Reg Downing
Legislative Council of New South Wales | |
---|---|
In office 23 April 1940 – 4 February 1972 | |
Succeeded by | John Ducker |
Personal details | |
Born | Labor Party | 6 November 1904
Spouse | Rose Moyeen |
Relations | Frank Downing (Brother) Thomas O'Mara (Cousin) Bill Sheahan (Cousin) Terry Sheahan (Cousin) |
Robert Reginald Downing,
Early years and background
Robert Reginald Downing was born in the New South Wales town of
Later moving to Sydney, he found work in the
Political career
As a high-ranking unionist and a senior member of the Labor Council of New South Wales, Downing became heavily associated with the movement within the Labor Party led by Bob Heffron to depose the party leader, Jack Lang. Heffron's strategy was based largely upon a left-wing trade union rebellion against Lang.[2] Although Downing was sympathetic towards Heffron, he remained firmly behind the party and was a close friend to William McKell,[3] who would successfully depose Lang in 1939.
At the encouragement of McKell, Downing stood for preselection in the
His significant tenure as minister during this period included reforms in consumer law and women's rights as well as the establishment of the Suitors Fund and law reform committees, which were the predecessors to the
However, serving during a period of moral conservatism and malevolent
He served as Attorney General until the Labor government of Jack Renshaw lost to the Liberal/Country party Coalition of Robert Askin in 1965. Thereafter, Downing, who had previous served as the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, became the Leader of the New South Wales Opposition in the Legislative Council, a role in which he would serve until his retirement from politics.
Later life and honours
While in parliament, Downing was foundation member of the
In recognition of his service to NSW and to the university as a Fellow from 1949 to 1967, the
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Hon Robert Reginald Downing (1904–1994)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Carr, Robert. Heffron, Robert James (1890–1978). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b David Clune, 'Downing, Robert Reginald (Reg) (1904–1994)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/downing-robert-reginald-reg-20709/text31505 , published online 2018, accessed online 16 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Hansard (13 September 1994). "Death of Robert Reginald Downing, A Former Minister of the Crown". Hansard -NSWLC. NSW Parliament. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- S2CID 145672916. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Patrick Abboud (2022). The Greatest Menace: Inside the Gay Prison Experiment (Audiobook). Audible Original. Event occurs at 1:13:50-1:15:30.
- ^ Franklin, James (2022). "Catholic Action, Sydney Style: Catholic lay organisations from friendly societies to the Vice Squad" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society. 108 (2): 172–201. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "The Honourable Robert Reginald Downing". Honorary Awards – Senate. University of Sydney. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ "DOWNING, Robert Reginald – AC". It's an Honour database. Australian Government. Retrieved 5 December 2012.