Edwin Corboy
Encyclopedia
Edwin Wilkie "Ted" Corboy (24 August 1896 – 6 August 1950) was an Australia
n politician. From 1918 until 2010 Corboy held the record as the youngest ever Australian Member of Parliament.
at Perth
Boys' School, and enlisted for military service in June 1915, after having previously been rejected. He served at Gallipoli and later in France, where he was wounded twice, first at Pozieres
and later at Flers
, before being invalided to England because of injury to his eyes, the result of a gas attack. On his return to Western Australia in May 1917, he worked as a clerk in the records branch of the Western Australian Lands Department
and was an active member of the Labour Party
.
before being elected to the Australian House of Representatives
in the 1918 by-election for the seat of Swan
. He won the by-election in somewhat unusual circumstances, winning the safe Nationalist
seat for the Labour Party
. The conservative vote was split because two conservative parties, the Nationalists and the Country Party
, both contested the election. Corboy, received the highest number of primary votes and won the "first past the post" contest
. This unexpected outcome led to the introduction of preferential voting
in Australia. Corboy, who was 22 when he was elected, became the youngest person ever elected to the House of Representatives until Wyatt Roy
won the Division of Longman
in the 2010 federal election.
Corboy made his maiden House of Representatives speech in November 1918, during a parliamentary debate on the Defence Bill. The Argus
reported that Corboy "disagreed with the idea of allowing courts-martial to try soldiers for murder and to punish them with death." The newspaper further reported that Corboy spoke clearly and with confidence, creating a good impression. In 1919, Corboy was censured by the central exectutive of the Victorian branch of the Labour party for supporting the deportation of all aliens interned during World War I from Australia. The executive, in condemning Corboy, claimed his stance was "inconsistent with principles of liberty and justice". Corboy, who was active in representing the interests of repatriated and demobilised veterans, had expressed concern that jobs in Western Australia's timber industry were being filled with Austrians
released from internment and returning to their old jobs, while returned soldiers were not able to obtain work.
Corboy was a state delegate to the federal executive of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League (RSSIL), a predecessor of the Returned Services League and in 1919 attended the RSSIL's fourth annual conference in Adelaide
. In June 1919, Corboy made a speech to dock workers, following a period of industrial unrest, including riots, at the Fremantle
wharf. He called for a federal election and stated that he would "a thousand times rather have been wounded in a wharf riot in Fremantle than fighting for the capitalistic rulers of the world in France". The comments were strongly criticised by the Kalgoorlie branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association, who called for his replacement as a Western Australian delegate to the federal executive of the RSSIL.
In the 1919 Australian federal election
, Corboy again stood for the seat of Swan, where he won the primary vote but was defeated on preferences by the Country Party's John Prowse
.
as the member for Yilgarn
. In 1921, Corboy supported Edith Cowan
in voicing disagreement with a policy allowing only male guests to the Speaker's gallery. Corboy was a member of the parliamentary select committee appointed to inquire into the cashing out of soldiers' war gratuity bonds. In 1927 Corboy expressed his support for the abolition of capital punishment in Western Australia, stating that the death penalty was not a deterrent to serious crime. Capital punishment was only formally abolished in Western Australia in 1984.
In 1930, Corboy became the member for Yilgarn-Coolgardie
, a new seat incorporating his former seat, after a challenge to the validity of his election was dismissed. He did not contest the 1933 Western Australian state election
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. From 1918 until 2010 Corboy held the record as the youngest ever Australian Member of Parliament.
Early life
Born in Victoria, he was educated in Western AustraliaWestern 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...
at 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....
Boys' School, and enlisted for military service in June 1915, after having previously been rejected. He served at Gallipoli and later in France, where he was wounded twice, first at Pozieres
Pozières
Pozières is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D929 road, some northeast of Amiens between Albert and Bapaume, on the Pozières ridge.-Population:-History:...
and later at Flers
Flers, Somme
Flers is a commune near the northern edge of the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.It lies to the south of the D929 road, between Albert and Bapaume.-History:...
, before being invalided to England because of injury to his eyes, the result of a gas attack. On his return to Western Australia in May 1917, he worked as a clerk in the records branch of the Western Australian Lands Department
Department of Lands and Surveys, Western Australia
Department of Lands and Surveys, Western AustraliaThe Survey Office of Western Australia commenced as early as 1829, making the succeeding agency - the Department of Lands and Surveys one of the oldest government agencies of Western Australia...
and was an active member of the Labour Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
.
