Joe Riordan Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Joe Riordan
Honorific-Suffix:AO
Office:Minister for Housing and Construction
Primeminister:Gough Whitlam
Term Start:6 June 1975
Term End:11 November 1975
Predecessor:Les Johnson
Successor:John Carrick
Constituency Mp2:Phillip
Parliament2:Australian
Predecessor2:William Aston
Successor2:Jack Birney
Term Start2:2 December 1972
Term End2:13 December 1975
Birth Date:27 February 1930
Birth Place:Sydney
Death Place:Sydney
Nationality:Australian
Spouse:Patricia Watkins
Party:Australian Labor Party
Relations:6 children = John Riordan, Peter Riordan, Michael Riordan, Bernie Riordan, Cathy Riordan and Maureen RiordanAnd 14 Grandchildren
Occupation:Clerk

Joseph Martin Riordan AO (27 February 193019 November 2012) was an Australian politician and briefly government minister.[1]

Early years

Riordan was born in Sydney, raised as a Catholic, and educated at Patrician Brothers School and Marist Brother College in that city. From 1958 to 1972 he was Federal Secretary of the Federated Clerks' Union (a stronghold of anti-Communist social democrats).[2] [3]

Career

Riordan was elected as the Australian Labor Party member for the House of Representatives seat of Phillip at the 1972 election, defeating the Liberal, William Aston. He was Minister for Housing and Construction from June 1975 until the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in November 1975. He was defeated by the Liberals' Jack Birney at the 1975 election.[4]

Riordan was Senior Deputy President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission from 1986 to 1995.[2] He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in January 1995 for "service to industrial relations, to social justice and to the Community".[5]

Death

He died on 19 November 2012, aged 82.[6]

Personal life

He was the nephew of Darby Riordan, the Labor member of the House of Representatives for Kennedy from 1929 to 1936.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: It's an Honour – Flag Announcements . Itsanhonour.gov.au . 2012-11-25.
  2. Book: Who's who in Australia . Crown Content . 2008 . North Melbourne . 2303 . 978-1-74095-160-9 .
  3. Web site: Riordan, Joseph Martin (1930 -) . . 2008-02-06 .
  4. Web site: Members of the House of Representatives since 1901 . . Parliamentary Handbook . 2008-02-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071117114100/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/handbook/historical/representatives/prosser.storrer.htm . 2007-11-17.
  5. Web site: Riordan, Joseph Martin, AO . . It's an Honour . 2008-01-18 .
  6. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/parliament-pauses-to-remember-labor-great/story-e6frf7kf-1226524302022 Herald Sun, 26 November 2012
  7. Lumb, Martin (31 October 2012): Parliamentary relations: political families in the Commonwealth Parliament, Australian Parliamentary Library.