Laurie Brereton
Encyclopedia
Laurence John "Laurie" Brereton (born 29 May 1946), Australian
politician, was a state minister, a federal member of cabinet, and kingmaker in the election of several Australian Labor Party
leaders, including Paul Keating
and Mark Latham
. He was a Labor member of the
Australian House of Representatives
from March 1990 to October 2004, representing the Division of Kingsford Smith
, New South Wales.
, New South Wales, and was educated at De La Salle College, Coogee, now defunct. He was apprenticed and worked as an electrical tradesman to the Sydney County Council
, a former council-owned retailer of electricity in inner Sydney.
affair in the mid-'70s when he was accused of attempting to influence ALP aldermen who were considering an application to rezone a block of land. He and Geoffrey Cahill, then Labor's NSW general secretary, appeared in court on bribery and conspiracy charges but after 17 days of hearings and evidence from high-powered witnesses, including Rupert Murdoch
, all charges were thrown out.
Brereton served in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
as member for Randwick
1970–71 and Heffron
1973–90. He was Minister for Health 1981–84, Minister for Roads 1983–84 and 1984–87, Minister for Public Works 1984–87 and Minister for Employment 1984.
Brereton was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1996–2001 serving as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. Assisted by his adviser, Dr Philip Dorling
, Brereton was instrumental in revising Federal Labor policy to support self-determination and independence for East Timor
. Brereton was a vocal critic of Prime Minister John Howard
who supported East Timor's continued integration in Indonesia. He was also strongly critical of the performance of past Labor Governments, in particular Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
who acquiesenced to Indonesia's intentions to invade East Timor in 1975.
During 1998 and 1999 Brereton highlighted evidence of the Indonesian military's involvement in pro-integrationist violence in East Timor and was a strident advocate of United Nations peacekeeping to support East Timor's independence ballot. Brereton was a member of the Australian Parliamentary observer mission that witnessed the conduct of the ballot.
Brereton's break from previous Australian bipartisanship on East Timor policy was an important factor in the Howard Government's eventual decision to change Australian policy and intervene in East Timor in September 1999. According to historian and former Australian Army officer, Dr Clinton Fernandes, "The ALP's change of policy – and the resulting pressure of the [Australian] Government – was a critical factor in the independence of East Timor." Brereton's activism on the East Timor issue was strongly opposed by senior Labor political figures, notably former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans
and found little support from Federal Labor leader Kim Beazley
. However Beazley was reluctant to challenge the combatative Brereton's handling of the issue and eventually accepted the change in Labor policy. Following controversy in 1999 over leaked Australian intelligence reports relating to East Timor and the Indonesian military, Australian Federal Police
and Defence Security agents raided Dr Dorling's home in September 2000, but no classified material was found.
Taking into account his service in the New South Wales Parliament, Brereton had the longest period of parliamentary service of any member of the Parliament elected in 2001. In June 2004 he announced his retirement from politics at the 2004 federal election. He helped engineer the candidacy of the rock singer Peter Garrett
as his successor in the seat.
His wife, Justice Tricia Kavanagh, sits on the Industrial Commission. They have two sons. Brereton is the younger brother of Deirdre Grusovin
, whose political career he helped build.
politician, was a state minister, a federal member of cabinet, and kingmaker in the election of several 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...
leaders, including Paul Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
and Mark Latham
Mark Latham
Mark William Latham , an author and former Australian politician, was leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005....
. He was a Labor 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....
from March 1990 to October 2004, representing the Division of Kingsford Smith
Division of Kingsford Smith
The Division of Kingsford Smith is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, on the north shore of Botany Bay, and the coast of the Tasman Sea...
, New South Wales.
Early life
Brereton was born in the Sydney suburb of KensingtonKensington, New South Wales
Kensington is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kensington is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick, in the Eastern Suburbs region...
, New South Wales, and was educated at De La Salle College, Coogee, now defunct. He was apprenticed and worked as an electrical tradesman to the Sydney County Council
Sydney County Council
The Sydney County Council was the authority responsible for electricity supplies in Sydney, Australia. The entity was created in 1936, and was elected and controlled by the municipal councils of Sydney. Between 1936 and 1952, it was responsible for electricity generation and distribution...
, a former council-owned retailer of electricity in inner Sydney.
