John Wheeldon
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The Honourable John Wheeldon |
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|---|---|
| Senator for Western Australia | |
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In office 1 July 1965 – 30 June 1981 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
9 August 1929 Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia |
| Died | 24 May 2006 (aged 76) Sydney |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Judith |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
| Occupation | Solicitor |
John Murray Wheeldon (9 August 1929 – 24 May 2006) was an Australian federal politician and briefly a minister. He is mainly notable for his views on Australian foreign policy.
Wheeldon was born in Subiaco, Western Australia and educated at Perth Modern School and the University of Western Australia. He graduated in arts and law and then worked as a solicitor. He was later President of the Western Australian Young Liberals, but resigned in protest at Robert Menzies' attempt to ban the Communist Party of Australia, declaring that it "seemed rather fatuous to call itself the Liberal Party and then introduce a bill like that."
At the 1964 half-Senate election, Wheeldon was elected to the Australian Senate, representing the Australian Labor Party. His term commenced on 1 July 1965. He strongly opposed the Vietnam War and (though no supporter of Communism) visited North Vietnam at the invitation of the North Vietnam peace committee, while Australia was involved in fighting in South Vietnam. In 1967, he spoke against the war in the United States with Jim Cairns. According to Senator John Faulkner, Wheeldon "... showed real passion for the causes he believed in: his opposition to the Vietnam War, his support for the independence of East Timor, his abhorrence of apartheid and his deep concern about Soviet imperialism."
Wheeldon was appointed Minister for Repatriation and Compensation in June 1974 in Gough Whitlam's third ministry and was responsible for implementing Whitlam's ambitious plan to establish a national compensation scheme. In addition, he was appointed Minister for Social Security in June 1975 when Bill Hayden was appointed Treasurer. Both appointments were terminated by the dismissal of the Whitlam government in November 1975. Wheeldon remained a senator until 30 June 1981, having chosen not to contest the 1980 election.
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