John Ducker
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(September 2007) |
John Ducker | |
|---|---|
| Member of theLegislative Council of New South Wales | |
| In office 29 February 1972 – 5 September 1979 | |
| President,Labor Party(New South Wales) | |
| In office 1972–1979 | |
| Succeeded by | Paul Keating |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 March 1932 Kingston upon Hull,England |
| Died | 25 November 2005(aged 73) Sydney, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Spouse | Valerie Ducker |
| Children | 2 (male), 1 (female) |
| Occupation | Union organiser |
John Patrick DuckerAO(29 March 1932 – 25 November 2005), Australian labour leader and politician, played a leading role in the Australian labour movement and theLabor Partyfor 20 years.
Background[edit]
|
Ducker was born inKingston upon Hull,in northern England, the son of a bus driver, and worked on the docks from the age of 14. He migrated to Australia with his family in 1950, and became an ironworker and active in theFederated Ironworkers Association,at that time controlled by theCommunist Party of Australia.Ducker, a convert toCatholicism,was a strong anti-Communist and became a supporter ofB. A. Santamaria's Industrial Groups, which campaigned successfully to overturn the Communist control of the union.
Career[edit]
From 1952, Ducker was an official of the union under the new anti-Communist leader,Laurie Short(a non-Catholic).[citation needed]When the Labor Party split in 1955 over the related issues of Communism and the role of Santamaria's "Movement" within the party, Ducker did not follow many other Catholic anti-Communists into theDemocratic Labor Party,but remained in the Labor Party, becoming a leading figure in the party's right wing. His characteristic North English accent led to him becoming known as "Broovver Dooker" throughout the movement.[citation needed]
In 1961, Ducker moved from the Ironworkers to theLabor Council of New South Wales,becoming first an organiser and in 1975 becoming secretary. In 1972, he was appointed a member of theNew South Wales Legislative Council.[1]He was also president of the New South Wales Labor Party and vice-president of theAustralian Council of Trade Unions.In these positions he supported successive New South Wales Labor leaders such asPat Hills,Neville WranandBarrie Unsworth(also a Catholic convert). In 1973, he was the main organiser of the leadership coup which replaced Hills as leader with Wran, who went on to becomePremier of New South Walesfor ten years.[citation needed]
Ducker was also a powerful supporter of Federal Labor LeaderGough Whitlamin his battles with the left wing of the Labor Party during the 1960s. In 1970, Ducker was a leading figure in the internal crisis in the Labor Party that cemented Whitlam's leadership. Convinced of the need to remove the left-wing controllers of theVictorianbranch of the party if Labor was to win the1972 federal election,Ducker did a deal with the left-wing leaderClyde Cameron,under which the right shared power with the left in the New South Wales branch in exchange for Cameron's support for the reform of the Victorian branch.[citation needed]
According to historianC. J. Coventry,Ducker was a "prolific informer" for the United States of American throughout the 1970s, providing inside-information about the Labor Party and the ACTU.[2]During this time Ducker secretly helped the United States resolve industrial disputes. For example, whenFrank Sinatrainsulted women journalists, causing a nationwide boycott of the singer, Ducker worked with the Ambassador and ACTU PresidentBob Hawketo bring about a quick resolution.[3]
He had a long association withMater Maria Catholic College.
In 1979, Ducker's health declined and he resigned all his official positions, but Wran appointed him chairman of the New South Wales Public Service Board. He remained a powerful influence behind the scenes, supporting younger Labor leaders such asGraham Richardson,Bob CarrandPaul Keating.He was made anOfficer of the Order of Australiain 1979,[4]and the Catholic Church awarded him aPapal knighthood.He was also appointed to several company boards, includingQantasand the poker machine giant Aristocrat Leisure Industries.
Community[edit]
Ducker was appointed (1988–2000) as both the NSW chair of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award – Australia and a national board director.[1]
References[edit]
- ^"The Hon. John Patrick Ducker (1932–2005)".Former members of theParliament of New South Wales.Retrieved13 May2019.
- ^Coventry, C. J. "The Eloquence of Robert J. Hawke: United States informer, 1973–79"Australian Journal of Politics and History,67:1 (2021), 73.
- ^Coventry, "The Eloquence", 74.
- ^It's an Honour– Officer of the Order of Australia