Aloysius Joseph "Loy" Rodoreda (29 May 1892 – 11 March 1958) was an Australian politician who was the

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1953 to 1956. A member of the Labor Party, he sat in parliament from 1933 to his death in 1958, first representing Roebourne and then

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

, both located in the state's

North-West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...

. Rodoreda was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

to Julia (née Down) and Edward John Rodoreda, a storekeeper of

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent. From a Roman Catholic family, he was educated at

Christian Brothers' College, Perth Christian Brothers College (CBC), informally known as CBC Perth or The Terrace was an Independent school for boys situated on St Georges Terrace in the centre of Perth, Western Australia. The college opened in January 1894, and the college was a ...

, and subsequently held a variety of jobs in country Western Australia, including as a clerk at Wyndham, a

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

paymaster at Kondinin, and a

wharfinger Wharfinger (pronounced ''wor-fin-jer)'' is an archaic term for a person who is the keeper or owner of a wharf. The wharfinger takes custody of and is responsible for goods delivered to the wharf, typically has an office on the wharf or dock, and ...

and general merchant at Roebourne. Rodoreda was first elected to parliament at the 1933 state election, becoming only the second member of the Labor Party to represent Roebourne, an original Legislative Assembly district. He defeated the sitting

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

member, John Church, who had only been elected to parliament in a by-election the previous year. Although Labor was in government from the 1933 election through to the 1947 election, Rodoreda was not a member of any of the ministries led by

Philip Collier Philip Collier (21 April 1873 – 18 October 1948) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th Premier of Western Australia from 1924 to 1930 and from 1933 to 1936. He was leader of the Labor Party from 1917 to 1936, and is Western Aus ...

John Willcock John Collings Willcock (9 August 1879 – 7 June 1956) was the 15th Premier of Western Australia, serving from 1936 until 1945. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party. Early life John Willcock was born at Frogmoor (now Frogmore), New So ...

, and

Frank Wise Frank Joseph Scott Wise AO (30 May 1897 – 29 June 1986) was a Labor Party politician who was the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 July 1945 in the closing stages of the Second World War, following the resignation of ...

. He was, however, a member of several Legislative Assembly committees, and served as Opposition

Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

from 1947 to 1950, following the defeat of Wise's government. Roebourne was abolished at a redistribution prior to the 1950 election, and Rodoreda successfully transferred to Pilbara, another original electorate. He held comfortable majorities throughout his time in parliament, on two occasions gaining over two-thirds of the vote.Black 1997, p. 287. Following Labor's return to government at the 1953 election, Rodoreda was elected speaker. He presided over a "heavy legislative programme", with the new premier, Albert Hawke, passing a record number of bills in the first session of the new parliament despite conflict with the Legislative Council. Following the Labor candidate's defeat at the 1955 Bunbury by-election, Rodoreda's position as speaker meant Hawke's government was reduced to a minority in the Legislative Assembly. A

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

failed to pass, however, and Labor gained a three-seat majority at the 1956 election.Phillips 1991, p. 174. Rodoreda was replaced as speaker by

James Hegney James Hegney (27 September 1891 – 5 May 1970) was an Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1930 to 1947 and again from 1950 to 1968. He served as Speaker of the Legislative ...

, but remained in parliament until his death in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in March 1958. Labor's

Arthur Bickerton Arthur William Bickerton (27 August 1919 – 18 June 1992) was an Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1958 to 1974, representing the seat of Pilbara. He served as a minister ...

won Pilbara at the resulting by-election, elected unopposed.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodoreda, Alec 1892 births 1958 deaths Australian people of Irish descent Australian Roman Catholics Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People educated at Christian Brothers' College, Perth Politicians from Perth, Western Australia Australian people of Catalan descent Speakers of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians