Edward Mann (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Edward Alexander Mann was a Nationalist
member of the Australian House of Representatives
and radio commentator.
Mann was born in Mount Gambier, South Australia
and was the brother of Frederick Mann
, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria
from 1935 to 1944. He was educated at the University of Melbourne
and was appointed government analyst in Western Australia
in 1895 and set up the government laboratory in Perth
. In 1901 he married Estelle Frances Leonie Hicks. He was appointed to the Commonwealth Advisory Council for Science and Industry from 1916 to 1920, although his participation was limited, partly due to the distance between Perth and Melbourne
.
at the 1922 election
, defeating disendorsed Nationalist James Fowler
. He was responsible for the passage of the Electoral Act 1924 through the House of Representatives, introducing compulsory voting
. Like his predecessor he opposed high tariffs and he publicly criticised party leader and Prime Minister
, Stanley Bruce
over the issue. In 1929, he attacked the government over its failure to prosecute John Brown for illegally locking out his employees, resulting in his exclusion from party meetings. Later in the year, he voted with Billy Hughes
and three others to bring the Bruce government down over the Maritime Industries Bill—which would have abolished the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
—forcing it to the 1929 election
and its defeat. He also lost his seat running as an independent.
's chief commentator with his daily news session, At home and abroad, and a weekly programme, The news behind the news. He spoke anonymously under the pseudonym of "The Watchman", and regularly offended the government with his trenchant criticism. The Menzies
government censored him and he resigned from the ABC to contest the seat of Flinders
at the September election
, but lost narrowly. He could not regain a satisfactory position on the ABC and moved to commercial radio. He married Gladys Alice Kubale in 1949. He died on a heart attack on a Melbourne tram
, survived by his second wife and a son and two daughters of his first marriage.
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
member of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
and radio commentator.
Mann was born in Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....
and was the brother of Frederick Mann
Frederick Mann
Sir Frederick Wollaston Mann KCMG was the chief justice of the Australian state of Victoria between 1 October 1935 and 31 January 1944. He was also Victoria’s lieutenant governor between 12 May 1936 and May 1945. Mann was nicknamed the “Little Gentleman” because of his height and he was...
, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
from 1935 to 1944. He was educated at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and was appointed government analyst in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in 1895 and set up the government laboratory in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. In 1901 he married Estelle Frances Leonie Hicks. He was appointed to the Commonwealth Advisory Council for Science and Industry from 1916 to 1920, although his participation was limited, partly due to the distance between Perth and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Political career
Mann was elected as the member for PerthDivision of Perth
The Division of Perth is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia. It is named after Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, where the Division is located...
at the 1922 election
Australian federal election, 1922
Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1922. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes lost its majority...
, defeating disendorsed Nationalist James Fowler
James Fowler (Australian politician)
James Mackinnon Fowler was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1901 to 1922.Fowler was born in Strathaven, South Lanarkshire, Scotland and educated at local schools and the Glasgow Athenaeum. He migrated to Australia in 1891 and was a foundation member of the Victorian...
. He was responsible for the passage of the Electoral Act 1924 through the House of Representatives, introducing compulsory voting
Compulsory voting
Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...
. Like his predecessor he opposed high tariffs and he publicly criticised party leader and Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, Stanley Bruce
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
over the issue. In 1929, he attacked the government over its failure to prosecute John Brown for illegally locking out his employees, resulting in his exclusion from party meetings. Later in the year, he voted with Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
and three others to bring the Bruce government down over the Maritime Industries Bill—which would have abolished the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration is a defunct Australian court, which had jurisdiction to arbitrate interstate industrial disputes....
—forcing it to the 1929 election
Australian federal election, 1929
Federal elections were held in Australia on 12 October 1929. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, with no Senate seats up for election, as a result of Billy Hughes and other rebel backbenchers crossing the floor over industrial relations legislation, depriving the...
and its defeat. He also lost his seat running as an independent.
Radio career
Mann soon became the Australian Broadcasting CommissionAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's chief commentator with his daily news session, At home and abroad, and a weekly programme, The news behind the news. He spoke anonymously under the pseudonym of "The Watchman", and regularly offended the government with his trenchant criticism. The Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
government censored him and he resigned from the ABC to contest the seat of Flinders
Division of Flinders
The Division of Flinders is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...
at the September election
Australian federal election, 1940
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 September 1940. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
, but lost narrowly. He could not regain a satisfactory position on the ABC and moved to commercial radio. He married Gladys Alice Kubale in 1949. He died on a heart attack on a Melbourne tram
W class Melbourne tram
The W class is a class of electric trams that operates in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The tram model series is a cultural icon to Melbourne...
, survived by his second wife and a son and two daughters of his first marriage.