Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the Senate for Tasmania 1975. Re-elected 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993 and 1998. Retired with the expiration of term 2005.

Committee service

• Joint Select: Electoral Reform served from 20.3.1985 to 5.6.1987; Video Material served from 20.3.1985 to 28.4.1988
• Joint Standing: Electoral Matters served from 21.10.1987 to 16.6.1992; Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade served from 18.5.1993 to 30.6.2005
• Senate Select: The Operations of the Mount Lyell Company served from 11.11.1976 to 3.12.1976; Industrial Relations Legislation served from 18.5.1982 to 19.5.1982; Industrial Relations Legislation served as Chair from 20.5.1982 to 26.10.1982; Video Material served from 18.10.1984 to 28.3.1985; Human Embryo Experimentation Bill 1985 served from 17.10.1985 to 8.10.1986; Community Standards Relevant to the Supply of Services Utilising Electronic Technologies served from 21.6.1991 to 26.6.1997; Information Technologies served from 1.9.1997 to 7.12.2000
• Senate Standing: Parliamentary Library served from 4.3.1976 to 29.4.1996; Appropriations and Staffing served from 11.5.1983 to 29.4.1996; Regulations and Ordinances served from 10.5.1984 to 20.2.1985

Conferences, delegations and visits

• Parliamentary Adviser to the Australian Delegation at the 32nd Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, September-December 1977.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Pakistan and India, July-August 1981.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to the South Pacific, July-August 1983.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to the European Parliamentary Institutions, Strasbourg, September-October 1985.
• Delegate, 34th CPA Conference, Canberra, September 1988.
• Member, 82nd IPU Conference, London, September 1989.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to the European Parliamentary Institutions and Ireland, August-September 1991.
• Attended UN World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, June 1993.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to OECD (Paris), Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea, June-July 1996.
• Study tour, Italy, October-November 2000.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to USA, September 2001.
• Attended UN General Assembly Special Session on Children, New York, May 2002.

Parliamentary party positions

• Independent. Served: 13.12.1975 to 12.06.1984
• Tasmanian Independent Senator Brian Harradine Group. Served: 12.06.1984 to 30.06.2005

Other positions

• Member of the Parliamentary Pro-Life Group.
• Member of the Amnesty International Parliamentary Group.
• Member of the ALP Federal Executive.
• Member of the Intelligent Island Board.
• Member of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship.
• Member of the ACTU Executive from 1964 to 1976.
• ACTU Delegate at the ILO Conference on role of Co-operatives on Economic and Social Development of Developing Countries, 1965.
• ACTU Delegate at the ICFTU World Conference, Amsterdam, 1965.
• ACTU Delegate at the Asian Regional Conference, Kuala Lumpur, 1973.
• ACTU Delegate on the Government's Advisory Council on Social Security and Welfare from 1973 to 1974.
• ACTU Delegate at Asian Labour Laws Conference, Kuala Lumpur, 1975.
• ACTU Delegate at Trade Unions and Co-operatives, Thailand, 1975.

Personal

• Born: 9.1.1935, Quorn, Australia
• Died: 14.4.2014
• Gender: Male
• Marital Status: Married

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• Casual work with Commonwealth Railways and Postal Service.
• Union official.
• Secretary-General of the Trades and Labour Council (Tas.) from 1964 to 1976.

Military Service

• National Service and CMF.