Brian Harradine
| Brian Harradine | |
|---|---|
| Senator for Tasmania | |
| In office 13 December 1975 – 30 June 2005 |
|
| Constituency | Tasmania |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 January 1935 Quorn, South Australia, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Independent |
Richard William Brian Harradine (born 9 January 1935), Australian politician, was an independent member of the Australian Senate from 1975 to 2005, representing the state of Tasmania. He was the longest-serving independent federal politician in Australian history, and a Father of the Senate.
He was born in Quorn, South Australia before moving to Tasmania in 1959.[1] Harradine worked as an official for the Federated Clerks Union and then went on to serve as Secretary General of the Tasmanian Trades and Labour Council between 1964 and 1976 and by virtue of this position, a member of the executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. While a member of the Australian Labor Party, Harradine's social conservative politics driven by his Roman Catholic background made him a prime target for accusations of sympathy for the Democratic Labor Party.[2] His own accusation, in 1968, that 'friends of communists' were out to get him led to a bitter fight. He was expelled from the ALP by the Federal Executive.[3] Even though the move to expel Harradine from the Federal Executive was successful ALP leader Gough Whitlam risked his own leadership when he tried to save Harradine from expulsion resulting in him narrowly defeating a leadership challenge from Jim Cairns.
He decided to contest the 1975 election as an independent for the Senate and won comfortably. Harradine then went on to continuously hold a Senate seat until deciding not to contest the 2004 election. His term expired on 30 June 2005.[2]
From 1993 to 1999, Brian Harradine and Mal Colston were joint Fathers of the Senate. From 1999 until his retirement, Harradine alone held this title.
Harradine was a particularly important figure in the Senate between 1994 and 1999. (See Australian Senate for the Senate numbers). Between December 1994 and March 1996, the makeup of the Senate meant that Harradine's vote combined with that of Labor and the Australian Democrats was just enough to pass Labor government legislation, making his support extremely valuable to either side of politics. Then after the March 1996 elections, and the resignation from the Labor party by Mal Colston, Harradine's and Colston's votes were sufficient to pass Coalition legislation, notably the Native Title Amendment Act 1998 (also known as the "Wik 10 Point Plan"), and the partial privatisation of Telstra.[4] After 1 July 1999, the Coalition needed 4 extra votes to pass Senate legislation, so Harradine's vote became less important.
[edit] References
- ^ Rimon, Wendy: Brian Harradine, The Companion to Tasmanian History, University of Tasmania, 2006.
- ^ a b Green, Antony: Retiring MPs, 2004 Federal Election Guide, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2004.
- ^ Scott, Keith (1999). Gareth Evans. Melbourne: Allen & Unwin. p. 68. ISBN 1864487143.
- ^ Grattan, Michelle: Harradine and the political power of one, The Age, 30 June 2004.
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Durack |
Father of the Australian Senate 1993–2005 with Mal Colston (1993–1999) |
Succeeded by John Watson |
