Richard William Brian Harradine was an Australian politician who served as an independent member of the Australian Senate, from 1975 to 2005, representing the state of Tasmania.
16 Facts About Brian Harradine
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Brian Harradine was the longest-serving independent federal politician in Australian history, and a Father of the Senate.
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Brian Harradine was an official for the Federated Clerks' Union.
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Brian Harradine then served from 1964 to 1976 as Secretary-General of the Tasmanian Trades and Labour Council and a member of the executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
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In 1968, the Federal Executive of the Australian Labor Party refused to let Brian Harradine take his seat on the body.
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Brian Harradine was suspected of links with the Democratic Labor Party, and had declared that "the friends of the Communists intend to try and silence me".
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The Executive's actions prompted ALP leader Gough Whitlam, who had supported Brian Harradine, to resign and seek a renewed mandate from the caucus.
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Brian Harradine was re-elected by a narrow margin, 38 votes to 32, in a ballot against Jim Cairns.
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Brian Harradine had been accused of involvement with the National Civic Council.
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Brian Harradine decided to contest the 1975 election as an independent for the Senate, and won comfortably.
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Brian Harradine was a particularly important figure in the Senate between 1994 and 1999.
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Brian Harradine secured $350 million in communications and environmental funding for Tasmania in return for backing the Telstra legislation.
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Brian Harradine opposed abortion, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage, and pornography.
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Brian Harradine secured a ministerial veto on importation of the abortifacient RU486, and a prohibition on Australian overseas aid financing family planning that included abortion advice.
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Brian Harradine died in April 2014 at his home, in Tasmania, aged 79.
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Brian Harradine had suffered several strokes prior to his death.