Gerald Mahoney

Gerald William Mahoney (24 May 1892 – 16 September 1955) was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1931 to 1934 and of the Australian House of Representatives from 1934 to 1940, representing both the state and federal versions of the seat of Denison.

Gerald Mahoney
Member of the Australian Parliament for Denison
In office 15 September 1934 – 21 September 1940
Preceded by	Arthur Hutchin
Succeeded by	Arthur Beck
Personal details
Born	(1892-05-24)24 May 1892 Railton, Tasmania
Died	16 September 1955(1955-09-16) (aged 63) Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Occupation	Painter

Early career

Mahoney was born at Railton, Tasmania and was educated at Latrobe. He worked at the Mount Bischoff mine, where he became a delegate of the Federated Mining Employees Association, and later worked as a builder's painter. He was secretary of the Labor Party's Denison league in the early 1920s, was a Tasmanian delegate to the party's All Australia Congress and nominated for state Labor preselection in 1922.[1][2][3][4] He rose through the trade union movement, and was president of the Zinc Workers' Union and secretary and trades hall delegate of the Painters' Union by the mid-1920s; he had also become secretary of the Operative Bricklayers' Union by the time of his election to parliament.[5][6][7][1][8]

In 1922 he was expelled from the Labor Party along with Edmund Dwyer-Gray for disloyalty; Mahoney was alleged to have associated with people who had opposed endorsed Labor candidates, and who had endorsed direct action and "go slow" tactics and supported the Industrial Workers of the World in his presence.[9][10][11] He made annual appeals and requests for readmission to state conferences and state and federal executives between 1922 and 1928, but was unsuccessful on each occasion.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18] In 1925 he unsuccessfully contested that year's state election as an Industrial Labor candidate against the endorsed Labor candidate, which resulted in his expulsion from the Trades Hall Council.[19][20][6][21] He also contested the 1928 state election as an Independent Labor candidate in light of the continual refusal of his requests for readmission and polled well, but was again defeated.[22][23] He was eventually readmitted to the party in December 1928, although on the basis that he did not have continuity of membership, preventing him from standing for party endorsement in the immediate future.[24] In 1930, he was elected president of the Denison branch of the Labor Party.[25]

In state and federal parliament

In 1931 he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as a Labor member for Denison.[23] He was particularly outspoken about issues relating to the unemployed and destitute in his time in state parliament.[26][27][28] He lost his seat at the 1934 state election.[29]

Four months after his state defeat, he contested and narrowly won the federal seat of Denison at the 1934 federal election, defeating United Australia Party MP Arthur Beck.[30] He immediately announced that he would stand "four-square behind" leader James Scullin in a party still dealing with the aftermath of the 1931 Labor split.[31] He was re-elected in 1937.[32] Mahoney was defeated by UAP candidate Arthur Beck in 1940.[33]

Later career

He returned to his old role as secretary of the Painters' Union after his election defeat.[34] He was appointed to the public service role of Tasmanian rehabilitation employment officer for returned soldiers c. early 1943, which met with strong protests from the Returned and Services League.[35] He sought preselection to recontest his old seat at the 1943 federal election, but the state executive refused to endorse his candidacy.[36] In May 1943, Mahoney announced that he would contest the seat anyway, declared the preselection decision "the greatest outrage ever committed by a Labor executive on any man in the Labor movement" and stated that he "accept[ed] it as an expulsion from the party.[37] He cited "shocking victimisation" in his decision to run as an independent Labor candidate.[38] He lost to the endorsed candidate, and in congratulating the victor, said he had been "weighted out" from the start.[39] Mahoney sought readmittance to the Labor Party in March 1944 following his automatic removal for opposing an endorsed candidate, but was instead formally expelled.[40][41] He applied again and was readmitted by the state conference in 1945.[42]

In 1950, Mahoney supported the proposed banning of the Communist Party of Australia at the Labor Party conference, declaring that Robert Menzies "should 'do the job'" and described communism as a "bogey brought about by the Menzies Government to crucify the trade union movement".[43] Later that month, he was appointed president of the Building Trades Federation.[44] He also remained secretary of the Operative Painters and Decorators Union until at least 1954.[45]

Mahoney died in Hobart in September 1955.[2]

