William Ernest Wattison was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1947 until 1968.
11 Facts About William Wattison
1.
2.
William Wattison was a member of the Labor Party.
3.
William Wattison was educated at Burke Ward Public School in Broken Hill and worked for the Barrier Daily Truth while still young.
4.
William Wattison was involved in the Broken Hill Unemployed Union in the Great Depression in the early 1930s and served as the assistant secretary of the Workers Industrial Union of Australia, the local miners' union.
5.
William Wattison was involved with local organizations including the Broken Hill Hospital Board and the Royal Far West Children's Health Scheme.
6.
William Wattison was elected to the parliament as the Labor member for Sturt at the 1947 election having won preselection against the sitting Labor member Ted Horsington in December 1946.
7.
William Wattison had contested the preselection ballots of the Barrier District Association of the Australian Labor Party for Sturt since the early 1930s.
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Ted Horsington 8.
William Wattison's preselection reflected a general shift to the right in the local labour movement, and away from earlier, more radical political leaders.
9.
William Wattison was Broken Hill's first MLA to have been born in the town.
10.
William Wattison retained the seat for the Labor Party at the next 6 elections and retired from public life at the 1968 election.
11.
William Wattison sat on the central executive of the ALP from 1954 to 1957.