28 Facts About Neville Wran

Neville Wran was the national president of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986 to 1991.

Neville Wran was educated at Nicholson Street Public School, Balmain, Fort Street Boys High and the University of Sydney, where he was a member of the Liberal Club, and from which he gained a Bachelor of Laws in 1948.

Neville Wran was admitted as a solicitor in 1951, called to the Bar in 1957, and became a Queen's Counsel in 1968.

Neville Wran began his political career in 1970 when he became a member of the upper house of the Parliament of New South Wales, the Legislative Council.

Neville Wran then challenged Pat Hills for the state leadership of the Labor Party.

Since Neville Wran had won one vote more than Hills in the first ballot, Neville Wran was therefore declared the new leader.

In May 1976, six months after Gough Whitlam's federal Labor government's dismissal, Neville Wran led Labor to victory, narrowly defeating the Liberal Party premier, Sir Eric Willis.

Neville Wran's win was not assured until it became clear that Gosford and Hurstville had fallen to Labor by only 74 and 44 votes respectively, giving Neville Wran a one-seat majority.

Neville Wran won a fourth term in 1984; although he suffered an 11-seat swing, he still won a larger majority than any of the victories won by the Liberals' Sir Robert Askin in the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1977, Neville Wran supported Al Grassby, former Federal Immigration Minister, in allowing Domenico Barbaro, a Mafia figure in the Griffith region of New South Wales, back into Australia after having been earlier deported because of his criminal record.

However, as journalist David Hickie explains, Neville Wran attempted to undermine the influence of organised crime, particularly in the area of illegal casinos.

Neville Wran was very popular, at one stage rating over 80 per cent approval in opinion polls.

Neville Wran was often talked about as a national political leader and rated highly in national polls as an alternative Labor Leader to Bill Hayden.

Neville Wran featured in Hayden's 1980 federal election campaign, along with Bob Hawke.

Neville Wran achieved significant electoral institutional reform such as a democratic Legislative Council, four-year terms, public funding and disclosure laws and a pecuniary interests register for members of parliament.

Neville Wran called on Edwin Lusher, firstly while a QC and then as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, to chair commissions of inquiry into police administration and gambling.

Neville Wran undertook the state's largest capital works program and refurbished many iconic places in Sydney.

In 1983, Neville Wran faced the Street Royal Commission over claims by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation current affairs show Four Corners that he had tried to influence the magistracy over the 1977 committal of Kevin Humphreys, who had been charged with misappropriation of funds.

Neville Wran was completely exonerated, and sued the ABC for defamation.

Neville Wran resigned both the premiership and his seat in Parliament on 4 July 1986, after continuously holding office longer than any other premier in the history of New South Wales until that time.

NSW premiers Robert Askin and Neville Wran have been named as corrupt close associates of Saffron, along with the police commissioner Norman "Bill" Allan, the High Court justice Lionel Murphy and lawyer Morgan Ryan, among others.

Neville Wran is remembered by the phrase "Balmain boys don't cry" in his speech at the June 1983 ALP Annual Conference.

At a press conference after announcing his departure Neville Wran was asked what was his greatest achievement as premier, he answered, "saving the rainforests".

Oliver had a young son, whom Neville Wran adopted, and they had one other child together, actress Kim Neville Wran.

In 1976, a month after his divorce was finalised and three months after becoming Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran married Jill Hickson, and they had two children together.

Neville Wran died there on Easter Sunday, 20 April 2014 at the age of 87.

Neville Wran was survived by his wife Jill and four children.

On 12 May 2016, Neville Wran was named in the Panama Papers, due to his former directorship of the Mossack Fonseca-incorporated company Star Technology Systems Limited.