References

1. "THE MEMBERS ELECTED FOR FOUR DIVISIONS". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 15 May 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
2. "The Parliament of Tasmania from 1856". Parliament of Tasmania. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
3. "Advertising". World. Tasmania, Australia. 10 March 1921. p. 1. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
4. "People in the News". Westralian Worker. Western Australia. 17 March 1922. p. 1. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
5. "LABOR & INDUSTRY". The News. Tasmania, Australia. 1 August 1924. p. 1 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
6. "EXPELLED". The Labor Daily. New South Wales, Australia. 18 May 1925. p. 8. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
7. "Advertising". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 13 May 1929. p. 8. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
8. "Advertising". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 19 May 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
9. "EXPELLED FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY". Daily Telegraph. Tasmania, Australia. 30 June 1922. p. 4. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
10. "AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY". Daily Telegraph. Tasmania, Australia. 28 June 1922. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
11. "LABOUR PARTY'S DECISIONS". The Examiner (Tasmania). Tasmania, Australia. 2 February 1923. p. 4 (DAILY). Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
12. "TASMANIAN LABOR CONFERENCE". The Age. Victoria, Australia. 21 July 1922. p. 10. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
13. "CONFERENCE IN LAUNCESTON". The Advertiser. South Australia. 28 July 1923. p. 16. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
14. "NO JURISDICTION". The News[[{{subst:DATE}}|{{subst:DATE}}]] . Tasmania, Australia. 12 November 1924. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
15. "LABOR EXPULSION". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 12 September 1925. p. 5. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
16. "LABOR CONFERENCE". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 26 February 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
17. "TASMANIAN ANNUAL LABOR CONFERENCE". The Australian Worker. New South Wales, Australia. 20 April 1927. p. 8. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
18. "FEATURES of the DAY". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 23 January 1928. p. 2. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
19. "ANOTHER CANDIDATE ANNOUNCED". The News[[{{subst:DATE}}|{{subst:DATE}}]] . Tasmania, Australia. 19 March 1925. p. 3 (FINAL EDITION). Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
20. "Mr. MAHONEY'S EXPULSION". The News[[{{subst:DATE}}|{{subst:DATE}}]] . Tasmania, Australia. 11 May 1925. p. 4 (FINAL EDITION). Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
21. "TASMANIAN ELECTIONS". Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay And Burnett Advertiser. Queensland, Australia. 6 June 1925. p. 9. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
22. "DENISON AND FRANKLIN". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 2 June 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
23. "Tasmania Repudiates Labour Policy". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 11 May 1931. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
24. "TASMANIAN TOPICS". The Australian Worker. New South Wales, Australia. 19 December 1928. p. 16. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
25. "MEETINGS". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 8 March 1930. p. 11. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
26. "THE UNEMPLOYED". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 24 June 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
27. "UNEMPLOYMENT". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 21 June 1932. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
28. "UNEMPLOYMENT". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 22 September 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
29. "SURPRISE OF POLL". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 15 June 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
30. "TASMANIAN RESULTS". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 25 September 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
31. "JUSTICE FOR TASMANIA". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 25 September 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
32. "NO IMPORTANT CHANGE IN ELECTION FIGURES". The Examiner (Tasmania). Tasmania, Australia. 29 October 1937. p. 7 (LATE NEWS EDITION and DAILY). Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
33. "To-day's News In Brief". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 27 September 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
34. "PERSONAL FEDERAL MINISTERS' VISIT". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 22 August 1942. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
35. "Soldiers Protest". The Examiner (Tasmania). Tasmania, Australia. 24 February 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
36. "STATE A.L.P. TEAM". The Examiner (Tasmania). Tasmania, Australia. 8 May 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
37. "MR MAHONEY'S DECISION". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 14 May 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
38. "Mr. Mahoney Alleges". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 14 July 1943. p. 2. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
39. "DAME ENID LYONS FIRST WOMAN MEMBER". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 14 September 1943. p. 6. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
40. "Readmittance Sought By Mr Mahoney". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 30 March 1944. p. 6. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
41. "EXPELLED FROM STATE A.L.P." The Examiner (Tasmania). Tasmania, Australia. 6 June 1944. p. 4. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
42. "Mr Mahoney Readmitted". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 15 March 1945. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
43. "A.L.P. COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS BANNING OF REDS". The Examiner (Tasmania). Tasmania, Australia. 1 March 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
44. "Building Industry". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 18 March 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.
45. "PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS". The Mercury. Tasmania, Australia. 3 June 1954. p. 21. Retrieved 7 March 2020 – via Trove.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Arthur Hutchin	Member for Denison 1934–1940	Succeeded by Arthur Beck