John Royston Siddons (5 October 1927 – 22 September 2016) was an Australian politician. He was a businessman and the executive chairman of Siddons Industries Ltd. before entering politics. Siddons was born on 5 October 1927 in Melbourne, the second child of Agnes Emily née Smith and

Royston Siddons Royston Siddons (15 December 1899 – 24 November 1976) was an Australian metal working industrialist. Siddons founded an industrial empire Siddons Industries Ltd, with subsidiaries in six countries and 1500 employees. SIL included Siddons Drop F ...

an industrialist and founder of the

Sidchrome Sidchrome is an Australian brand of mechanics' tools. It is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker. History The brand emerged when Royston Siddons' Siddons Drop Forgings Pty Ltd turned to tool making to fill post war shortages after World War II ...

and Ramset brands in Australia. John would work in the family business, eventually replacing Royston as chairman. In 1980, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Democrats senator for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. He was defeated at the 1983 election, when he was required to take second place on the Democrats ticket in deference to party leader

Don Chipp Donald Leslie Chipp, AO (21 August 192528 August 2006) was an Australian politician who was the inaugural leader of the Australian Democrats, leading the party from 1977 to 1986. He began his career as a member of the Liberal Party, winning el ...

. He was, however, re-elected in the 1984 election, when seven places were up for election due to the expansion of the Parliament. In 1986, he left the Democrats, claiming that the party had moved too far to the left. In 1987, he registered the Unite Australia Party, amalgamating two other minor parties, the Advance Australia Party and the remnants of the

Australia Party The Australia Party was a minor political party established initially in 1966 as the Liberal Reform Group. As the Australia Party, it became influential, particularly in the landmark 1972 federal election when its preferences assisted the Austr ...

. He was joined in the Senate by South Australian Democrat David Vigor. The new party contested the 1987 election but received under 1% in all states contested. Siddons and Vigor were both defeated. He died in 2016, aged 88.Myer, Rod.
What made John Siddons one of Australia’s most unusual and enigmatic politicians
. ''The New Daily'', 29 September 2016. Accessed 22 December 2016

References

Sources

*Siddons, John Royston; Gleeson, Russ. "A Spanner in the Works" (autobiography). Macmillan, Melbourne (1990) Australian manufacturing businesspeople Australian Democrats members of the Parliament of Australia Independent members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria Members of the Australian Senate 1927 births 2016 deaths People educated at Wesley College (Victoria) Unite Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Officers of the Order of Australia {{Australia-Independent-politician-stub