Michael Organ
Encyclopedia
Michael Keith Organ is an Australia
n politician. He was an Australian Greens
member of the Australian House of Representatives
between 2002 and 2004, representing the Division of Cunningham
, New South Wales
. He was the first member of the Greens to win a seat in the House of Representatives, having won a by-election
which the Liberal Party
did not contest.
, New South Wales
. His mother was a hospital domestic and his father was a brickworker. He studied geology at the University of Wollongong
and completed a post-graduate diploma in archive administration at the University of New South Wales
, where he subsequently took up a post as an archivist. He was archivist at the University of Wollongong between 1996–2002 and is currently employed as Manager, Repository Services there. Organ briefly worked at the brickworks where his father worked, interrupting his study to do so.
Organ was recruited to the Greens by Elizabeth Perey, a former Tasmanian Greens council candidate, several months before his election in 2002. He ran in the local government election for the lord mayoralship of Wollongong, 3 months prior to the Cunningham by-election.
He has four children, Andrew (b.1991), Kyle (b.1993), India (b.2008) and Emma (b.2011).
has been a safe Labor
seat since its creation in 1949. On 16 August 2002, the sitting member, Dr. Stephen Martin, unexpectedly resigned, causing a by-election
.
The ALP preselected a TAFE teacher, Sharon Bird
, by selection of the party executive rather than the usual rank-and-file nomination procedure, and the Liberal party
elected not to preselect a candidate for the by-election.
Organ was endorsed by the South Coast Labor Council and received strong preference flows from two popular independent candidates, David Moulds and Peter Wilson. He gained 23% of the primary vote and 52% after allocation of preferences, defeating Bird and becoming the first Green elected to the House of Representatives, at the same time making Cunningham a marginal seat.
During his term, he was one of only three federal Greens members of parliament (along with Senators Bob Brown
and Kerry Nettle
).
He was preselected as the Greens candidate for Cunningham in the 2007 federal election, but failed to regain the seat from Bird.
He is currently running for the position of Lord Mayor with Wollongong City Council at the election to be held on 3 September 2011.
at Sandon Point. The campaign included a tent embassy by the local Kuradji nation, and a community blockade of around 300 people which was confronted by a force of around sixty police officers and police dogs. Organ said that the development was inappropriate, threatened European and Indigenous cultural heritage, threatened wetland
s and a green corridor.
and opposes the privatisation of public utilities like Telstra
, as well as what he calls "two decades of Canberra's obsession with economic rationalism
".
resolutions, and likely to lead to higher risks of terrorism.
, which supports the right of Tibetans to self-determination and the Dalai Lama's Middle Way approach.
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. He was an Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
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....
between 2002 and 2004, representing the Division of Cunningham
Division of Cunningham
The Division of Cunningham is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Allan Cunningham, a 19th century explorer of New South Wales and Queensland. It is located on the coast of New South Wales between southern Sydney and Wollongong, and...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. He was the first member of the Greens to win a seat in the House of Representatives, having won a by-election
Cunningham by-election, 2002
The 2002 Cunningham by-election was held in the Australian electorate of Cunningham in New South Wales on 19 October 2002. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the sitting member, the Australian Labor Party's Stephen Martin on 16 August 2002...
which the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
did not contest.
Life and education
Organ was born in BulliBulli, New South Wales
Bulli is a northern suburb of Wollongong situated on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. Bulli is derived from an Aboriginal word signifying "double or two mountains"....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. His mother was a hospital domestic and his father was a brickworker. He studied geology at the University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
and completed a post-graduate diploma in archive administration at the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, where he subsequently took up a post as an archivist. He was archivist at the University of Wollongong between 1996–2002 and is currently employed as Manager, Repository Services there. Organ briefly worked at the brickworks where his father worked, interrupting his study to do so.
Organ was recruited to the Greens by Elizabeth Perey, a former Tasmanian Greens council candidate, several months before his election in 2002. He ran in the local government election for the lord mayoralship of Wollongong, 3 months prior to the Cunningham by-election.
He has four children, Andrew (b.1991), Kyle (b.1993), India (b.2008) and Emma (b.2011).
Cunningham by-election
The federal division of CunninghamDivision of Cunningham
The Division of Cunningham is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Allan Cunningham, a 19th century explorer of New South Wales and Queensland. It is located on the coast of New South Wales between southern Sydney and Wollongong, and...
has been a safe Labor
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...
seat since its creation in 1949. On 16 August 2002, the sitting member, Dr. Stephen Martin, unexpectedly resigned, causing a by-election
Cunningham by-election, 2002
The 2002 Cunningham by-election was held in the Australian electorate of Cunningham in New South Wales on 19 October 2002. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the sitting member, the Australian Labor Party's Stephen Martin on 16 August 2002...
.
The ALP preselected a TAFE teacher, Sharon Bird
Sharon Bird
Sharon Leah Bird is an Australian politician.She was elected to the Australian House of Representatives for the Division of Cunningham, New South Wales, at the October 2004 election...
, by selection of the party executive rather than the usual rank-and-file nomination procedure, and the Liberal party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
elected not to preselect a candidate for the by-election.
Organ was endorsed by the South Coast Labor Council and received strong preference flows from two popular independent candidates, David Moulds and Peter Wilson. He gained 23% of the primary vote and 52% after allocation of preferences, defeating Bird and becoming the first Green elected to the House of Representatives, at the same time making Cunningham a marginal seat.
During his term, he was one of only three federal Greens members of parliament (along with Senators Bob Brown
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
and Kerry Nettle
Kerry Nettle
Kerry Michelle Nettle is a former Australian Senator and member of the Australian Greens in New South Wales. Elected at the 2001 federal election on a primary vote of 4.36 percent with One Nation and micro-party preferences, she failed to gain re-election at the 2007 federal election, despite an...
).
Subsequent elections
Organ was defeated by Bird at the subsequent 2004 general election.He was preselected as the Greens candidate for Cunningham in the 2007 federal election, but failed to regain the seat from Bird.
He is currently running for the position of Lord Mayor with Wollongong City Council at the election to be held on 3 September 2011.
Sandon Point
In his first speech, Organ credited his win to community opposition to a planned development by the Stockland Trust GroupStockland
Stockland may refer to:* Stockland, a multinational company.* Stockland, Devon, a small village in Devon, UK.* Stockland Bristol a village in Somerset, UK...
at Sandon Point. The campaign included a tent embassy by the local Kuradji nation, and a community blockade of around 300 people which was confronted by a force of around sixty police officers and police dogs. Organ said that the development was inappropriate, threatened European and Indigenous cultural heritage, threatened wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s and a green corridor.
Economy
Organ supports free tertiary educationFree education
Free education refers to education that is funded through taxation, or charitable organizations rather than tuition fees. Although primary school and other comprehensive or compulsory education is free in many countries, for example, all education is mostly free including...
and opposes the privatisation of public utilities like Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, as well as what he calls "two decades of Canberra's obsession with economic rationalism
Economic rationalism
Economic rationalism is an Australian term in discussion of microeconomic policy, applicable to the economic policy of many governments around the world, in particular during the 1980s and 1990s....
".
Iraq war
In his first speech, Organ condemned the Iraq War as unjust, in breach of United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
resolutions, and likely to lead to higher risks of terrorism.
Tibet
Organ co-authored the Greens' policy on TibetTibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, which supports the right of Tibetans to self-determination and the Dalai Lama's Middle Way approach.