Fred Stanley (politician)
Encyclopedia
Fred Stanley was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1927 until 1950. During his parliamentary career he was, at various stages, a member of the Australian Labor Party
(ALP), the Australian Labor Party (NSW)
the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)
and an Independent Labor member of parliament .
. He was the son of a stonemason, and after an elementary education worked as a tram conductor. He was active in the Tramways Employees Union
, eventually becoming a member of the executive. During the Australian General Strike of 1917
he was dismissed but was later re-employed with a lower rank and was promoted to tram driver in 1925. Stanley was active in community organizations in the Lakemba
area including the Sydenham-Bankstown Co-operative Building Society. He was elected to the office of alderman on Canterbury Municipal Council between 1925 and 1928.
at the 1927
state election. In the three months prior to that election the Party Leader and Premier Jack Lang
had gained control of the party pre-selection process and ensured that his supporters were endorsed (see Lang Labor
). The sitting Labor member for St George
and Minister for Public Health
, George Cann
had been expected to contest the seat. However, he had supported a caucus move to depose Lang and had been expelled from the party. Cann contested the seat as an Independent Labor candidate but was easily defeated by Stanley. Stanley remained loyal to Lang until the early 1940s and was a member of Lang's breakaway parties the Australian Labor Party (NSW) in 1936-1938 and the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist) in 1940. Stanley retained Lakemba at the next 7 elections. but did not hold party, parliamentary or ministerial office.
resigned from the Legislative Council
to successfully contest the federal seat of Blaxland
at the 1949
election. His successor was due to be elected at a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament on 22 March 1950. While the election was by secret ballot, each Labor member of the parliament had a unique how- to-vote card and Labor scrutineers were able to determine if a member had broken caucus solidarity and voted against the endorsed Labor candidate. On the day of the election, Mr Asher Joel
, a wealthy Sydney businessman was a surprise nomination against Labor's Mr James Thom. Joel was unsuccessful but received 23 votes and it became common knowledge within the Labor Party, although never officially stated, that 4 members of the party; Stanley, John Seiffert
(Monaro
), Roy Heferen
(Barwon) and James Geraghty
(North Sydney
) had voted for him. There were also unproven rumours that they had received cash payments for their votes. The state executive of the Labor Party responded by withholding the endorsement for these candidates at the 1950
election. Stanley and the other disendorsed members received support from the Caucus and a severe rift developed between the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary parties. This was a major contribution to Labor's poor showing at the election. Stanley resigned from the party and spent the rest of the term as an Independent Labor member. He unsuccessfully contested the election against the endorsed Labor member Stan Wyatt
. He then retired from public life.
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1927 until 1950. During his parliamentary career he was, at various stages, a member of the Australian Labor 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...
(ALP), the Australian Labor Party (NSW)
Australian Labor Party (NSW)
The Australian Labor Party , commonly known as Lang Labor, was the name given to a major breakaway of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales that operated from 1931 to 1936....
the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)
Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)
The Australian Labor Party was the second Lang Labor breakaway party, associated with New South Wales Premier Jack Lang. It operated from 1940 to 1941....
and an Independent Labor member of parliament .
Early life
Stanley was born in Marrickville, New South WalesMarrickville, New South Wales
Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area...
. He was the son of a stonemason, and after an elementary education worked as a tram conductor. He was active in the Tramways Employees Union
Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union
The Australian Rail Tram & Bus Industry Union , formerly known as the Public Transport Union or PTU, was formed on 1 March 1993, through the amalgamation of the Australian Railways Union, the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen, the Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees'...
, eventually becoming a member of the executive. During the Australian General Strike of 1917
Australian General Strike of 1917
The General Strike of 1917 was a general strike which began in the Australian state of New South Wales and spread to other states over six weeks from 2 August to 8 September 1917.-Background:...
he was dismissed but was later re-employed with a lower rank and was promoted to tram driver in 1925. Stanley was active in community organizations in the Lakemba
Lakemba, New South Wales
Lakemba is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lakemba is located 15 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury....
area including the Sydenham-Bankstown Co-operative Building Society. He was elected to the office of alderman on Canterbury Municipal Council between 1925 and 1928.
