Aloysius Joseph "Loy" Rodoreda (29 May 1892 – 11 March 1958) was an Australian politician who was the

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

from 1953 to 1956. A member of the Labor Party, he sat in parliament from 1933 to his death in 1958, first representing Roebourne and then

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

, both located in the state's

North-West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

. Rodoreda was born in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

to Julia (née Down) and Edward John Rodoreda, a storekeeper of Catalan and Irish descent. From a Roman Catholic family, he was educated at

Christian Brothers' College, Perth Christian Brothers College (CBC), informally known as CBC Perth or The Terrace was an Independent school for boys situated on St Georges Terrace in the centre of Perth, Western Australia. The college opened in January 1894, and the college was ...

, and subsequently held a variety of jobs in country Western Australia, including as a clerk at

Wyndham Wyndham may refer to: *Wyndham (name), a surname and given name Places Australia *City of Wyndham, an LGA (local government area) in Victoria * Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, a LGA in Western Australia * Wyndham Important Bird Area, Western Aust ...

, a

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

paymaster at Kondinin, and a

wharfinger Wharfinger (pronounced ''wor-fin-jer)'' is an archaic term for a person who is the keeper or owner of a wharf. The wharfinger takes custody of and is responsible for goods delivered to the wharf, typically has an office on the wharf or dock, and ...

and general merchant at Roebourne. Rodoreda was first elected to parliament at the 1933 state election, becoming only the second member of the Labor Party to represent Roebourne, an original Legislative Assembly district. He defeated the sitting

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

member, John Church, who had only been elected to parliament in a by-election the previous year. Although Labor was in government from the 1933 election through to the 1947 election, Rodoreda was not a member of any of the ministries led by

Philip Collier Philip Collier (21 April 1873 – 18 October 1948) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th Premier of Western Australia from 1924 to 1930 and from 1933 to 1936. He was leader of the Labor Party from 1917 to 1936, and is Western Aus ...

John Willcock John Collings Willcock (9 August 1879 – 7 June 1956) was an Australian politician. He was the premier of Western Australia from 1936 to 1945, holding office as state leader of the Western Australian Labor Party, Australian Labor Party (ALP). ...

, and

Frank Wise Frank Joseph Scott Wise AO (30 May 1897 – 29 June 1986) was a Labor Party politician who was the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 July 1945 in the closing stages of the Second World War, following the resignation of ...

. He was, however, a member of several Legislative Assembly committees, and served as Opposition

Whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

from 1947 to 1950, following the defeat of Wise's government. Roebourne was abolished at a redistribution prior to the 1950 election, and Rodoreda successfully transferred to Pilbara, another original electorate. He held comfortable majorities throughout his time in parliament, on two occasions gaining over two-thirds of the vote.Black 1997, p. 287. Following Labor's return to government at the 1953 election, Rodoreda was elected speaker. He presided over a "heavy legislative programme", with the new premier,

Albert Hawke Albert Redvers George Hawke (3 December 1900 – 14 February 1986) was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 23 February 1953 to 2 April 1959. He represented the Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch ...

, passing a record number of bills in the first session of the new parliament despite conflict with the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

. Following the Labor candidate's defeat at the 1955 Bunbury by-election, Rodoreda's position as speaker meant Hawke's government was reduced to a minority in the Legislative Assembly. A

motion of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

failed to pass, however, and Labor gained a three-seat majority at the 1956 election.Phillips 1991, p. 174. Rodoreda was replaced as speaker by

James Hegney James Hegney (27 September 1891 – 5 May 1970) was an Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1930 to 1947 and again from 1950 to 1968. He served as Speaker of the Legislative ...

, but remained in parliament until his death in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in March 1958. Labor's Arthur Bickerton won Pilbara at the resulting by-election, elected unopposed.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodoreda, Alec 1892 births 1958 deaths Australian people of Irish descent Australian Roman Catholics Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People educated at Christian Brothers' College, Perth Politicians from Perth, Western Australia Australian people of Catalan descent Speakers of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians