Arthur Blakeley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Home Affairs | |
| In office 22 October 1929 – 6 January 1932 | |
| Prime Minister | James Scullin |
| Preceded by | Aubrey Abbott |
| Succeeded by | Archdale Parkhill |
| Deputy Leader of the Opposition Deputy Leader of the Labor Party | |
| In office 26 April 1928 – 5 February 1929 | |
| Leader | James Scullin |
| Preceded by | James Scullin |
| Succeeded by | Ted Theodore |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forDarling | |
| In office 5 May 1917 – 15 September 1934 | |
| Preceded by | William Spence |
| Succeeded by | Joe Clark |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1886-07-03)3 July 1886 Gilberton, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | 27 June 1972(1972-06-27) (aged 85) Glen Iris, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Labor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation | Unionist |
Arthur Blakeley (3 July 1886 – 27 June 1972) was an Australian politician who served in theHouse of Representatives from 1917 to 1934, representing theLabor Party. He was the party's deputy leader from 1928 to 1929 and served asMinister for Home Affairs in theScullin government (1929–1932).
Blakeley was born on 3 July 1886 inGilberton, South Australia. He was the son of Catherine Ann (née Greenwood) and Simeon Blakeley, his father being a house-painter fromYorkshire, England. When he was young, the family moved toBroken Hill, New South Wales, where he attended aconvent school. Blakeley was educated to the age of 13, when he left school to work in the mining camps. He later worked as ashearer. In 1912, he became an organiser for theAustralian Workers' Union (AWU). He served as secretary of its western branch from 1915 to 1917, based inBourke, New South Wales. Blakeley married Ruby Pauline McCarroll in 1914, with whom he had two sons and two daughters.[1]
In the1917 election, Blakeley was elected as the member forDarling in theAustralian House of Representatives after a sustained campaign againstconscription. He was president of the Australian Workers' Union from 1919 to 1923. In April 1928, he was elected deputy leader of the parliamentary party, but lost it in 1929 toTed Theodore. On the election of theScullin government, Blakeley becameMinister for Home and Territories until Labor's defeat at the1931 election. This position was responsible for the development ofCanberra and in 1930 he announced the establishment of auniversity college and in 1931, he abolished theFederal Capital Commission.[1]
On the advice of the Northern Territory Pastoral Lessees' Association, Blakeley oversaw the re-establishment of the singleNorthern Territory, which in 1926 had been split into the separate territories ofCentral Australia andNorth Australia.[2] The territories were disestablished effective 11 June 1931 by legislation passed the previous year.[3] In 1931, Blakeley also proposed the establishment of a special court for Indigenous people in the Northern Territory, similar to the latercommunity courts. He stated a desire for "a simple tribunal, presided over by a person or persons with a thorough knowledge of native customs, who can sift native evidence [...] I do not want a court restricted by all kinds of legal technicalities and procedures".[4]
At the1934 election, Blakeley was defeated by theLang Labor candidate,Joe Clark.[1]
Blakeley moved to Melbourne and in 1935 he was appointed an inspector of theCommonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, which he worked for almost continuously until his retirement in 1952. His wife died in 1962, and he died in 1972 in the Melbourne suburb ofGlen Iris, after a state funeral he was cremated. He was survived by two sons and two daughters.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for Home Affairs 1929–1932 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by | Member forDarling 1917–1934 | Succeeded by |
