Lloyd Reginald Terrence O'Neil (born 24 June 1937) is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from 1983 to 1993, representing the South Australian seat of

Grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

for 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).

Early life

O'Neil was born on 24 June 1937 in

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...

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 ...

. A

boilermaker A boilermaker is a tradesperson who fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Dep ...

by profession, he became president of the Amalgamated Metal Workers and Shipwrights Union (AMWSU) and was a delegate to the Whyalla Trades and Labour Council.

Politics

O'Neil was secretary of the ALP's

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...

branch from 1970 to 1982. He worked as an electoral assistant to Grey MP Laurie Wallis, before succeeding him in federal parliament at the 1983 federal election. In January 1991, O'Neil announced his support for

Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...

to succeed

Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...

as leader of the ALP and prime minister. In May 1991, he supported

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Alasdair Webster Alasdair Paine Webster (born 12 February 1934) is a retired Australian politician. Early life Webster was born in East Maitland, New South Wales. He underwent military service in 1953, attended the University of New England, and became a teac ...

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in whi ...

that would ban the federal government from funding abortion, stating that abortions had resulted in a "deep disturbing trend of psychological harm and distress". In December 1991, O'Neil announced that he would retire from politics at the next federal election. He is the most recent Labor representative for the Division of Grey, as the area has been held by the Liberal Party ever since.Parliamentary Handbook: Historical Information on the Australian Parliament

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneil, Lloyd 1937 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Grey 20th-century Australian politicians Australian boilermakers Australian trade unionists