23 Facts About Franca Arena

Franca Arena was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1981, first for the Labor Party then as an Independent from 1997 until she left the Council in 1999.

Long recognised as a colourful and influential figure in New South Wales politics, Arena shot to national prominence in 1996 when, under Parliamentary privilege, she named retired judge David Yeldham and former New South Wales MP Frank Arkell as potential paedophiles.

Franca Arena was born in Genoa, Italy, the daughter of Francesco Dellepiane and Onorato Rosita.

Franca Arena received her education in Italy, at Syskon College in London, and after migrating to Australia in 1959, took several courses at WEA Sydney.

In 1975 Franca Arena helped found ethnic radio 2EA Sydney, where she worked until 1979.

Franca Arena sat on numerous committees from 1972 through the 1970s and '80s, all of them involved in some way in promoting or managing ethnic affairs, women's issues, or adult education.

Franca Arena joined the Labor Party in 1972, and in 1981 was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council, becoming the first woman not from an English-speaking background in the New South Wales Parliament.

In 1996 Franca Arena attracted public condemnation after suggesting that the Wood Royal Commission should investigate Supreme Court judge David Yeldham and former MP Frank Arkell as alleged paedophiles.

Franca Arena has been a volunteer telephone counsellor for Lifeline and is a regular on-air contributor on the SBS Italian radio program.

Franca Arena was interviewed on SBS Italian radio about her husband and his fight with Alzeimer's.

In 1976, Franca Arena was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, which sponsorship she used to study the relationship between ethnic groups and their host countries in countries other than Australia.

Franca Arena was offered the Order of the British Empire for services to migrants, but refused the honour; in 1980 she accepted the Order of Australia for services to ethnic groups.

In 1991, Franca Arena attracted sympathy and scorn after becoming the target of militant homosexual activists Queer Nation.

At the time, Franca Arena was the head of a parliamentary enquiry into financial assistance for people who had acquired AIDS medically.

In 1995, MLC Franca Arena moved the Parliament to an inquiry and report on the idea of providing seats dedicated to people of Aboriginal background, modeled on the Maori seats of New Zealand, so as to allow for hitherto unseen indigenous representation in the Parliament of New South Wales.

Frustrated with what she saw as the commission's unwillingness to investigate prominent people, Franca Arena promised to name at least two Sydney men in a speech to the Legislative Council.

The remarks caused uproar in both Parliament and the press, and Franca Arena was regularly accused of abusing Parliamentary privilege to shield herself from potential defamation suits.

Franca Arena resigned from the Australian Labor Party on 7 November 1997, but continued to serve the Legislative Council as an Independent.

Franca Arena wasted no time in using her new-found freedom as an Independent.

Franca Arena refused to apologise, arguing that she hadn't made any statements alleging criminal conspiracies.

Franca Arena read a "statement of regret" to the Council instead, a compromise that angered the Government but attracted enough support from Independents and individual Coalition MPs to avoid suspension.

Franca Arena was soundly defeated, receiving a mere 0.4 percent of the popular vote, and immediately announced her retirement from political life.

In 2002, Arena published an autobiography entitled, Franca: my story.