Carrol Athelstone Bramich (30 October 1893 – 1 October 1964) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1946 to 1964, representing the electorate of Darwin for both the Labor Party (1946–1956) and the Liberal Party (1956–1964). He served as a minister under Labor Premier Robert Cosgrove until his sudden floor-crossing defection in 1956.[1]
Bramich was promoted to Cabinet in November 1946 and was appointed Assistant Minister for Education and Transport, but was defeated in a caucus election for a reshuffle several months later. He returned to Cabinet in May 1948 following the defeat of Rowland Worsley, and was assigned Worsley's former role of Minister for Forests.[2][3][4][5] He again lost his position in a caucus election, and again regained it after another vacancy in April 1949, being appointed Minister for Housing.[6]
Bramich suddenly resigned as Minister for Housing and from the Labor Party on 11 September 1956, costing the Labor government its majority in parliament.[7] He claimed that his recommendations were being ignored and his decisions set aside. He was also facing party censure for having, while Acting Minister for Health, made a public statement claiming that his colleagues had "deliberately frustrated" his efforts to reconstitute a country hospitals board. Bramich initially claimed that he would sit on the crossbenches, but defected to the Liberal Party later that day.[8][7] An attempt to install a Liberal government mid-term was only thwarted when Premier Robert Cosgrove called an early election, following a constitutional crisis around whether the Governor would allow him to dissolve parliament.[7][9] Bramich had been expected to lose his seat at the subsequent election, but instead topped the Liberal poll in his seat.[10]
Bramich retired from politics in 1964 and died later that year.[1]