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John Ducker | |
|---|---|
| Member of theLegislative Council of New South Wales | |
| In office 29 February 1972 – 5 September 1979 | |
| President,Labor Party (New South Wales) | |
| In office 1972–1979 | |
| Succeeded by | Paul Keating |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1932-03-29)29 March 1932 Kingston upon Hull, England |
| Died | 25 November 2005(2005-11-25) (aged 73) Sydney, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Spouse | Valerie Ducker |
| Children | 2 (male), 1 (female) |
| Occupation | Union organiser |
John Patrick DuckerAO (29 March 1932 – 25 November 2005), Australian labour leader and politician, played a leading role in the Australian labour movement and theLabor Party for 20 years.
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Ducker was born inKingston upon Hull, in northern England, the son of a bus driver, and worked on the docks from the age of 14.[1] He migrated to Australia with his family in 1950, and became an ironworker and active in theFederated Ironworkers Association,[2] at that time controlled by theCommunist Party of Australia.[citation needed] He was originally the minutes secretary in 1952, becoming an organiser from the Sydney branch from 1952-1959. He joined theLabor party in 1952.[1]
Ducker, a convert toCatholicism, was a strong anti-Communist and became a supporter ofB. A. Santamaria's Industrial Groups, which campaigned successfully to overturn the Communist control of the union.[citation needed]
From 1952, Ducker was an official of the union under the new anti-Communist leader,Laurie Short (a non-Catholic).[citation needed] When theLabor Party split in 1955, Ducker did not follow many of his colleagues into theDemocratic Labor Party, but remained in the Labor Party, becoming a leading figure in the party's right wing.[3] His North English accent led to him becoming known as "bruvver Ducker".[4]
In 1961, Ducker moved from the Ironworkers to become an organiser for theLabor Council of New South Wales, becoming first an organiser and in 1967 becoming assistant secretary.[1] In 1972, he was appointed a member of theNew South Wales Legislative Council.[5] He was also president of the New South Wales Labor Party and vice-president of theAustralian Council of Trade Unions. In these positions he supported successive New South Wales Labor leaders such asPat Hills,Neville Wran andBarrie Unsworth (also a Catholic convert).[citation needed] In 1973, he organised Wran's pre-selection for a safe Liberal Assembly Seat, allowing him to defeat Hills months later and become Leader of the party.[6]
Ducker was also a powerful supporter of Federal Labor LeaderGough Whitlam.[6] In 1970, Ducker was a leading figure in the internal crisis in the Labor Party that cemented Whitlam's leadership. Convinced of the need to remove the left-wing controllers of theVictorian branch of the party if Labor was to win the1972 federal election, Ducker did a deal with the left-wing leaderClyde Cameron, under which the right shared power with the left in the New South Wales branch in exchange for Cameron's support for the reform of the Victorian branch.[citation needed] B
According to historianC. J. Coventry, Ducker was a "prolific informer" for the United States of American throughout the 1970s, providing inside-information about the Labor Party and the ACTU.[7] During this time Ducker secretly helped the United States resolve industrial disputes. For example, whenFrank Sinatra insulted women journalists, causing a nationwide boycott of the singer, Ducker worked with the Ambassador and ACTU PresidentBob Hawke to bring about a quick resolution.[8]
He had a long association withMater Maria Catholic College.[citation needed]
In 1979, Ducker's health declined and he resigned all his official positions, but Wran appointed him chairman of the New South Wales Public Service Board.[2] He remained a powerful influence behind the scenes, supporting younger Labor leaders such asGraham Richardson,Bob Carr andPaul Keating. He was made anOfficer of the Order of Australia in 1979,[9] and the Catholic Church awarded him aPapal knighthood. He was also appointed to several company boards, includingQantas and the poker machine giantAristocrat Leisure Industries.
Ducker was appointed as the NSW chair[citation needed] of theDuke of Edinburgh's Award – Australia and a national board director (1998-2000).[10]
Outside of his career, Duke enjoyed gardening, reading and music.[11]
Ducker married Valerie Elizabeth Smith in 1963, and they had two sons and one daughter.[1] Ducker died at the age of 73 on 25 February 2005.[12] Valerie Ducker died in 2022.[13]
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of theLabor Council of New South Wales 1975–1979 | Succeeded by |