James Joseph Webster (14 June 1925 – 3 April 2022) was an Australian politician. He was a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

for Victoria from 1964 to 1980, representing the National Country Party (NCP). He served as

Minister for Science Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

(1975–1978) and Science and the Environment (1978–1979) in the Fraser Government. He left politics to become High Commissioner to New Zealand, serving from 1980 to 1983.

Early life

Webster was born on 14 June 1925 on

Flinders Island Flinders Island, the largest island in the Furneaux Group, is a island in the Bass Strait, northeast of the island of Tasmania. Flinders Island was the place where the last remnants of aboriginal Tasmanian population were exiled by the co ...

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

. He was the youngest of three sons born to Eileen (née Thorne) and Leslie Webster. His father was the chairman of the Flinders Island Butter Factory and served as president of the Flinders Island Municipal Council. In 1929, Webster and his family moved to his father's home state of Victoria. His father ran a timber and hardware business in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

before settling the family on a farm in Greenval in 1932. Webster was educated at state schools before completing his education at

Caulfield Grammar School , motto_translation = Work hard that you may rest content , established = 25 April 1881 , founder = Joseph Henry Davies , type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding , denom ...

. During World War II he managed the family farm in the absence of his older brothers, and also joined the

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including ...

. His father served in state parliament from 1944 to 1947 as a member of the Country Party. Webster took business classes at the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

before studying accounting at Melbourne Technical College. He worked for periods as a clerk at a timber company, as chief clerk at a sawmill in

Orbost Orbost is a historic early settlers town in the Shire of East Gippsland, Victoria, east of Melbourne and south of Canberra where the Princes Highway crosses the Snowy River. It is about from the surf and fishing seaside town of Marlo on th ...

, and as a tallyman on the Melbourne wharves. He was active in the

labour movement The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...

as a delegate to the Australian Timber Workers' Union and as a member of the

Waterside Workers' Federation The Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia (WWF) was an Australian trade union that existed from 1902 to 1993. After a period of negotiations between other Australian maritime unions, it was federated in 1902 and first federally registered ...

. In 1948, he joined J. J. Webster Pty Ltd, the

Elsternwick Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Elsternwick recorded a population of 10,887 at the ...

timber, hardware, and plumbing retailer that had been founded by his grandfather in 1884. In 1954, he became a director of Lords Holdings Limited, a building supply wholesaler.

Politics

Webster joined the Young Country Party in 1940. He was a member of the party's Federal Council (1960–1964) and served as state president of the

Victorian Country Party The Liberal Country Party (LCP) was a splinter group of the United Country Party, the Victorian branch of the Australian Country Party, formed after federal MP John McEwen was expelled from the state branch for accepting a ministry in the Lyo ...

(1963–1964). At the 1955 state election he stood unsuccessfully in the seat of

Broadmeadows Broadmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume local government area. Broadmeadows recorded a population of 12,524 at the 2021 census. Broadmead ...

. Webster was appointed to the Senate in December 1964, filling a

casual vacancy In politics, a casual vacancy (''casual'' in the sense of "by chance") is a situation in which a seat in a deliberative assembly becomes vacant during that assembly's term. Casual vacancies may arise through the death, resignation or disqualifi ...

caused by the death of Harrie Wade. He was re-elected in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo is ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establ ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

, and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

. Webster was an "active

backbencher In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the ...

" and served on a variety of Senate committees. His views were "in many respects, those of a rural socialist", and he supported government subsidies and tax incentives for rural industries. He was also in favour of public funding of the Australian film industry, supporting the establishment of the Australian Film Development Corporation, the

Australian Film and Television School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. The school is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority. History Establish ...

, and the

Australian Film Commission The Australian Film Commission (AFC) was an Australian government agency was founded in 1975 with a mandate to promote the creation and distribution of films in Australia as well as to preserve the country's film history. It also had a producti ...

. In December 1975, Webster was appointed

in the Fraser Government. He was also given the environment portfolio in 1978, becoming Minister for Science and the Environment. In 1979, Webster announced that responsibility for

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

would be moved from the Department of Primary Industry to his own department. He subsequently said that the government would seek to end illegal "pirate" whaling and was "firmly committed to a policy of vigorous and active protection of whales". During his tenure Australia and

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

successfully lobbied the

International Whaling Commission The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a specialised regional fishery management organisation, established under the terms of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) to "provide for the proper conservation ...

(IWC) to introduce the Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary. In 1975, his constitutional eligibility to sit in the Senate was questioned, prompting the Parliament to introduce the '' Common Informers (Parliamentary Disqualifications) Act 1975'', although ultimately the High Court found that he was not ineligible and he continued to serve until his retirement in 1980.

Later life

In December 1979, it was announced that Webster would retire from politics in order to be appointed High Commissioner to New Zealand. He formally resigned from the Senate in January 1980, and was succeeded by

Laurence Neal Laurence William Neal (born 18 July 1947) is a former Australian politician. Born at Wangaratta, Victoria, he was educated at La Trobe University in Melbourne before becoming a teacher and private tutor. On 11 March 1980, he was appointed to ...

. Webster served as High Commissioner during the negotiations leading up to the

Closer Economic Relations The Australia–New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement, commonly known as Closer Economic Relations (CER), is a free trade agreement between the governments of New Zealand and Australia. It came into force on 1 January 1983, but ...

agreement. According to

John Menadue John Laurence Menadue (born 8 February 1935) is an Australian businessman and public commentator, and formerly a senior public servant and diplomat. He served as Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from 1975 to 1976, work ...

, he opposed the Fraser Government's 1981 changes to the

Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement The Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement (TTTA) is an arrangement between Australia and the Realm of New Zealand which allows for the free movement of citizens of one of these countries to the other. The arrangement came into effect in 1973, and allo ...

, which required New Zealanders to carry passports when entering Australia. His term as High Commissioner ended in October 1983. He subsequently resumed farming in Victoria.

Personal life and death

Webster married Jean Drake in 1957, with whom he had four sons. They were divorced in 1989 and in 1993 he married Jeanette Hillis. Webster became an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Victoria at the age of 21. He served on the board of the Victorian School for Deaf Children from 1954 to 1974. Webster died in

Brighton, Victoria Brighton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Bayside Local government areas of Vict ...

on 3 April 2022, at the age of 96. His funeral was held at St Leonards Uniting Church on 21 April.

References

External links