Sen. Joe Bullock (ALP-WA) – Maiden Speech

Aug 26, 2014

Senator Joe Bullock was elected at the re-run Senate election in Western Australia on April 5, 2014.

Bullock

The original Senate election of September 7, 2013 was declared void by the High Court after the Australian Electoral Commission lost around 1400 ballot papers during a recount.

Having replaced Senator Louise Pratt in the first position on the ALP ticket, Bullock was the only successful ALP candidate. The ALP also failed to win a second seat in South Australia.

Bullock, 58, an official of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, was a controversial choice for preselection, especially after the publication of a tape of an address he made to the Dawson Society. [Read more…]

Filed Under: A.L.P., Audio, Maiden Speeches, Video, W.A. Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Brian Harradine, Long-Serving Independent Senator Expelled By ALP, Dies, 79

Apr 14, 2014

Brian Harradine, an influential independent senator from Tasmania, who was expelled by the ALP in 1975 following a long and bitter dispute in the aftermath of the 1950s Labor Split, has died at the age of 79.

Harradine was elected as an independent senator from Tasmania at the 1975 double dissolution election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Government. He was re-elected five times (1980, 1983, 1987, 1993 and 1999) and served for 30 years. He chose not to contest the 2004 election and left the Senate on June 30, 2005.

At various times, Harradine’s vote was a crucial balance of power factor in the Senate, especially between 1996 and 1999 when he was instrumental in supporting the Wik legislation and voting to privatise Telstra. He voted against the Howard government’s GST legislation in 1999.

A socially conservative Catholic, Harradine was an organiser with the Federated Clerks Union in the 1950s. He was Secretary of the Tasmanian Trades and Labour Council and a member of the Australian Council of Trade Unions executive from 1964 until 1976. He founded the Tasmanian division of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association in 1967. [Read more…]

Filed Under: A.L.P., Senate, TAS Tagged With: , , , ,

Senator Brian Harradine Announces His Retirement; Will Not Contest Election

Jun 29, 2004

Senator Brian Harradine has announced that he will not recontest his seat at this year’s election and will leave politics when his term expires on June 30 next year.

Harradine, a controversial figure expelled by the ALP in 1975, has been an independent senator from Tasmania since winning a seat at the 1975, following the dismissal of the Whitlam government.

Statement from Senator Brian Harradine.

Senator Harradine will not recontest seat

I will not be recontesting my Tasmanian Senate seat at the next election. My term is due to end on 30 June 2005. I will leave the Senate as the longest serving senator in the current Parliament and the longest serving independent senator since Federation. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Independents, TAS Tagged With: , ,

Abbott Announces Medicare Plus Deal With Senate Independents

Mar 10, 2004

The Health Minister, Tony Abbott, has secured passage of his MedicarePlus package through the Senate, following a deal with four senators.

The deal with Senators Brian Harradine, Len Harris (One Nation), Shayne Murphy (ex-ALP) and Meg Lees (ex-Democrats) gives the government the 4 additional votes it needs to pass the legislation 39-37.

Amongst other measures, the deal involves a reduction in the level of the annual threshold for concession card holders. It also provides for incentives for bulk-billing doctors in non-metropolian areas and Tasmania. Harradine and Murphy both represent Tasmania. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Health, Howard, Legislation, Senate Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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