Richard William Brian Harradine (9 January 1935 – 14 April 2014) was an Australian politician who served as an independent member of the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

, from 1975 to 2005, representing the state of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. He was the longest-serving independent federal politician in Australian history, and a Father of the Senate.

Early life

Harradine was born in

Quorn Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products, or the company that makes them. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin. Quorn is sold as b ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, and moved to Tasmania in 1959.Rimon, Wendy
Brian Harradine
''The Companion to Tasmanian History'',

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

, 2006.

Political career

He was an official for the

Federated Clerks' Union The Federated Clerks Union of Australia (FCU) was an Australian trade union representing clerical workers, in existence from 1911 to 1993, when it amalgamated with the Australian Services Union. History Between 1900 and 1907, attempts were made to ...

. He then served from 1964 to 1976 as Secretary-General of the Tasmanian

Trades and Labour Council A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or ...

and a member of the executive of the

Australian Council of Trade Unions The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions and eight trades and la ...

. In 1968, the Federal Executive of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

(ALP) refused to let Harradine take his seat on the body. He was suspected of links with the Democratic Labor Party, and had declared that "the friends of the Communists intend to try and silence me". The Executive's actions prompted ALP leader

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

, who had supported Harradine, to resign and seek a renewed mandate from the caucus. He was re-elected by a narrow margin, 38 votes to 32, in a ballot against

Jim Cairns James Ford Cairns (4 October 191412 October 2003) was an Australian politician who was prominent in the Labor movement through the 1960s and 1970s, and was briefly Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government. He is best r ...

. In 1975, the Federal Executive, by a majority of only one vote, expelled Harradine. It subsequently rejected, by the same margin, an attempt to convene a special conference to hear his appeal. The Executive's action came after the Tasmanian State Executive declined to expel him. He had been accused of involvement with the

National Civic Council The National Civic Council (or NCC) is a conservative Christian lobby group in Australia, founded by B.A. Santamaria in the 1940s. The NCC publishes a weekly magazine, ''News Weekly''. The NCC promotes policy based on Santamaria's Catholic value ...

. He decided to contest the 1975 election as an independent for the Senate, and won comfortably. Thereafter, he remained a senator until deciding not to contest the 2004 election. His term expired on 30 June 2005.Green, Antony
Retiring MPs
''2004 Federal Election Guide'',

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

, 2004. From 1993 to 1999, Harradine and

Mal Colston Malcolm Arthur Colston (5 April 1938 – 23 August 2003) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Queensland from 1975 to 1999. He was a member of the Labor Party until 1996, when he resigned to sit as an independent followi ...

were joint Fathers of the Senate. Between 1999 and 2005, Harradine held the title alone. He was a particularly important figure in the Senate between 1994 and 1999. (See

for the Senate numbers.) From December 1994 to March 1996, the make-up of the Senate meant that Harradine's vote combined with that of Labor and the

Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Austral ...

was just enough to pass Labor government legislation, making his support extremely valuable to either side of politics. Then, after the March 1996 election and the resignation from the Labor Party by the disgraced Colston, Harradine's and Colston's votes were sufficient to pass Coalition legislation, notably the

Native Title Amendment Act 1998 The ''Native Title Act 1993'' (Cth) is a law passed by the Australian Parliament, the purpose of which is "to provide a national system for the recognition and protection of native title and for its co-existence with the national land managemen ...

(also known as the "Wik ten-point plan") and the partial privatisation of

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...

. Grattan, Michelle
"Harradine and the political power of one"
''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'', 30 June 2004. He secured $350 million in communications and environmental funding for Tasmania in return for backing the Telstra legislation. However, he refused to support the Goods and Services Tax. After 1 July 1999, the Coalition needed four extra votes to pass Senate legislation so Harradine's vote became less important. He was socially conservative, reflecting his Catholic values. He opposed abortion, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage, and pornography. He secured a ministerial veto on importation of the

abortifacient An abortifacient ("that which will cause a miscarriage" from Latin: ''abortus'' "miscarriage" and '' faciens'' "making") is a substance that induces abortion. This is a nonspecific term which may refer to any number of substances or medications, ...

RU486, and a prohibition on Australian overseas aid financing family planning that included abortion advice.

Death

He died in April 2014 at his home, in Tasmania, aged 79. He had suffered several strokes prior to his death. Prime Minister

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...

offered Harradine's family a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

, which was accepted. The funeral was held on 23 April 2014 at

St Mary's Cathedral, Hobart St Mary's Cathedral in , Tasmania, Australia, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, presently the Most Rev. Julian Porteous. The cathedral's origins can be traced back to 1822 when the first permanent Tasmanian priest Revere ...

Early life

Political career

Death

References

Further reading