Moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by the
Chair (the Lord Mayor) –
It is resolved
that:
(A)
Council
note:
(i)
former
Senator Bruce Childs was born in Mascot, Sydney, on 23 August 1934 and sadly
passed away on 4 May 2023;
(ii)
Bruce
was first recognised for his work at a meeting of apprentices, moving a motion
against the 1951 ‘horror budget’;
(iii)
this
moment was the catalyst for his prominence as an activist, he soon went on to
join the Australian Labor Party (ALP), became clerk of the chapel, leading his
first strike in 1953 and being elected to the Board of Management representing his Trade
Union by 1954;
(iv)
his
early political involvement engaged with the political issues of his era, particularly
opposing Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, and supporting the women’s
liberation movement, including a greater appreciation of the role of women
within the ALP;
(v)
Bruce
was elected to and took his seat in the Australian Senate in 1981;
(vi)
Bruce’s principal contribution
to Parliament was made through his highly effective service on many committees;
(vii)
within two years of entering the
Senate, Bruce Childs was a co-convener of the left-wing of Labor’s Federal
Parliamentary Labor Party and the ALP throughout Australia, retaining that role
throughout the period of Hawke and Keating Labor Governments;
(viii)
he was acknowledged as a unifier
by his colleagues and by senators from all sides of politics for his
“courteous, patient and unpretentious manner, as much as he was for the
strength of his beliefs”;
(ix)
as a
Senator, Bruce continued to fight for the rights of working people, campaign
for peace, support feminism and demand a greater role for women in politics and
public life;
(x)
as a Parliamentarian and a
leader of the Left, Childs was fascinated with finding ways that ‘grassroots
democracy in all its diversity can find a voice in the Parliament’, or with
ensuring that leaders heard the voices and concerns of his faction, or by
perpetually encouraging young people and especially young women to become
active in public life;
(xi)
after
leaving the Senate in 1997, Bruce served continuously as president of the Evatt
Foundation until 2006; and
(xii)
Bruce’s fairness, commitment and
distinct political legacy will be remembered for generations to come;
(B)
the
Lord Mayor be requested to write to Bruce Child’s family to express the City of
Sydney Council’s condolences and appreciation for his work and the legacy he
has left; and
(C)
all
persons attending this meeting of Council observe one minute’s silence to
commemorate the life of Bruce Childs and his significant contributions to
politics and Parliament.
Carried unanimously.
Note – All Councillors, staff and members of the
public present stood in silence for one minute as a mark of respect to Bruce
Childs.
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