State parliament
Stanley was elected to the New South Wales Parliament as the Labor member for the new seat of LakembaElectoral district of Lakemba
Lakemba is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in Sydney's Inner West. It has been held by the Australian Labor Party since its creation in 1927...
at the 1927
New South Wales state election, 1927
The 1927 New South Wales state election to elect the 90 members of the 28th Legislative Assembly was held on 8 October 1927. During the previous parliament the voting system, which had been a form of proportional representation with multi-member seats and a single transferable vote , was changed...
state election. In the three months prior to that election the Party Leader and Premier Jack Lang
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
had gained control of the party pre-selection process and ensured that his supporters were endorsed (see Lang Labor
Lang Labor
Lang Labor was the name commonly used to describe three successive break-away sections of the Australian Labor Party, all led by the New South Wales Labor leader Jack Lang premier of NSW .-Initial opposition to Lang's leadership:...
). The sitting Labor member for St George
Electoral district of St George
St George was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, originally created in 1894 with the abolition of multi-member districts, from part of Canterbury and named after the St George district...
and Minister for Public Health
New South Wales Department of Health
The New South Wales Department of Health, a department of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for monitoring the performance of the public health system in New South Wales, particularly through public hospitals...
, George Cann
George Cann
George Cann was an Australian miner and politician in the Parliaments of Australia and New South Wales.Cann was born at Shankhouse, Cramlington, Northumberland, England, educated at Cramlington National School and became a coalminer at eleven. He married Catherine Roberts in 1890 and they had one...
had been expected to contest the seat. However, he had supported a caucus move to depose Lang and had been expelled from the party. Cann contested the seat as an Independent Labor candidate but was easily defeated by Stanley. Stanley remained loyal to Lang until the early 1940s and was a member of Lang's breakaway parties the Australian Labor Party (NSW) in 1936-1938 and the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist) in 1940. Stanley retained Lakemba at the next 7 elections. but did not hold party, parliamentary or ministerial office.
Resignation from the Labor Party
In November 1949, Eli HarrisonJames Harrison (Australian politician)
Eli James Harrison was an Australian politician. Born in Port Macquarie, New South Wales to farmer William Binney and Sophia Selina Turnbull, he was educated at state schools. He then worked on a dairy farm before joining New South Wales Railways in 1925...
resigned from the Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
to successfully contest the federal seat of Blaxland
Division of Blaxland
The Division of Blaxland is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. It is based in the western suburbs of Sydney, and includes the working-class suburbs of Bass Hill, Birrong, Carramar, Chester Hill, Condell Park, Fairfield East, Georges Hall, Guildford West, Old Guildford,...
at the 1949
Australian federal election, 1949
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced...
election. His successor was due to be elected at a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament on 22 March 1950. While the election was by secret ballot, each Labor member of the parliament had a unique how- to-vote card and Labor scrutineers were able to determine if a member had broken caucus solidarity and voted against the endorsed Labor candidate. On the day of the election, Mr Asher Joel
Asher Joel
Sir Asher Alexander Joel KBE, AO was an Australian public figure and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for 20 years...
, a wealthy Sydney businessman was a surprise nomination against Labor's Mr James Thom. Joel was unsuccessful but received 23 votes and it became common knowledge within the Labor Party, although never officially stated, that 4 members of the party; Stanley, John Seiffert
John Seiffert
John Wesley Seiffert was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1941 until his death in 1965...
(Monaro
Electoral district of Monaro
Monaro is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Barilaro of the National Party of Australia....
), Roy Heferen
Roy Heferen
Stephen Roy Heferen was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1941 until 1950. During his parliamentary career he was a member of the Australian Labor Party but sat as an Independent Labor member between March and May 1950.-Early life:Heferen...
(Barwon) and James Geraghty
James Geraghty
James Leo Geraghty was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1941 until 1953. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party until 1950 and then sat as an Independent Labor member .-Early life:Geraghty was born in Parramatta, New South Wales...
(North Sydney
Electoral district of North Sydney
North Sydney was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Created in 1927, it replaced part of the multi-member electorate of North Shore, and was named after and included the Sydney suburb of North Sydney. It was abolished in 1962 and partly...
) had voted for him. There were also unproven rumours that they had received cash payments for their votes. The state executive of the Labor Party responded by withholding the endorsement for these candidates at the 1950
New South Wales state election, 1950
The 1950 New South Wales State state election was held on 17 June 1950. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1949 redistribution...
election. Stanley and the other disendorsed members received support from the Caucus and a severe rift developed between the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary parties. This was a major contribution to Labor's poor showing at the election. Stanley resigned from the party and spent the rest of the term as an Independent Labor member. He unsuccessfully contested the election against the endorsed Labor member Stan Wyatt
Stan Wyatt
Stanislaw Wyatt was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1950 until his death in 1964. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party ....
. He then retired from public life.