Brian Harradine
Brian Harradine (born
January 9 1935),
Australian
politician, was an independent member of the
Australian Senate from
1975 to
2005, representing the state of
Tasmania. He was born in
Quorn,
South Australia before moving to Tasmania in
1959.
Harradine worked as an official for the Federated Clerks Union and then went on to serve as Secretary General of the
Tasmanian Trades and Labour Council between
1964 and
1976 and by virtue of this position, a member of the executive of the
Australian Council of Trade Unions. While a member of the
Australian Labor Party, Harradine's socially
conservative politics driven by his
Roman Catholic background made him a prime target for accusations of sympathy for the
Democratic Labor Party. His own accusation, in 1968, that 'friends of communists' were out get him led to a bitter fight and he was expelled from the ALP by the Federal Executive.
He decided to contest the
1975 election as an independent for the Senate and he won comfortably. Harradine then went on to win a seat at every Senate election until deciding to retire prior to the
2004 election. At his retirement he was the
longest-serving member of the Senate. His term expired on
30 June,
2005.
Harradine was a particularly important figure in the Senate between December 1994 and March 1996. At this time the makeup of the Senate meant that Harradine's vote combined with that of Labor and the
Australian Democrats was just enough to pass government legislation, making his support extremely valuable to either side of politics. After the March 1996 elections, the balance of power shifted and Harradine's influence decreased.
