Frederick Hanson

Frederick John Hanson,

As with his predecessor, issues of corruption and poor management continued throughout Hanson's term. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation settled a defamation action in 1976 after alleging the previous year that he held a financial interest in a gambling club; however, after his death in 1980 freed media to report without facing Australia's strict defamation laws, he faced repeated allegations of corruption, including having received money from illegal gambling interests and personal ties to various criminal figures.^[3] He retired early in 1976.^[1] Hanson sought successfully to have Mervyn Wood appointed as his successor; Wood, like Hanson and Allan, was dogged by corruption allegations and later unsuccessfully prosecuted.^[2][9][10]

Hanson made an abortive campaign as an independent candidate for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Gosford at the 1978 election, but withdrew before election day.^[2][11] Bob Bottom would later allege that his campaign had been motivated by anger at the decision of Premier Neville Wran to order the closure of illegal casinos.^[12]

Hanson died in his car in his garage in October 1980. The engine was not running when the body was found. It was initially reported as a heart attack, but later understood to be from carbon monoxide poisoning. The coroner decided not to hold an inquest.^[13]

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