Ronald William "Bunna" Walsh (20 June 1933 - 30 March 2022) was a former Australian politician.
He was born in
Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne is an inner-city List of Melbourne suburbs, suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of ...
to labourer William John Joseph Walsh and Amy Lydia. He attended state schools and became a waterside worker in 1954. Having joined the
Labor Party in 1960, he was an official with the
Waterside Workers Federation from 1964 to 1979 and also served as president of the ALP's
South Melbourne
South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip Local government ...
branch. In 1970 he was elected to the
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...
for
Melbourne West, but his election was declared void later that year because of an old criminal conviction in the Children's Court.
Walsh was elected to the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presidin ...
in 1979 as the member for
Albert Park. He was government whip from 1982 to 1985 and then moved to the frontbench, holding the portfolios of Public Works (1985–87), Housing and Construction (1987–88), Property and Services (1988–90) and
Water Resources
Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; sligh ...
(1988–90). In 1992 he attempted to return to the Legislative Council by contesting the seat of
Monash, but he was defeated.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Bunna
1933 births
2022 deaths
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Ministers for Public Works (Victoria)
Ministers for Water (Victoria)