Federal politics
Corboy unsuccessfully contested the seat of Subiaco in the Western Australian Legislative AssemblyWestern Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
before being elected to 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....
in the 1918 by-election for the seat of Swan
Swan by-election, 1918
The 1918 Swan by-election was a by-election for the Division of Swan in the Australian House of Representatives, following the death of the sitting member Sir John Forrest...
. He won the by-election in somewhat unusual circumstances, winning the safe Nationalist
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...
seat for the Labour Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
. The conservative vote was split because two conservative parties, the Nationalists and the Country Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
, both contested the election. Corboy, received the highest number of primary votes and won the "first past the post" contest
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
. This unexpected outcome led to the introduction of preferential voting
Preferential voting
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...
in Australia. Corboy, who was 22 when he was elected, became the youngest person ever elected to the House of Representatives until Wyatt Roy
Wyatt Roy
Wyatt Beau Roy is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal National Party of Queensland member of the Australian House of Representatives since August 2010, representing the electorate of Longman. At 20 years of age, he was the youngest person ever to be elected to an Australian parliament...
won the Division of Longman
Division of Longman
The Division of Longman is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was first proclaimed in 1994. The division is named after Irene Longman, the first female Member of the Queensland State Parliament and the third woman elected to a parliament in Australia.-Boundaries:Longman...
in the 2010 federal election.
Corboy made his maiden House of Representatives speech in November 1918, during a parliamentary debate on the Defence Bill. The Argus
The Argus (Australia)
The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
reported that Corboy "disagreed with the idea of allowing courts-martial to try soldiers for murder and to punish them with death." The newspaper further reported that Corboy spoke clearly and with confidence, creating a good impression. In 1919, Corboy was censured by the central exectutive of the Victorian branch of the Labour party for supporting the deportation of all aliens interned during World War I from Australia. The executive, in condemning Corboy, claimed his stance was "inconsistent with principles of liberty and justice". Corboy, who was active in representing the interests of repatriated and demobilised veterans, had expressed concern that jobs in Western Australia's timber industry were being filled with Austrians
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
released from internment and returning to their old jobs, while returned soldiers were not able to obtain work.
Corboy was a state delegate to the federal executive of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League (RSSIL), a predecessor of the Returned Services League and in 1919 attended the RSSIL's fourth annual conference in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. In June 1919, Corboy made a speech to dock workers, following a period of industrial unrest, including riots, at the Fremantle
Fremantle
Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia...
wharf. He called for a federal election and stated that he would "a thousand times rather have been wounded in a wharf riot in Fremantle than fighting for the capitalistic rulers of the world in France". The comments were strongly criticised by the Kalgoorlie branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association, who called for his replacement as a Western Australian delegate to the federal executive of the RSSIL.
In the 1919 Australian federal election
Australian federal election, 1919
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1919. 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 defeated the opposition Australian...
, Corboy again stood for the seat of Swan, where he won the primary vote but was defeated on preferences by the Country Party's John Prowse
John Prowse
John Henry Prowse was an Australian politician. Born in Adelong, New South Wales, he was educated at public schools and then at Kings College, Melbourne. He became an insurance agent and then a station owner in Western Australia, where he eventually became a Perth City Councillor, serving as Mayor...
.
Western Australian state politics
After his defeat in 1919, Corboy remained involved in Labour politics and in 1919 was elected to the Western Australian Legislative AssemblyWestern Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
as the member for Yilgarn
Electoral district of Yilgarn
Yilgarn was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1894 to 1930.First created for the 1894 state election, the district was located in the Goldfields region. At the 1930 state election, the district was amalgamated with the neighbouring...
. In 1921, Corboy supported Edith Cowan
Edith Cowan
Edith Dircksey Cowan , MBE was an Australian politician, social campaigner and the first woman elected to an Australian parliament....
in voicing disagreement with a policy allowing only male guests to the Speaker's gallery. Corboy was a member of the parliamentary select committee appointed to inquire into the cashing out of soldiers' war gratuity bonds. In 1927 Corboy expressed his support for the abolition of capital punishment in Western Australia, stating that the death penalty was not a deterrent to serious crime. Capital punishment was only formally abolished in Western Australia in 1984.
In 1930, Corboy became the member for Yilgarn-Coolgardie
Electoral district of Yilgarn-Coolgardie
Yilgarn-Coolgardie was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1930 to 1950.Located in the Goldfields region, the district was an amalgamation of the former districts of Yilgarn and Coolgardie. Created for the 1930 state election, its...
, a new seat incorporating his former seat, after a challenge to the validity of his election was dismissed. He did not contest the 1933 Western Australian state election
Western Australian state election, 1933
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 8 April 1933 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The one-term Nationalist-Country coalition government, led by Premier Sir James Mitchell, was defeated by the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Philip Collier.The election...
.