Sydney Ambrose "Syd" Negus (12 March 1912 – 1 August 1986) was an Australia

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 who was an Independent Senator for Western Australia

Western 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...

 from 1971

Australian Senate election, 1970

Half-senate elections were held in Australia on 21 November 1970.Independents: Reg Turnbull , Michael Townley , Syd Negus -See also:*Candidates of the Australian Senate election, 1970...

 until 1974

Australian federal election, 1974

Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 May 1974. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to a double dissolution...

. He was previously a carpenter and building contractor.

Negus was elected largely on an anti-inheritance tax

Inheritance tax

An inheritance tax or estate tax is a levy paid by a person who inherits money or property or a tax on the estate of a person who has died...

 platform following the death of his brother, Oscar Negus a Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia

Supreme Court of Western Australia

The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters , and hears the most serious criminal matters.The Supreme Court consists of a General Division The Supreme Court of Western...

 and a realisation of the impost of the tax on widows. His campaign established a groundswell of public support and Queensland was the first state to abolish inheritance taxes in 1977; the Commonwealth and other states followed soon after by abolishing their respective inheritance and gift taxes.

He was defeated in the 1974 election. He later contested the 1975 Bass by-election

Bass by-election, 1975

A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Bass on 28 June 1975. This was triggered by the resignation of Labor Party MP Lance Barnard.The by-election was won by Liberal Party candidate Kevin Newman.-Results:...

 as an independent, and at the 1980 federal election

Australian federal election, 1980

Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 October 1980. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Malcolm Fraser with coalition partner the National Country Party led by Doug...

 for the far-right, anti-immigration Progressive Conservative Party

Progressive Conservative Party (Australia)

The Progressive Conservative Party was a far right Australian political party that contested the 1980 federal election. Its stated aims included the reintroduction of the White Australia Policy, an end to Asian immigration to Australia, the cessation of foreign aid, and higher tax concessions to...

.