Albert Field
| Albert Field | |
|---|---|
| Senator for Queensland | |
|
In office 3 September 1975 – 11 November 1975 |
|
| Preceded by | Bertie Milliner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 October 1910 |
| Died | 1 July 1990 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party |
Labor (1937-1975) Independent (1975-1979) National (1979-1990) |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Albert Patrick "Pat" Field (11 October 1910 – 1 July 1990) was an Australian French polisher and Labor Party member who in 1975 was chosen as a Senator, in unusual circumstances that played a significant role in precipitating the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. Gough Whitlam described him as "an individual of the utmost obscurity, from which he rose and to which he sank with equal speed".
Albert Field was born in Durrington, Wiltshire, England in 1910. Due to his parents' frequent ill health, he spent much of his childhood in orphanages and boys' homes. He migrated to Australia in 1926, working in mines and on sheep stations.
He joined the Australian Labor Party in 1937, becoming president of the Morningside branch of the party. He served in the Australian Army in New Guinea during World War II. On discharge he became a French polisher. He worked for the Queensland Education Department, and was elected president of the Queensland branch of the Federated Furnishing Trade Society of Australasia in the early 1970s.
On 30 June 1975, Bertie Milliner, a Queensland ALP Senator, died suddenly. It was longstanding tradition that, when a casual vacancy occurred in the Senate, the relevant political party would nominate the replacement to the state premier, and the state parliament would formally appoint the new senator. As was usual practice, the Labor Party nominated only one name, Mal Colston, to replace Milliner. The Country Party Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen asked for a list of three names, from which he would choose the replacement; he was possibly relying on a 1962 precedent when his predecessor Frank Nicklin had also required such a list of names. The Labor Party refused to provide a list, and insisted on Colston being appointed.
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