Walter Jona (17 July 1926 – 22 July 2007) /ref> was a
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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member of the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presiding ...
.
Early life and career
Jona went to school at the
Scotch College, Melbourne
(For God, for Country, and for Learning)
, established =
, type = Independent, day and boarding
, gender = Boys
, denomination = Presbyterian
, slogan =
, ...
before studying
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
at the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
in 1944, and before he went to
Scotch College Melbourne
Scotch College is an independent school, independent Presbyterian Day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, Victoria, Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Aus ...
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
, Jona returned to his medical course, but found his passion for politics after taking some politics units. This lead Jona to joining the Melbourne University Liberal Club and becoming active within the Liberal Party in his local area.
Jona was also active in many other groups including the Melbourne Apex Club, Melbourne Junior Chamber of Commerce and in 1958 he became President of the Victorian Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen.
Hawthorn
Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to:
Plants
* '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae
* ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
was disendorsed because he was charged under the Companies Act. Jona won a hotly contested preselection against ten other candidates, and went on to win the seat despite challenges from Garrisson and from
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
(at the time, the seat of Hawthorn included parts of working class Richmond, making it less secure for the Liberals than today).
Jona served as the Chairman of a Select Committee on Road Safety between 1967 and 1973. This committee recommended the mandatory wearing of
seatbelt
A seat belt (also known as a safety belt, or spelled seatbelt) is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt red ...
s in 1971, which was a world first.
From 1973 to 1976 Jona served as Parliamentary Secretary to
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
before being promoted by
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Rupert Hamer
Sir Rupert James Hamer, (29 July 1916 – 23 March 2004), generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, was an Australian Liberal Party politician who served as the 39th Premier of Victoria from 1972 to 1981.
Early years
Hamer ...
to be Victoria's first Ethnic Affairs Minister. From 1979 until the Liberals' defeat at the 1982 election, Jona served as Minister for Community Welfare Services. He also served as shadow Education Minister until his retirement in 1985.
Like many Liberal Party politicians from Victoria, Jona's political views were considered to be small-l liberal. After retirement, Jona criticized the government of
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...
for its "contempt of parliament" and "exercising fabsolute power" as well as criticizing the current federal
Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
government for its increasingly centralist style of government. .
Until his death in 2007, he remained active in community life, having served as chairman for the Victorian Union for Progressive Judaism and as a patron of the
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...
.
Lady (Anna) Cowen, wife of Sir
Zelman Cowen
Sir Zelman Cowen, (7 October 1919 – 8 December 2011) was an Australian legal scholar and university administrator who served as the 19th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1977 to 1982.
Cowen was born in Melbourne, and attended ...
, a former
Governor-General of Australia
The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Australian Jewish News /ref>