Gordon John Walsh (30 December 1932 – 14 June 2000) was an Australian politician for the Labor Party.

Early life

Walsh was born in Welling in

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(now in the

London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley () is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Belvedere, London, Belvedere, Crayford ...

) in England. He was twice evacuated from London with other children during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He joined the

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at 15, and graduated from the St Omer Military School as a catering instructor. He served in Singapore and Malaya, and emigrated to Australia in 1956 following a voyage there as a ship's cook. After his emigration, he served as a caterer at the 1956 Olympic Games.

Politics

He was elected as an

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

member of the Australian Capital Territory Advisory Council in 1964, serving until the Council's abolition in 1974. He was elected to the new Legislative Assembly as a Labor member for

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in 1974, resigned in 1977, was elected to the renamed House of Assembly in 1979, and served until its abolition in 1986. He was a staunch advocate of self-government for the Territory throughout his time in elected office. In 1968, he challenged the popular and long-serving Labor federal MP Jim Fraser for party preselection, and defeated him on the first vote in a shock result that was later overturned following intervention by the ALP's New South Wales Executive. He was the first Labor leader in the Legislative Assembly from 1974 until 1977, but resigned from the Assembly and the ALP and joined the

Australia Party The Australia Party was a minor centrist political party in Australia from 1969 to 1986. It was most influential in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The party was established in 1969 under the leadership of Senator Reg Turnbull, as a merger o ...

and then its successor the

Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party splinter groups, it was Australia's lar ...

, which he would represent until the dissolution of the House of Assembly in 1986. He served as the president of the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

(ACT) branch of the Democrats starting in 1979, but resigned from that role in 1986 when the federal party opted for a weaker model of independence for the Territory. He was heavily involved in the movement for self-government in the late 1980s, working with a number of other former MHAs in the Home Rule Movement. He had ceased to be involved with any political party by 1989, and did not nominate for the inaugural 1989 election for the modern Legislative Assembly.

Death

Walsh died in 2000, aged 67. He was survived by his wife Naomi.

References

Members of the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly 1932 births 2000 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly Australian Democrat members of the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly 20th-century Australian politicians People from Welling {{Australia-politician-stub