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{{Short description|Australian politician (1940–2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Reverend]]
|name = Lance Armstrong
|honorific-suffix =
|image = Lance Armstrong Greens.jpg
|alt =
|caption =
|constituency_AM = [[Division of Bass (state)|Bass]]
|assembly = Tasmanian House of
|term_start = 13 May 1989
|term_end = 24 February 1996
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|2|17|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Perth]], [[Western Australia]], Australia
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|10|14|1940|2|17|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], Australia
|restingplace =
|restingplacecoordinates =
|birthname = Lance John Edward Armstrong
|party = [[Tasmanian Greens]]
|spouse =
|relations =
|children =
|residence = [[Albury-Wodonga]]
|alma_mater =
|occupation = Christian minister, politician
|signature =
|signature_alt =
|website =
|footnotes =
}}

'''Lance John Edward Armstrong''' (17 February 1940 – 14 October 2023) was an Australian politician. Born in [[Perth, Western Australia]], he was active in [[Tasmania]] and subsequently as a minister with the [[Uniting Church in Australia|Uniting Church]] in Albury.

== Political career ==
In 1989, Armstrong was elected, together with [[Christine Milne]], [[Di Hollister]], and incumbents [[Gerry Bates]] and [[Bob Brown]], to the [[Tasmanian House of Assembly]] for [[Division of Bass (state)|Bass]] as a member of a group of [[independent (politician)|independents]] under the leadership of [[Bob Brown]], after a community backlash against a proposed paper pulp mill near [[Devonport, Tasmania|Devonport]]. They together formed an alliance called the Green Independents, and held the balance of power in the government for three years, keeping [[Michael Field (Australian politician)|Michael Field]]'s minority Labor Party government in power in an arrangement called the [[Labor–Green Accord]].

The state election of 1992 saw all five sitting Greens re-elected, but with a drop in their vote of around 25% and with a majority Liberal government in power. After the election, these independents were reconstituted as the [[Tasmanian Greens]]. However, they still operated akin to independents, as the Tasmanian Greens had adopted the policy of allowing parliamentary members a "conscience vote" on all issues.

In April, Armstrong introduced a bill to restrict advertising and display of publications. This bill was aimed at the display of publications such as ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' and ''[[Playboy]]'' in newsagents, which Armstrong argued were degrading to women, although magazine ''[[Green Left Weekly]]'' argued that "Armstrong's censorship legislation is likely to increase the climate of repressiveness around sexuality".

At the 1996 election, four Greens were returned and the Greens achieved the balance of power with a Liberal minority government, but Armstrong lost his seat of Bass.<ref name=tas>{{cite Tas Parliament |title=Armstrong, Lance John Edward |id=armstrongl673 |access-date=24 July 2022}}</ref>

== After politics ==
Armstrong served as a Uniting Church minister in [[Albury-Wodonga]].{{cn|date=January 2023}}

In 2008, he controversially distributed a flyer urging residents not to vote for Henk van de Ven in Albury's local government elections, accusing van de Ven of "forceful and belligerent behaviour" in relation to an occasional child-care centre being built on council parkland.<ref>Jones, Howard: [http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/local/news/general/reverend-targets-councillor/1266884.aspx Reverend targets councillor], ''The Border Mail'', 9 September 2008.</ref>

== Death ==
Armstrong died at a Melbourne nursing home on 14 October 2023, at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife Ruth, three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Upon his death, former parliamentary colleague [[Bob Brown]] stated: "He made a remarkable contribution to Tasmanian politics and society. He seamlessly combined his Christian beliefs with his political career in his never-wavering advocacy for social justice, peace and care for the natural environment."<ref>[[Bob Brown]] Foundation: [https://tasmaniantimes.com/2023/10/vale-lance-armstrong-mha/ Vale Lance Armstrong MHA], ''Tasmanian Times'', 15 October 2023.</ref>

The [[Tasmanian Parliament]] moved a condolence motion for Armstrong on 19 October 2023.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Lance}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Australian Greens members of the Parliament of Tasmania]]
[[Category:Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly]]
[[Category:Uniting Church in Australia ministers]]
[[Category:Politicians from Perth, Western Australia]]

Lance Armstrong (politician) - Revision history

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