Nick Kearns
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Joseph Kearns (16 January 1920 - 24 July 1980) was an Australia
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1962 to 1980, representing the electorate of Bankstown.
Kearns was born in Glebe
, and was educated at Belmore Technical School. He joined the Railways Department as an apprentice fitter at Eveleigh Workshops in 1936, working as a fitter and turner both there and later at Chullora Workshops. He rose to become sub-foreman at Chullora from 1961 to 1962; he was also the Amalgamated Engineering Union shop steward for the workshops. Kearns also had a long involvement with the Labor Party prior to entering politics. He had joined the party at 21, and had variously held the positions of branch president and secretary and president of Labor's Bankstown state electoral council.
Kearns entered state politics at the 1962 election
, winning the safe Labor seat of Bankstown upon the retirement of Spence Powell
. He was a strong advocate on issues of social welfare, and was a popular member in what was at the time a rapidly growing working-class area with a high proportion of migrants. He served for a period as Shadow Minister for Youth and Community Services prior to Labor's victory at the 1976 election
, but narrowly missed out on a ministerial position afterwards. He had announced his intention to retire at the 1981 election
when he died suddenly while on a holiday in the Northern Territory
in July 1980.
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 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...
member of 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...
from 1962 to 1980, representing the electorate of Bankstown.
Kearns was born in Glebe
Glebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located 3 km south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region....
, and was educated at Belmore Technical School. He joined the Railways Department as an apprentice fitter at Eveleigh Workshops in 1936, working as a fitter and turner both there and later at Chullora Workshops. He rose to become sub-foreman at Chullora from 1961 to 1962; he was also the Amalgamated Engineering Union shop steward for the workshops. Kearns also had a long involvement with the Labor Party prior to entering politics. He had joined the party at 21, and had variously held the positions of branch president and secretary and president of Labor's Bankstown state electoral council.
Kearns entered state politics at the 1962 election
New South Wales state election, 1962
The 1962 New South Wales state election was held on 3 March 1962. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1961 redistribution...
, winning the safe Labor seat of Bankstown upon the retirement of Spence Powell
Spence Powell
Arthur Thomas Powell was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1950 until 1962. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party ....
. He was a strong advocate on issues of social welfare, and was a popular member in what was at the time a rapidly growing working-class area with a high proportion of migrants. He served for a period as Shadow Minister for Youth and Community Services prior to Labor's victory at the 1976 election
New South Wales state election, 1976
A general election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 1 May 1976. The result was a narrow win for the Australian Labor Party under Neville Wran—the party's first in the state in more than a decade.- Issues :The incumbent...
, but narrowly missed out on a ministerial position afterwards. He had announced his intention to retire at the 1981 election
New South Wales state election, 1981
Elections were held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 19 September 1981. The result was a second "Wranslide": a landslide victory for the Australian Labor Party under Neville Wran, in which the government increased its already sizeable majority.The Liberals suffered the double...
when he died suddenly while on a holiday in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
in July 1980.