Edward Laurence Grace (13 March 1931 – 22 August 2020) was an Australian politician. He represented 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 t ...

(ALP) in 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 1984 to 1998, holding the New South Wales seat of Fowler.

Early life

Grace was born on 13 March 1931 in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the C ...

, Wales. He served in the

British Merchant Navy The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom and comprises the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard ...

before moving to Australia, where he became a self-employed air-conditioning consultant in Sydney. He served on the

Fairfield City Council The Fairfield City Council is a local government area in the west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council was first incorporated as the "Municipal District of Smithfield and Fairfield" on 8 December 1888, and the counc ...

from 1977 to 1985 and was also a board member of the Prospect County Council electricity utility, including as chair from 1981 to 1984.

Politics

Grace was elected to parliament at the 1984 federal election, and subsequently re-elected on four occasions. He retired at the 1998 election and was succeeded by his former staffer Julia Irwin. Grace served as an ALP

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 ...

from 1990 to 1998. He also served on various standing committees, including as chair of the members' interests committee from 1993 to 1996. He was president of the Australian-Croatian Parliamentary Friendship Group. In 1992, he and

Brian Courtice Brian William Courtice (born 17 April 1950) is a former Australian politician and trade unionist. He represented the Division of Hinkler in federal parliament from 1987 to 1993 as a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He was expelled fro ...

were the only two members of an ALP

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

committee to oppose allowing gay people to serve in the Australian Defence Force.

References

1931 births 2020 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Fowler Members of the Australian House of Representatives Politicians from Swansea 20th-century Australian politicians New South Wales local councillors Welsh emigrants to Australia {{Australia-Labor-representative-stub