New South Wales politics
He survived the political controversy of the Botany CouncilCity of Botany Bay
The City of Botany Bay is a Local Government Area in south eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It encompasses the suburbs to the north of Botany Bay, such as Botany. The administrative centre is located at Mascot, which is 7 km south of the Sydney central business...
affair in the mid-'70s when he was accused of attempting to influence ALP aldermen who were considering an application to rezone a block of land. He and Geoffrey Cahill, then Labor's NSW general secretary, appeared in court on bribery and conspiracy charges but after 17 days of hearings and evidence from high-powered witnesses, including Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, all charges were thrown out.
Brereton served in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
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...
as member for Randwick
Electoral district of Randwick
Randwick was an Australian electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, originally created with the abolition of multi-member constituencies in 1894 from part of Paddington, along with Waverley and Woollahra. It was named after and including the Sydney...
1970–71 and Heffron
Electoral district of Heffron
Heffron is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is named after Robert Heffron, a former Labor premier of New South Wales. It is a safe Labor seat, and is currently represented by former Premier Kristina Keneally of the Australian Labor...
1973–90. He was Minister for Health 1981–84, Minister for Roads 1983–84 and 1984–87, Minister for Public Works 1984–87 and Minister for Employment 1984.
Federal politics
In the federal Parliament, Brereton was Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister 1991–93, Minister for Industrial Relations 1993–96, Minister for Transport 1993–96, and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Public Service Matters 1993.Brereton was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1996–2001 serving as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. Assisted by his adviser, Dr Philip Dorling
Philip Dorling
Philip Dorling is the National Affairs and Defence Correspondent for The Canberra Times, an author, and is currently engaged as a Visiting Fellow at the school of Humanities and Social Science in the Australian Defence Force Academy.-Political career:...
, Brereton was instrumental in revising Federal Labor policy to support self-determination and independence for East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. Brereton was a vocal critic of Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
who supported East Timor's continued integration in Indonesia. He was also strongly critical of the performance of past Labor Governments, in particular Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
who acquiesenced to Indonesia's intentions to invade East Timor in 1975.
During 1998 and 1999 Brereton highlighted evidence of the Indonesian military's involvement in pro-integrationist violence in East Timor and was a strident advocate of United Nations peacekeeping to support East Timor's independence ballot. Brereton was a member of the Australian Parliamentary observer mission that witnessed the conduct of the ballot.
Brereton's break from previous Australian bipartisanship on East Timor policy was an important factor in the Howard Government's eventual decision to change Australian policy and intervene in East Timor in September 1999. According to historian and former Australian Army officer, Dr Clinton Fernandes, "The ALP's change of policy – and the resulting pressure of the [Australian] Government – was a critical factor in the independence of East Timor." Brereton's activism on the East Timor issue was strongly opposed by senior Labor political figures, notably former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans
Gareth Evans (politician)
Gareth John Evans, AO, QC , is a former Australian politician from 1978 to 1999 representing the Australian Labor Party, serving in a number of ministries including Attorney-General and Foreign Minister from 1983 to 1996 in the Hawke and Keating governments. He was president and chief executive...
and found little support from Federal Labor leader Kim Beazley
Kim Beazley
In the October 1998 election, Labor polled a majority of the two-party vote and received the largest swing to a first-term opposition since 1934. However, due to the uneven nature of the swing, Labor came up eight seats short of making Beazley Prime Minister....
. However Beazley was reluctant to challenge the combatative Brereton's handling of the issue and eventually accepted the change in Labor policy. Following controversy in 1999 over leaked Australian intelligence reports relating to East Timor and the Indonesian military, Australian Federal Police
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
and Defence Security agents raided Dr Dorling's home in September 2000, but no classified material was found.
Taking into account his service in the New South Wales Parliament, Brereton had the longest period of parliamentary service of any member of the Parliament elected in 2001. In June 2004 he announced his retirement from politics at the 2004 federal election. He helped engineer the candidacy of the rock singer Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett
Peter Robert Garrett, AM, MP , is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician.Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002...
as his successor in the seat.
His wife, Justice Tricia Kavanagh, sits on the Industrial Commission. They have two sons. Brereton is the younger brother of Deirdre Grusovin
Deirdre Grusovin
Deirdre Mary Grusovin was a member of the New South Wales Parliament for twenty five years.Grusovin was born Deirdre Mary Brereton in Sydney, and is the sister of influential former politician Laurie Brereton....
, whose political career he helped build.