways, a decision on the route of the new electric tram from St Kilda to Brighton came into question.

Bent had bought up land between St Kilda and Brighton along the path the tram was going to follow, and stood to make enormous financial gain off the government project.

Despite the blatant conflict of interest he became premier in 1904, winning a parliamentary majority in June that year and was re-elected in 1907.

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LEGACY

His ferocious self interest aside, the bullish Bent has won favour among Brighton and Moorabbin residents, many of whom tolerated accusations of corruption while their suburbs experienced healthy growth.

The statue of Sir Thomas Bent in Brighton, and his former home, pictured in 1937.

Relics from Sir Bent’s time.

After his death his alleged swindles were investigated.

Bent’s development deals established the suburb of Bentleigh, which bears his name. He was mayor of Brighton nine times, sometimes simultaneously chairman of Moorabbin, and represented the area in parliament for a total of 32 years.

He died in September 1909, eight months after he resigned his premiership during party infighting.

A royal commission was established into his alleged corruption and it was found Bent had likely acted unconstitutionally, and that his policy decisions to re-route public transport to pass his properties was highly suspicious.

But it was not proven for certain that he profited from the deals and Bent died without facing a court over his alleged swindles.

A statue on the corner of Bay St and Nepean Hwy immortalises Bent, who is depicted with his open left hand reaching tentatively out.

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